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“People said, ‘Don’t do a show on the Fourth of July, no one will come.’ Hey, I grew up here. You know what people in Washington, D.C. like on the Fourth? People like rock ‘n’ roll,” said Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl early in his set on Saturday at RFK Stadium.
And the stadium was indeed packed with people, and rock ‘n’ roll, for 12 hours, in celebration of both the Fourth of July and the Foo Fighters’ 20th anniversary. Local bands kicked off the day (RDGLDGRN) and wound things up (Trouble Funk) before the Foos hit the stage as the last act. (As City Paper Editor Steve Cavendish wrote on Friday, we didn’t photograph the Foos’ set because of the band’s unfair contract.)
Humidity gave way to a downpour midday, and the field had to be cleared for 90 minutes due to impending lightning, but the audience hung in there. RFK Stadium might be a bit creaky in its old age, but it proved a great place to celebrate the Fourth of July.
See various photos from the day in this gallery. Photos from all music sets are in the galleries below:
RDGLDGRN
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Buddy Guy
Gary Clark Jr
Heart
LL Cool J
Trouble Funk
If you think there are some important pictures missing from the all-day event, this might explain it.