Remember 2008? That seemed to be the running theme for this year’s Virgin Mobile FreeFest. With bands like The Avett Brothers, MGMT, and Vampire Weekend as the “legacy acts,” (recall last year when Dismemberment Plan, Ben Folds Five, and ZZ Top played) this year’s fest felt way more EDM and pop-centric than years past. This year’s FreeFest made it hard to believe that, no more than three years ago Pavement was headlining the festival.
Still, among the sea of neon-clad teens doing weird drugs and grinding the day away in the Dance Forest, there was still much fun to be had at this year’s festival. Despite the consistent rain that put a damper on the day around 3 p.m., crowds found much to celebrate, as bands like CHVRCHES, The Avett Brothers, Icona Pop, Black Joe Lewis, and Vampire Weekend delivered solid sets.
DCist was there to take it all in, and here’s the best and worst of what we saw, heard, and experienced.
Most Appropriate T-Shirt
At around noon, a man who was covered in water and wearing a t-shirt that said “Sometimes I Do Stupid Things” was being escorted by two police officers. — Jessica Garson
Best T-Shirt
Couldn’t snap picture of it, but the guy wearing this shirt wins. — Matt Cohen
Best Set
Scottish trio Chvrches played a remarkably consistent set that introduced the crowd to their sprawling musical talent beyond their hit, “The Mother We Share.” The timing could not have been better as it began to pour right after they played it. — Jessica Garson
Most Boring Set
With aggressively mediocre songs that all the sounded the same, Washed Out provided for one of the most boring sets I’ve ever seen. — Jessica Garson
Band Who Most Unapologetically Loves It
The group behind the most annoyingly ubiquitous pop song of the summer doesn’t give a fuck if you’re sick of hearing that song. Icona Pop’s lightening set proved that they’ve got a lot more to offer than a radio-ready soundtrack for most movie trailers. With clever synth parts, sweetly addicting hooks, and anthemic choruses, the Swedish duo offered one of the most fun sets of the day. I don’t care, I loved it. (Sorry, had to) — Matt Cohen
Most Fun Moment
Dancing during Congorock’s DJ set in the Dance Forest. I was not expecting to get into as much as I did, and the rain hitting the lasers from the stage gave the whole affair a glittery look. — Jessica Garson
Worst Overheard Advice
“It won’t be that bad to drive home on Molly” — Jessica Garson
Worst Reminder of 2008
Though most of their set was plagued by malfunctioning equipment and various technical difficulties, even when things did go right for the psychedelic pop quartet MGMT, those things were mostly boring. Their brand of jammy electro psych-pop is better suited for the Bonnaroo crowd than it is for the mostly neon-soaked attendees of FreeFest, whose collective attention span is roughly two-thirds of “Blurred Lines.” The crowd mostly watched with a glazed-over gaze as MGMT jammed on, only to show enthusiasm when they played their big hits like “Time To Pretend” and “Electric Feel.” Biggest omission from their set: The 2008 year-defining mega-hit “Kids,” which, by not playing, seemed like a big “fuck you” to FreeFest audiences. — Matt Cohen
Best Reminder of 2008
Right from the get-go, with set-opener “Cousins,” Vampire Weekend was clearly the best reminder that—hey!— 2008 produced some pretty great music. The band’s air-tight set sprinkled in fan favorites like “Horchata,” “A-Punk,” and “Oxford Comma,” along with gems from their bouncy new album, Modern Vampires of The City. I guess if Vampire Weekend counts as one of the “legacy acts” of this year’s FreeFest, they certainly could’ve mined a lot worse from 2008. — Matt Cohen
Most Solid Set
Black Joe Lewis provided for a well-timed, energetic, and intriguing live show that induced involuntary sing-a-longs. — Jessica Garson
Most Jarring Career Shift
Remember Alexisonfire? The Canadian post-hardcore group that played just about every Warped Tour for the better part of the aughts? Well, Dallas Green, Alexisonfire’s guitarist/vocalist, has since moved on in a big way. Ditching his electric guitar for an acoustic one, Green has garnered a big reputation with his heartfelt folk act City and Colour. I think the last time I saw Dallas Green live was at a Warped Tour at Merriweather circa 2003, so it was quite jarring to see him performing these soft-spoken bluesy folk tunes. Still, it was quite good. — Matt Cohen
Worst Place to Be a Feminist
Robin Thicke’s set. ‘Nuff said. — Jessica Garson
Best Dressed
Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches wearing the cutest black leather jacket and black skirt. — Jessica Garson
Second-Best Dressed
MGMT’s guitarist sporting a vintage Washington Bullets Juwan Howard jersey. — Matt Cohen
Best Reminder That Banjos and Mandolins Aren’t Totally Lame
If the arrival of Mumford and Sons was the tipping point of the folk-pop boom, then The Lumineers—who brought last year’s inescapable dumb little ditty “Ho Hey!”—were the rock slide. But, The Avett Brothers’s blistering set was a stark reminder that banjos and mandolins aren’t always insufferable additions to pop music. — Matt Cohen
Best Place to Make Out with Someone
Madeon’s nighttime performance in the Dance Forest, provided one for the coolest looking venues I’ve ever seen. The darkness of the open air, dimly lit with strobe lights and lasers from the stage, became the perfect place to make out with a random stranger. It was like something out of a coming-of-age teen movie, if John Hughes directed a Skrillex video. — Jessica Garson
Drunkest Human
The large gentleman who was passed the fuck out near the Dance Forest by 1 p.m. I watched as two security guards tried to wake him up to see if he was OK. Came back about an hour later, and two more security guards had shown up to try and get him to stand up. Gold star, sir. — Matt Cohen
Person I Felt the Most Sorry For
The mother of a group of teenage girls trying her hardest to keep them out of trouble. — Jessica Garson
When the Inevitable Cold from Standing in the Pouring Down Rain for Half the Day Will Set In
Wednesday. — Jessica Garson
