DMV Scores a Re:SET During Traveling Festival

The Re:SET Concert Series is taking the U.S. by storm with its boundless lineup. For the first year of its existence, the traveling festival brings a tidal wave of genres, ranging from intimate indie to stage-shaking EDM and everything in between. 

The new outdoor concert series crafted by AEG Presents serves to give artists and fans a unique experience of a relaxed festival that can be caught in multiple places.

Headlining the festival were Boygenius, Steve Lacy, and LCD Soundsystem, who each curated the lineup for their performance day. 

Spanning across the month of June, Re:SET made its appearance in 12 cities across four regions. On the weekend of June 16, the festival made its debut in Maryland at Merriweather Post Pavillion. Accurately labeled as the “DMV”, attendees from the area and beyond gathered to share the weekend of a lifetime.

Read our recap of the DMV’s Re:SET weekend below!

Friday:

Kicking off the weekend, Bartees Strange emitted an infectious vibe, playing soothing guitar rifts and enchanting ears with his vocals. With his bubbly stage presence, Strange ignited the perfect temperature of hype that set the stage for the rest of the performers.

Baltimore musician and singer, Dijon, amplified Strange’s melodic vibe, subduing listeners' ears with his charming voice. Kicking off his 55-minute set, Dijon roused the crowd with opening hit, Big Mike’s. Dijon and the band seemed to be enjoying themselves as they jammed out live. During each song, Dijon’s emotion shone brightly through his eyes that peered through the crowd.

Dijon played a whopping carousel of hits including Many Times, Talk Down, and coogie. Fans rocked from side to side, even closing their eyes to feel the depths of his voice. The most powerful track wrenching hearts seemed to be the closer Rodeo Clown, as Dijon gripped the mike and directly locked eyes with listeners. 

Roughly 45 minutes later Clairo appeared on stage, with fans erupting in howls as they began with Bambi. The hour-long set included a plethora of instruments, including multiple guitarists, a pianist, and even a saxophone player who held extensive notes. Lead singer Claire Elizabeth Cottrill even shouted out her familiarity with the venue.

Fans perused through the band’s most recent studio-recorded album Sling, giving rise to features of Zinnias, Blouse, and Amoeba amongst others. The visuals of colorful abstract drawings paired perfectly with the dream-like state Clairo reshaped the venue into. In between the art, black and white visuals of the band engulfed screens, transporting the audience back in time.

“We have a few more songs and then it's time for the boys,”  Cottrill laughed. The audience’s gaping smiles illuminated the venue while they sat in silence, waiting for the next track. Clairo played another two tracks from Sling, Harbor and Patridge.

Concluding with popular hit Bags, audience members recited every lyric while cherishing their last few minutes. The overall aura of Clairo connected with fans in a profoundly deep manner while still kindling excitement, much like what was to follow. 

Friday appeared to be the most packed day, with fan girls’ mouths watering at the thought of seeing Boygenius live. Die-hards gathered in circles, displaying their old and newly bought headlining merch which was held in its own tent. Listeners squealed with delight once the lights dimmed and the audience prepared for Boygenius’ entrance

However, right before playing, an indigenous woman from the Piscataway native group, Julie Tayac Yakes, gave a speech about the history of her people and the venue’s land. Yakes emphasized the importance of recognizing where ingenious land lies and preserving it from harmful human tendencies.

A few minutes later Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back In Town signaled the onset of Boygenius’ set. Throughout the entire night, cries of each singer’s name illuminated the venue as the three-piece band hailed from the stage. Although having only released one album and EP, Boygenius played a heft 18 tracks during their hour-and-a-half set. 

They managed to showcase their entire discography as a band, playing every track from the record and boygenius, leaving no stone unturned. In the beginning of their performance, Phoebe Bridgers thanked guest speaker Julie for welcoming the crowd to the territory. Multiple cries of “I love you Phoebe” overtook brief moments of silence.

Before wrapping up, the three singers embraced in an enormous group hug on stage, even falling down into a dog pile. Fans hurled multiple lesbian pride flags onto the stage, with Lucy Daucus plucking one and wrapping one around her shoulders. The three teased an exit just to waltz back on stage and wrap up with three songs. Though performing an undeniably satisfying set, fans still itched for more.

Saturday:

At 5:15 sharp, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Fousheé appeared on stage with two fun house mirrors, a few instruments, and vigor. Starting with scream my name while playing the cowbell with a drumstick, she flexed her undeniable magnetism. Fans devoured every second of her performance, even screaming while she drank water. 

Fousheé showcased many talents, serenading the crowd with her guitar during sing about love and unleashing her inner rock star with stupid bitch. She even surprised fans with an unexpected cover of Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. While singing closing hit spend the money, she danced with a fan-passed pink cowboy hat atop her head.

Up next was Toro y Moi, who opened with Mirage, embarking on a similar melodic tone where Fousheé left off. Each band member marvelously grooved with their instrument, emitting synthesized melodies and not a single drum note. 

“Ready for a good night? You’re in for a treat,” said lead singer Chaz Bear. The audience's bodies swayed like the wind as TYM shifted from So Many Details to The Loop to Rose Quartz. On the screen, psychedelic visuals shifted through an array of symbols of colors, perfectly aligning with the mood of each song.

Listeners bounced endlessly to the beat once his beaming hit with Flume, The Difference, fizzled through speakers. Throughout almost the entire set, Bear’s smile radiated brightly on projection screens as he poured his heart out through the music. 

