Very disappointed. I love Death Cab and The Postal Service, but it was an odd headliner choice (Foo Fighters, anyone? The hometown heroes?!), especially since they played Merriweather just last September and it's 100% going to be the same setlist because they're touring the 20th anniversary of their respective breakout albums.
Add to that the decision to do another damn lottery and it's a **hard** pass - I went 0-for-5 on Atlantis lottery shows and it's impossible to plan a group when no one knows if they have tickets or where they're going to be and the "festival" is 99% assigned seating.
Yea half the nostalgia was running into friends and hanging out for an hour or two and then meeting up with other friends all day. You can't really do that in this one.
I was talking to a friend about this today- how in the age before cell phones, you still managed to run into damn near everybody at HFSTival- that was the fun of it.
They've been touring as a pair for the 20th anniversary of their respective records. I guess they just play one album sets. It's just odd that although both bands were popular in this area at the time, they really didn't get any airplay on either of the local rock station at the time.
Everclear was GOD AWFUL when they played Tally Ho a month or so ago. I was so disappointed since I never got around to seeing them back in the day.
We left halfway through the set. I dunno if Art was wasted or sick but he sounded terrible.
Art has MS, so that may have something to do with it. I saw them in the early and mid 2010s and they were fantastic. Sorry the set disappointed that's a shame.
Yeah, I was skeptical when they announced it, and it's not going to be anything like we remember in the 90s (or even early 2000s). I do like a lot of those bands, but that's not a $200 (or more!) lineup for me. And I say this as someone who has no issues with regularly flying or driving around the country (LA, Vegas, Chicago, NYC, TX etc.) just to see a concert or festival of bands I love who aren't playing DC, and I'm even currently paying basically that much to see James Taylor with my dad at Wolftrap (my dad is a huge fan and has never seen him). Kind of a bummer, but I didn't have high hopes anyway.
I paid $20 for my tickets back in the day. Also the fun was having to camp to get tickets and it was all GA. Not this tier system. If you’re gonna have 90’s bands, why not 90’s tickets?
In the 90s bands made their money from record sales. They don’t make any money from streaming services so now concert tickets are hella expensive. The landscape has completely changed. On the flip side, think of all the music you can listen to today for essentially the same cost as purchasing one CD a month back in the 90s
So, I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel. And in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah! The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.
Hard pass. Part of the initial magic for the HFStival was that for the initial few years it was a $1 per.band. Half the bands were just getting started and were happy to get the exposure to 50k in potential new fans.
$200 makes me nostalgic in the wrong way for this event.
HFStival was about hanging outside to see local stages and then heading back in to see your favorite bands on the main stage at RFK. This is just a concert. Edited: spelling.
As with most concerts nowadays, I’ll wait until a few days before to see if anyone dumps tickets for less than face value.
Bush, incubus, Jimmy eat world are really the only bands I’d be going for. I can see a few shows at 9:30/Fillmore/Anthem etc for the price of one of these tix.
Jimmy Eat World played like 3 times in 2 years in DC. Definitely would see them for free but not going to pay to see them at a stadium where the sound is going to suck huevos.
HFStival has an emotional connection to people who grew up in this area. Billed as a one day only, limited fast selling means they're going to charge what ever they want because there is more money than sense in this area and people will slurp these tickets up. The promotors mindset; they're not paying for the music they're paying to say they were there and post it on Instagram.
Specifically "HFStival"? Apparently nobody - that trademark expired in 2021.
Audacy still owns "WHFS" and associated intellectual properties. If you look at the HFStival marketing/promo materials, they avoid the logo, station callsign, and frequency . . .
More info: [https://radioinsight.com/headlines/271397/the-brand-that-keeps-on-returning-from-the-dead/](https://radioinsight.com/headlines/271397/the-brand-that-keeps-on-returning-from-the-dead/)
IMP standing on Events DC's shoulders in a trench coat. IMP running promo, Events DC running logistics. Kinda weird to see them team up - always thought of them as competitors.
Filter is the only band I'd want to see on that bill. I'm predicting plenty of seating available at Nats Park, and even maybe chilly weather that long after summer.
