The thing is, you can believe in yourself and become a star. That was the theme of the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party as some of the most sought-after sets were the artists who used the power of social media to grow their niche fanbase. The most common sentiment I heard artists speak on during their performances to crowds, both big and small, was, “if you do anything, especially as a creative, love yourself and you’ll go far.”
While discussing the lineup, the number of times I got hit with “who?” was tremendous. Even the label-signed headliners weren’t super recognizable to the general public, it was more of a, if-you-know-you-know kind of lineup. Those in the know, though, were thrilled to see some of their favorite artists throughout the weekend.
Pink Pony Club at Capitol Hill Block Party
Midwest pop princess Chappell Roan wasn’t the main headliner of the festival, however her influence on this year’s Block Party was evident before you even walked into the grounds on Friday night. Feather lined cowboy hats rounded the Blocks while an effervescent pink glow emanated from every corner of the Pike and Pine corridor. It was an overwhelming sight as if it were a scene from Little House on the Capitol Hill Prairie.
Her impact was solidified once her performance started with seemingly the entire festival present in the crowd. The adjacent gas station, as well as the surrounding streets and rooftops were also packed like a sea of sardines who were ready to scream along to every word. Even Lizzo didn’t pack those streets in her peak the way Roan appealed to the city at this moment.
The crowd for Chappell Roan on Friday night of the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party | Photo by Antone Galileo
How the Roan was Ruined for Some
It wasn’t all glitter and ponies, though, as people pushed and shoved their way to get even just a foot closer to the stage. I heard many murmurs that night and throughout the weekend of people who had fallen, fainted, or been injured while in the crowd.
In concurrence with her performance at Block Party this year, the media was already circulating the story of “Chappellmania” and how Chappell Roan wants to step back from the limelight because she has reached the level of fame where some fans are starting to give “stalker” vibes, according to Elle.
Chappell Roan performing at the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party | Photo by Sunny Martini
So, to me, it’s no surprise that those fans fell into a hysteria for the duration of her 60-minute set. However, with the buzz leading up to the show, more precautions could have been put in place in anticipation for a crowd that size– although they did bump up their security numbers because it was a sold-out night, according to King 5. I also witnessed plenty of folks passing out water bottles and checking in on those around them.
Thinking preemptively, CHBP did set up more speakers on 11th and large screens in multiple places to be able to watch the stage even two blocks away which, in theory, should have allowed the crowd to spread out comfortably in that space. Yet, the majority ended up smashed together unable to properly give each other room to move freely. These are the events where us as a society would benefit from a bit of self-reflection and ownership over our own behaviors in the moment.
Friday Night Highlights
On the brighter side, Friday had much more to offer than just Chappell Roan. Over at Vermillion, punk rock soulful crooner Maya Marie‘s powerhouse vocals filled the room making for a stellar, yet intimate experience with her band. Jaiden Grayson graced the Neumos stage with a group of dancers and an ASL interpreter signing her entire set.
Hometown Hero, Oblé Reed took the Neumos stage, as well. However, with his set overlapping with Chappell, both the crowd size and the overall sound was a bit of a letdown for the potential his set had. This ended up being a common occurrence throughout the weekend with the bigger stages drowning out the smaller ones because set times were nearly identical from stage to stage and weren’t staggered nearly as much as they could have been.
Other highlights included Dark Chisme at Barboza who made my heart swoon with their alternative dark-wave sound. As well as King Sheim who rocked the Neumos stage and headliner Remi Wolf who closed out the night with a brilliant performance to celebrate her recent album release Big Ideas.
Remi Wolf performing on the Main Stage for the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party. | Photo by Bella Petro
Back to the Block Party
The rest of the weekend felt more like your typical Block Party rather than the Chappell Roan show that took place on opening night. There was room to breathe, and the heat didn’t feel so overwhelming with less bodies smashing against you.
On Saturday, BlkSknn gave us a masterclass in the art of rhyming. His set down in Barboza started off at a slow simmer as the crowd chatted with each other in the back. As the set went on, the bars he was spitting started to sink into the crowd, captivating their attention until the emphatic ending where he had the crowd all singing along reinforcing why he’s going to raise his feature price.
At Neumos, Aryana León performed beautifully and entertained wonderfully, at one point even getting into a beatbox versus drum kit battle with her bandmate. I didn’t think I was going to make it to Corook‘s set but I’m happy I did! It was lighthearted, playful, and groovy as hell. Jaymyloni left it all out on the Barboza stage and TeZATalks blew the roof off of Neumos upstairs with one of the most electrifying performances of the weekend.
TeZATalks performing on the Neumos stage for the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party | Photo by Jimmy Humphryes
Terra Nobody was a breath of fresh air for me down on the Barboza stage before I ran over to Vermillion to watch an intimate Wasabi Samba set. Neither of those sets, however, prepared me for the high-octane delivery from Flyana Boss who– even while one of them is pregnant, gave us flawless deliveries and had cute choreography to match.
CrowdStrike Outage Affects the Lineup
Because of the CrowdStrike outage, canceled flights led to multiple artists having to cancel. There were quite a few last-minute changes to the lineup. Some artists swapped slots with each other, while some local talent was called in to fill the gaps. Some of the standouts for me through these shifts were Seattle-based pop star Jul!et who performed to an enthusiastic crowd Saturday night.
Sunday also saw Mette and Maeta both cancel due to travel issues which pushed LIVt’s set to a later time on the Main Stage, as well as the addition of local legends, Vitamin D and Kassa Overall, who showed up as the duo Last Minute Folks to rock the Coke Studio Stage.
Highlights from Sunday
Other local talents such as pop-punk rockers, Lovely Colours, and alternative hip-hop rock band Nobi and the Force rocked the Neumos Stage. Downstairs in Barboza, Saint Deon serenaded his crowd. Then you had the WildRose stage who brought out the celestial Divine Agustine and the exceptional Kenshi Killzzz– both of whom have talents that deserved a bigger stage and crowd to match their energy.
Saint Deon performing on the Barboza stage at the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party | Photo by Jimmy Humphryes
Meanwhile, COBRAH unhinged her jaw and ATE the Main Stage up like it was an amuse-bouche. Joey Valence and Brae looked so genuinely happy to be performing and it was reflected with some of the craziest crowd participation (aside from Chappell, of course) and truly outshined the dull set that CANNONS was giving on the Main Stage.
By the time Kaytranada took the stage Sunday night, the crowd was so obviously drained from the heat, booze, and overall long weekend that he had to show the crowd how to clap on beat. Even though the fans seemed to be enjoying his set, to me and many others I spoke with, it was kind of a lackluster way to close out the weekend.
Although there were some ups and downs with the 2024 Capitol Hill Block Party, my overall experience was still one full of community and incredible music, as well as a hopeful view towards the future of popular music as indie musicians take the reins of the industry into their own hands.
Featured Image photographed by Sunny Martini
