Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
HFStival made its grand return this past weekend in the heart of America where it all began –– the Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C. An arena full of attendees paid respects to the infamous festival for the first time in 13 years.
Like any festival, you need to stack the deck to draw people early and HFStival did just that. After a brief opening ceremony of previous HFStival workers and attendees being applauded on stadium, music for the day began with ‘90s hard rockers Lit, Tonic, and Violent Femmes. Those early attendees braved the mid day sun and were rewarded with back to back hits from each band.
The issue most festivals face is the abundance of stages spread far apart and any fun activities pushed to the outskirts of the land. Attendees are then forced to miss songs from their favorite band and skip activities all together –– but not with HFStival. Every act played the same center stage and attendees were even welcome up for a cupcake eating contest and a 1v1 Guitar Hero competition, so even those who lack the skill set of a real guitar could get their five minutes of fame playing the classic rhythm game in front of everyone. Jimmy Eat World, Liz Phair, and Bush shortly took the stage after the winner was named and got the GA pit moving again.
The sun was just beginning to set as the back portion of the stadium started to meet its capacity. Floods of millennials wearing Death Cab For Cutie merch took to their seats and braved a bit of rain for the final three acts. But wouldn’t be a ‘90s celebration without Incubus, would it? The band, known for being a hit-making powerhouse, trimmed down their usual two-hour set for 60 minutes of more curated tracks such as “Drive,” “Pardon Me,” and “Wish You Were Here.” Dedicated fans of the band and the festival showed that even some less than desirable weather wasn’t going to force them out.
Now was the moment the 30,000 people in attendance were waiting for. Over the past year, we’ve seen Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service take a victory lap around the world: the two acclaimed bands (both fronted by Ben Gibbard) have been playing their award-winning ‘03 albums Transatlanticism and Give Up in full each night. The entire band (and frankly also the audience) wore black for the Transatlanticism playthrough, and then a contrasting white outfit for Give Up. This final celebration to send off the anniversary tour appropriately took place at the return of HFStival as the thousands in attendance yelled back lyrics to “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight.” Thousands came together to celebrate the culture D.C. has to offer while the Washington monument lurks in the distance. Ben Gibbard gave a heartfelt thank you to HFStival and the 9:30 Club (who we can confidently say earn their reputation as the nicest staff of venues in America) before sending us on our way.
With 30,000 people in attendance, it’s fair to say the return of HFStival was successful. 13 years away proved to be no challenge when jumpstarting it back into action in 2024. Throughout the day, the screens around the stadium showed bands that once graced the stage and we hope to see them powered on next year paying tribute to The Postal Service as a new generation of bands take the stage.
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Kyle Musser//
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