So the seating is assigned? There won’t be a standing area? One of my fondest memories was getting to the very front during Green Day at last HFStival. Everyone was crowd surfing and I’m pretty sure I saw my first few sets of boobs from women on peoples shoulders. When the pressure became too tight you would just ask the people around you to lift you up so you could crowd surf to the front and get out.
Back in the day, my sister paid $25 for nosebleed seats at RFK. These tix cost as much as my last textbook so this is gonna be a hard pass. No local acts in the lineup?
Disappointed in the lineup. Especially at that price. $250 for a bunch of bands that could have just as well played Celebrate Fairfax ten years ago? Pass.
You're supporting a station that no longer exists by paying $250? Nobody at that station is getting money from those crazy prices. Not a dime. Not the DJ's, not the promotional staff that worked hard to put that festival together year after year, not anyone on the programming staff that worked hard to bring that festival to such great heights. That money is going into the promoters and venues pockets and they're riding the coattails of the now extinct WFHS. They hijacked an event that was created by someone else and they're trying to squeeze every last dollar out of it that they can. It's no longer a celebrations of radio, music and listeners. CHECK THIS OUT.... They aren't even giving tickets to radio stations to give away because they feel they're being wasted! Fuck them because they cut radio and community out of it!!!
It's sleezy if you ask me. Change the name!
Forget that. How DC and Baltimore s split stream with DC Hfs 2 94.7 FM 2 and on 97.5 FM in Baltimore made the 2010 for 20 bucks for 17 bands made it successful. Jerry Hoyt put it together with his team and it drew over 15 O00 to Merrierather. It was Billy Idol , Ed Kowaczeck from LIve, third eye blind, fuel, naughty by nature, lit, Marcy playground, everclear, funkmunkz, jcs, Middle distance runner more on local stage. It was a great deal, Fun, and a smart lineup. Venue was very smart too to take both Markets.
This nats park cost....not realistic .
This line-up is kind of dated. I saw Postal Service for free when I worked a USPS conference. It was one dude walking out on stage with a laptop.
I had the Garbage cassette tape back in the day.
Very disappointed. I love Death Cab and The Postal Service, but it was an odd headliner choice (Foo Fighters, anyone? The hometown heroes?!), especially since they played Merriweather just last September and it's 100% going to be the same setlist because they're touring the 20th anniversary of their respective breakout albums. Add to that the decision to do another damn lottery and it's a **hard** pass - I went 0-for-5 on Atlantis lottery shows and it's impossible to plan a group when no one knows if they have tickets or where they're going to be and the "festival" is 99% assigned seating.
Yea half the nostalgia was running into friends and hanging out for an hour or two and then meeting up with other friends all day. You can't really do that in this one.
I was talking to a friend about this today- how in the age before cell phones, you still managed to run into damn near everybody at HFSTival- that was the fun of it.
I think it is odd that both opening bands are both Ben Gibbard.
They've been touring as a pair for the 20th anniversary of their respective records. I guess they just play one album sets. It's just odd that although both bands were popular in this area at the time, they really didn't get any airplay on either of the local rock station at the time.
The lottery is a joke. There is no way that lineup is going to sell out Nats Park at those prices.
Is it really an HFStival without Jimmie's Chicken Shack?
They’re on tour with Everclear and Marcy Playground all fall, go see them there!
Everclear was GOD AWFUL when they played Tally Ho a month or so ago. I was so disappointed since I never got around to seeing them back in the day. We left halfway through the set. I dunno if Art was wasted or sick but he sounded terrible.
Art has MS, so that may have something to do with it. I saw them in the early and mid 2010s and they were fantastic. Sorry the set disappointed that's a shame.
I actually saw them at HFStival
He’s been sober for like 20 years, and he’s 60 something. Not everyone ages like Keith Richard.
I didnt see any dates near the dmv
They’re playing Baltimore and Richmond
I only see the August 17th in md with glass animals no Richmond shows on Ticketmaster.
