Every year, Queens, NY’s Forest Hill Stadium hosts the All Things Go festival in September. I had the absolute pleasure of attending the festival this year, and I am glad to say that the festival ended up exceeding my expectations.
The bill for this year’s festival was absolutely jam-packed with amazing artists, well known and more underground. Huge draws for the festival were MUNA, Julien Baker, Ethel Cain, Renee Rapp, and Chappell Roan. Sadly, though, Chappell Roan ended up canceling her set due to prioritizing her mental health. Though yes, this is was disappointing, people must remember that Chappell is a person, and if she doesn’t feel like she is in the right place to perform, we cannot force her to. And as fans of her and her music, we should respect that. But in addition to all of these bigger artists, they had lots of musicians who I had never heard of before. Some of my favorites were Indigo De Souza, Towa Bird, Del Water Gap, and Holly Humberstone. 
The festival started on Saturday, September 28th. Disappointedly, it was a rainy day, but people still showed up to the stadium rocking multi-colored ponchos and raincoats over their concert outfits. Many people dawned pink cowboy hats and sparkly outfit ensembles, which made the atmosphere bright and sunny, contrasting to the rain outside. 
The first thing that I was greeted with upon entering the festival was a free ear piercing station run by Claire’s, one of the festival’s sponsors. In addition to free ear piercing, the festival had many vendors who gave away free food or merchandise. Since there was only one stage, festivalgoers were able to spend lots of time in the concourse exploring and of course, getting free stuff. One of the most popular activities was hair tinsel, run by Dave’s Lesbian Bar, who were trying to open a location in NYC. In addition to the hair tinsel, after donating to their cause you could win a prize through a wheel spin.
In addition to all the sponsorships, the food there was amazing as well. Over the course of the two days of the festival, I got a free impossible burger sample, an amazing chicken quesadilla, cheese arepas, truffle parm fries, and a huge bucket of fruit. In addition to what I had, they also had burgers, pretzels, mozzarella sticks, Korean hot wings, hot subs, and pizza.
But of course, the main draw of the festival was the music. While I wasn’t able to see all of the artists there, I was able to see a good few. Day one opened with Towa Bird immediately setting the tone for the fun that was to come. I was unfortunately unable to see Coco & Clair Clair or Soccer Mommy in front of the stage, but I was able to hear their music from my place in the concourse. I made my way back out into the rain to hear Del Water Gap’s set, which I found myself really enjoying even though it wouldn’t be the usual style of music I opt for. The final artist I was able to see before the headliners was Holly Humberstone. She was probably my favorite new artist that I saw, with her music being very reminiscent of Blondshell.
Now, the next set slot was originally for Chappell Roan. Since she was not able to attend, All Things Go pulled together an amazing drag show and dance party to all of Chappell Roan’s most upbeat and fun songs. There were points where the singing coming from the crowd drowned out the actual songs being played over the loud speakers. I think that this really speaks to how many people truly enjoy and appreciate Chappell’s music.
After the drag show ended, the rain started to slow down, and almost everyone made their way out to the stage for the first headliner of the day, LA pop band MUNA. While the group experienced sound difficulties during their introduction, the rest of their performance was amazing, and absolutely everything that I wanted from a pop show. The energy was high with the rain finally at bay, and everyone was finally able to let loose without the restriction of a poncho or rain jacket. Highlights of their set included one of their most famous live songs, entitled “Anything But Me”, in which they bring out a blow up horse named Stacy, which is thrown into the audience and frantically bops around. Another amazing highlight was their tribute to Chappell Roan with an acoustic cover of “Good Luck, Babe!”, as well as a very unexpected cover of “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. But perhaps the most exciting moment was when they welcomed Lucy Dacus onstage for their last song.
I closed out the night with the first few songs of Renee Rapp’s set, as my feet were aching and I had a long walk back to where I was staying. I do have to say, a highlight of her set was when she walked out from the concourse and through the audience, in which the audience went crazy.
Day two opened with Indigo De Souza, an artist that I particularly enjoyed. Many people around us, though, noted that the rain was possibly worse than the day before. Despite this, I was able to see almost every artist on day two. Some of my favorites included Mannequin Pussy, which gave me a sort of Live Through This Hole vibe. I also enjoyed Maisie Peters and her fun and poppy aesthetic that brought immense contrast to the pelting rain outside.
The first headliner, Julien Baker, came on at 5:15. The only way I can explain her music is gut wrenching, but in the best way. As a huge fan of Julien Baker, this opportunity to see her was amazing. You can tell how much she loves her songs and how much appreciation she has for the music she is playing. Her music is not as upbeat as other artists on the bill, and I was shocked to say that the audience was very respectful the whole time, not shouting or screaming over the quieter and more emotional music.
Ethel Cain was after Julien Baker, and her set was an absolute joy to watch. I had heard one or two of her songs before, but on the way home from the festival I listened to American Teenager on repeat. Similar to Julien Baker, the crowd was extremely respectful of her artistry, not shouting and screaming lyrics over intimate moments.
I wish I could’ve stayed to see Janelle Monae’s set, but I had the long drive back to Worcester. But from the clips I’ve seen on social media, it looked like an amazing time that I wish I could’ve stayed for.
Overall, All Things Go was the best music festival I have ever been to. It was extremely enjoyable, despite the weather, and it really felt like a community. If you have the chance to attend the festival, I really recommend you do. Not only is it a great time for the average indie-rock music enthusiast, but more than that, it is a celebration of queer culture and feminism above all else. The sense of community at the festival seemed so strong, stronger than any other music festival that I had been to. I mentioned this throughout my writing, but I really have to say that I am pleasantly surprised at how respectful spectators were of all the artists. It was probably the best crowd of all of the festivals I have gone to. In addition, before attending the festival I wasn’t to keen on music festivals. While I did still enjoy them, I preferred an actual venue and the “traditional” concert experience. All Things Go, though, changed this for me. The culture and community made it absolutely worth staying through the rain, and it had me thinking about the festival days, even weeks, later.
All Things Go is really an example of how festival culture has grown and changed over the years, allowing all communities to come together to interact, and most importantly, become immersed in the music.
