Sadly, I moved to the D.C. area in late summer 2004, too late to ever attend the classic HFStival at RFK Stadium. I watched it from afar on MTV over the years, wishing I could be there, but it never happened.
So, I was excited when the announcement came through of the fest’s 2024 return at Nationals Park. Granted, that’s not the first place I’d think of to have a rock festival but I understand that having it in DC proper was probably a priority. On Saturday, I hopped on the Metro and headed down to South Capitol Street to check it out. I had fun! There were great performances throughout the day. I think the unseasonable mid-80s temperature kept lots of people on the concourses while the sun was out so it was hard to gauge how many people were actually there, but it filled in nicely after sunset. I would go again next year if it returns.
Here are some random thoughts on the bands in order of my favorite set to least favorite at Nationals Park on Sept. 21. All photo by yours truly.
Bush
I hated Bush during the Alternative Rock Era so I was ready to bury Gavin Rossdale and Co. before they even took the stage. Imagine my shock when I ended up absolutely loving their set. “Machinehead” was eye-openingly incredible and made me want to run through a wall. “Everything Zen” and “Comedown” were also pretty great — but “Glycerine” still sucks. None of the newer stuff they played bored me. Rossdale, who turns 59 next month, was wearing a little muscle t-shirt to show off how cut he is. Again, he’s almost 60. But I digress.
The Postal Service
It is impossible for me to put anything attached to Jenny Lewis lower than No. 2 in this list. As The Postal Service, she and Ben Gibbard had so much fun during this set and they delivered a killer final performance of Give Up (at least for the foreseeable future). I said my piece on this tour last year when they played The Anthem.
Jimmy Eat World
Stuck with an early afternoon set in the blazing sun, Jimmy Eat World delivered a set full of the hits from Bleed American. Obviously everyone knows “The Middle” but for my money “A Praise Chorus” is their killer tune. They are the perfect festival band to deliver an all killer, no filler 40-minute set.
The Violent Femmes
The debut album by The Violent Femmes is a right of passage for anyone interested in alternative music. Those songs still hold up to this day: “Add It Up,” “Blister in the Sun,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” and “Kiss Off” all sounded mega. A highlight of the day.
Liz Phair
The artist I was most excited to see, Liz Phair was plagued with technical issues in the first few songs of her set and never really got going. She also had a rough slot between Jimmy Eat World and Bush. The crowd didn’t know many of her songs but I loved hearing tunes from Exile in Guyville since I missed her tour behind that album last year.
Death Cab for Cutie
I’m not a huge DCFC fan but Transatlanticism is my favorite album of theirs so I won’t complain about hearing those songs. They always come across as very workmanlike live (not an insult!) so it’s hard for me to get excited about seeing them.
Incubus
I like the singles by Incubus fine, but I’ve never really listened to their albums. They played “Nice to Know You” and “Wish You Were Here” early and then added some covers, including Portishead’s “Glory Box.” Respect! To be fair, lots of people online said this was their favorite set of the day. I just want more from their stage presence.
Girl Talk
Without trying to be mean, I felt like Girl Talk’s act is the one that has aged the worst. To me, his set was all drops and mainly gave white people permission to dance to hard-core rap tracks. I want something new and different from him and didn’t get it.
Lit, Filter and Tonic
I missed Lit and almost all of Filter, although I did get to hear “Hey Man, Nice Shot” on my way into the stadium. Tonic had a photo contract so I didn’t take any photos of them. Their performance was fine!