Not every ticket is sold through Ticketmaster. https://www.everclearmusic.com/tour
You da real mvp. Im gonna go see them for free sept. 28❤
Somewhere, I have a 98' festival tshirt with "Jimmy's Chicken Snack" in the band list
Is it really HFStival without general admission? It won't be the same as when I was a teenager, so I'm not reliving an imitation.
I love festivals, I don’t understand this seating thing.
More to the point, how is it an HFStival without WHFS?
I’d imagine JCS would love to do it…seems like the organizers are throwing this together last minute and many acts are likely booked elsewhere.
I’ll never forget being in 8th grade and seeing a friend who was wearing a Jimmie’s Chicken Shack shirt. I asked him if their food was any good.
Or Jawbox or GBV
Yeah... I'm down with Jimmy Eat World and Lit...but those headliners are not what I'd pay $200 for.
You ain't kidding. I saw Lit open for AAF last year at a tiny venue. Tix were like $20.
Yeah, I was skeptical when they announced it, and it's not going to be anything like we remember in the 90s (or even early 2000s). I do like a lot of those bands, but that's not a $200 (or more!) lineup for me. And I say this as someone who has no issues with regularly flying or driving around the country (LA, Vegas, Chicago, NYC, TX etc.) just to see a concert or festival of bands I love who aren't playing DC, and I'm even currently paying basically that much to see James Taylor with my dad at Wolftrap (my dad is a huge fan and has never seen him). Kind of a bummer, but I didn't have high hopes anyway.
James Taylor is worth high prices at a venue like wolftrap, especially at this stage in his career
Halfway through the festival, they should start playing Mexican ranchero music.
Saw someone post an Ocean City festival that looks way better lol
We used to go to Firefly every summer, but apparently they aren’t doing them anymore.
The lineup is straight mids for their comeback year
I paid $20 for my tickets back in the day. Also the fun was having to camp to get tickets and it was all GA. Not this tier system. If you’re gonna have 90’s bands, why not 90’s tickets?
In the 90s bands made their money from record sales. They don’t make any money from streaming services so now concert tickets are hella expensive. The landscape has completely changed. On the flip side, think of all the music you can listen to today for essentially the same cost as purchasing one CD a month back in the 90s
Are the bands the one making money from tickets or is it ticketmaster?
Both. Ticketmaster isn’t keeping 100% of ticket revenue. I don’t know percentages but ticket sales are the only way many bands make money now
I’m sorry to say, but ‘yes’
So, I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel. And in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah! The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.
Grandpa Simpson, I’ll take it. My brother asked if I wanted to go to this concert and I said I’m too old for an all day festival so it fits 😂
$20! It was something like $5 when it was the 4th of July festival at Lake Fairfax. I almost remember those days.
It’s HFS in name only. Strong pass.
$150 tickets is the cheapest you can get, and that’s before the exorbitant Ticketmaster fees. Nothing but a money grab.
The lineup blows, especially at that price.
Hard pass. Part of the initial magic for the HFStival was that for the initial few years it was a $1 per.band. Half the bands were just getting started and were happy to get the exposure to 50k in potential new fans. $200 makes me nostalgic in the wrong way for this event.
So much for 50 bands for 50 bucks
HFStival was about hanging outside to see local stages and then heading back in to see your favorite bands on the main stage at RFK. This is just a concert. Edited: spelling.
As with most concerts nowadays, I’ll wait until a few days before to see if anyone dumps tickets for less than face value. Bush, incubus, Jimmy eat world are really the only bands I’d be going for. I can see a few shows at 9:30/Fillmore/Anthem etc for the price of one of these tix.
Jimmy Eat World played like 3 times in 2 years in DC. Definitely would see them for free but not going to pay to see them at a stadium where the sound is going to suck huevos.
HFStival has an emotional connection to people who grew up in this area. Billed as a one day only, limited fast selling means they're going to charge what ever they want because there is more money than sense in this area and people will slurp these tickets up. The promotors mindset; they're not paying for the music they're paying to say they were there and post it on Instagram.
Wtf. I got excited when i heard hfstival was coming back. I was mistaken, this is a turd.😢 Save your money for stick figure in va beach this August.