Before shifting into intimate Girl Like You, Bear yelled, “Say oh oh oh” before laughing and saying “Nevermind, I tricked you”, realizing he mixed up the setlist. Once the song wrapped up, Bear, on cue, said “Oh oh oh” seamlessly shifting into Freelance before closing out.

After the break, fans grew increasingly enthralled when James Blake and band appeared behind the stage’s black curtains. Started off gently, Blake played keyboard as Life Round Here slowly built up electricity as white lights twinkled overhead. From new to old hits, Blake played an assortment of hits, from 2010’s CMYK to 2021’s Coming Back featuring SZA.

Blake pulled fans on an emotional journey, playing heart-wrenching hits like Say What You Will and I Hope She’ll Be Happier to intoxicating bangers like Mile High. Halfway through the set, the pink cowboy hat made its second appearance of the day as Blake plucked it from the crowd and signed it. 

Audience members in the pit screamed for Blake to play Hummingbird to which he eventually obliged, but not without mentioning its feature in the new movie, Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse, a staple moment in his career.  

Saturday night’s energy was described as “palpable” by Blake, with the singer mentioning he was “fucking bursting” with emotion from the venue aura. Ending with his cover of Frank Ocean’s Godspeed and then Retrograde, a surge of standing ovations erupted.

Soon the nail-biting moment of Steve Lacy’s grand entrance arrived, with die-hards frying their vocal boxes with screams. Lacy’s colossal fan base brought profuse elation, leaving room for barely an ounce of silence the entire hour and 30-minute set. After playing Hate CD, fans ceaselessly cheered to the point where Lacy said, “Can y’all be quiet?” 

Finally, when the hyped died down a smidge, Infrunami graced ears and the venue collectively chanted the chorus. During the lengthy set, Lacy unleashed countless hits including Mercury, Some, and C U Girl. In between songs, Lacy evoked rounds of laughter with his blunt remarks, even embarking on a two-minute-long speech about masturbation after playing Static. Yet, earlier Lacy shared a sentimental moment with the audience, speaking on his appreciation for people listening to his art encompassing his “tortured” experiences and emotions. 

Toward the end of the night, a second surprise appearance from Fousheé occured as the two shared the stage for a performance of Sunshine. Before wrapping up, Lacy of course sang viral single Bad Habit, before requesting the pink cowboy hat to make its third stage appearance and receive its second signature. Closing the set of a lifetime, he played thrashing hit Dark Red before kicking over the microphone stand to exit like a true rockstar. 

Sunday:

The final day of the festival proved to be the most musically diverse of the three, with a plethora of sounds sewn up perfectly into four sets. Playing for 40 minutes, L’Rain enchanted the crowd with her soothing voice, guitar rifts, and a wide array of instruments touched by the band. Ripples of emotion flooded the grounds as each emotion-heavy song caressed ears. 

A 360 vibe shift occurred when Idles slammed the stage, keeping fans on their toes from their opening gut-punching Colossus to their fiery closer Rottweiler. By the second song, guitarists Lee Kiernan hopped into the pit evoking an uproar from the crowd. With the onset of each song, the crowd grew increasingly ferocious, igniting the first and only mosh pit of the weekend.

Halfway through their set, a fan tossed their sunglasses onstage to lead singer, Joe Talbot, who promptly put them on for a few minutes before trading the fan a band t-shirt. Before the onset of Mother, Talbot dedicated the single to the fathers and mothers who “hold it down”, spotlighting Sunday’s performance on Father’s Day. 

The set’s hype reached a record high once Never Fight A Man With A Perm exploded through the speakers. The pit formed a hole which Talbot parted into two. At the cross of his hands, the two walls of people pummeled into one another stirring up a new wave of chaos. 

As the hour-long set inched to a close, Talbot dedicated the second to last song Danny Nedlko “to the hard work and bravery of the immigrants that make our country and yours a better place”, affirming the song’s origination. Midway through, the song guitarist Mark Bowen stood atop the crowd yelling his lyrical verse, shortly followed by him crowd surfing while singing. 

After another 45 minutes of waiting, the third set prompted another vibe shift as Jamie XX seamlessly altered the venue into a nightclub, though the sun still peered through the sky. Coming in steaming, Jamie promptly began with a version of I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) then ceaselessly transitioned into every additional song. 

The entire hour set was hand-mixed live with the crowd scarfing down Jamie’s energy and regurgitating it in the form of dance moves. Inside his vast arsenal of hits, classics like Kill Dem, Gosh, LET’S DO IT AGAIN, and Idontknow poured from house speakers. With live dancers directing the screen’s visuals, a dazzling disco ball, and zero words, Jamie brought an authentic bass-shaking aura to the festival’s lineup.

The onset of escalation reached its peak once headliner LCD Soundsystem graced the stage, starting five minutes early and finishing ten minutes late. Opening with Get Innocuous! the sea of listeners stood in an uproar of cheer for the moment they had anticipated all night. 

As usual, the band brought a vast set of band equipment, comprised of at least three drum sets, four keyboards, and multiple synthesizers. Moving swiftly from song the song, LCD played a wide array of hits including You Wanted a Hit, Tribulations, Us Vs Them, and Tonite. 

Lead singer James Murphy made it a point to shout out each band on the line up even saying “If you got here late, you kind of f*cked up”. Bringing passion, soul-stirring rhythms, and cosmic emotion, LCD electrified listeners with an unforgettable performance. 

Scouring from the highs of Daft Punk Is Playing at My House to the intimate New York I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down, die-hard fans hurled every lyric back to the stage. The two closing tunes of Dance Yrself Clean and All My Friends evoked intense screams and flailing limbs, leaving fans thirsting for more after their final bow.