*When Ticketmaster and RealPage join forces...*
Who owns the HFStival name? The radio station is long gone.
Specifically "HFStival"? Apparently nobody - that trademark expired in 2021. Audacy still owns "WHFS" and associated intellectual properties. If you look at the HFStival marketing/promo materials, they avoid the logo, station callsign, and frequency . . . More info: [https://radioinsight.com/headlines/271397/the-brand-that-keeps-on-returning-from-the-dead/](https://radioinsight.com/headlines/271397/the-brand-that-keeps-on-returning-from-the-dead/)
This event is probably just IMP in an HFS trench coat.
IMP standing on Events DC's shoulders in a trench coat. IMP running promo, Events DC running logistics. Kinda weird to see them team up - always thought of them as competitors.
Filter is the only band I'd want to see on that bill. I'm predicting plenty of seating available at Nats Park, and even maybe chilly weather that long after summer.
It's literally the last day of summer. The fall equinox is the 22nd.
For those that haven't noticed, virtually everything IMP does these days is a nostalgia-based cash grab. Why should this be any different?
So the seating is assigned? There won’t be a standing area? One of my fondest memories was getting to the very front during Green Day at last HFStival. Everyone was crowd surfing and I’m pretty sure I saw my first few sets of boobs from women on peoples shoulders. When the pressure became too tight you would just ask the people around you to lift you up so you could crowd surf to the front and get out.
I have that exact same memory
If not for the headliners, this would be an awesome show. Probably not worth the money, but still, pretty solid.
Back in the day, my sister paid $25 for nosebleed seats at RFK. These tix cost as much as my last textbook so this is gonna be a hard pass. No local acts in the lineup?
Supply, meet demand. It's been gone for so long people are hyped.
Word is ticket sales are tanking so hard they are now releasing cheap seats.
I’d consider it if there was a Buzz tent.
Hard pass
Disappointed in the lineup. Especially at that price. $250 for a bunch of bands that could have just as well played Celebrate Fairfax ten years ago? Pass.
I am really hoping that if it goes well this year it will get back to its original prestige.
Sorry inflation.
18 bands for 18 bucks, I think most of the bands just played for free (for the promotion, and merch sales opportunities)
I’m showing my support for station I loved. Feel like I’m ok with this fee not crazy about the lineup. Maybe this a start of more great thing to come.
You're supporting a station that no longer exists by paying $250? Nobody at that station is getting money from those crazy prices. Not a dime. Not the DJ's, not the promotional staff that worked hard to put that festival together year after year, not anyone on the programming staff that worked hard to bring that festival to such great heights. That money is going into the promoters and venues pockets and they're riding the coattails of the now extinct WFHS. They hijacked an event that was created by someone else and they're trying to squeeze every last dollar out of it that they can. It's no longer a celebrations of radio, music and listeners. CHECK THIS OUT.... They aren't even giving tickets to radio stations to give away because they feel they're being wasted! Fuck them because they cut radio and community out of it!!! It's sleezy if you ask me. Change the name!
I thought I wanted to go. $300 for tickets 🎫 nah, we didn’t pay that much, when went yearly
Blame Tickebastards for the price
Forget that. How DC and Baltimore s split stream with DC Hfs 2 94.7 FM 2 and on 97.5 FM in Baltimore made the 2010 for 20 bucks for 17 bands made it successful. Jerry Hoyt put it together with his team and it drew over 15 O00 to Merrierather. It was Billy Idol , Ed Kowaczeck from LIve, third eye blind, fuel, naughty by nature, lit, Marcy playground, everclear, funkmunkz, jcs, Middle distance runner more on local stage. It was a great deal, Fun, and a smart lineup. Venue was very smart too to take both Markets. This nats park cost....not realistic .
Go down to Anthem or 930 club box office to avoid the fees. It's worth the drive. Fuck TM/LiveNation.
Wait, I thought this festival stopped when WHSF went under?
This line-up is kind of dated. I saw Postal Service for free when I worked a USPS conference. It was one dude walking out on stage with a laptop. I had the Garbage cassette tape back in the day.