Out & About Festival – Day 2

Day 2 of an Incredible Celebration of Music and Love 

There’s so much love in Virginia that it’s no wonder that the state motto is “Virginia is for Lovers” but it’s also a really good reason to host a second day of music and celebration focused around love and acceptance, in the form of the Out & About Festival. 

If you checked in and experienced or simply read about Day 1 then you know the headlining act of the evening of both nights is Brandi Carlile. But if you think that night 2 is a mirror image of night 1, you’re sorely mistaken. More on that later though. Let’s start by highlighting some of the amazing acts that got the day started and brought the fun and grooves to the beautiful Wolf Trap National Park. 

Oh He Dead

If you’re from the DMV area or you’ve been following Shutter 16 for a while you know that Pop/Folk/R&B group Oh He Dead are true DC legends and some of the kindest and most soulful people you’ll ever hear and meet. Originally starting as a folk duo consisting of CJ and Andy, they’ve grown over the years to a now 6-piece band and have created some hella catchy tunes. Songs that just make you feel damn good and immediately grab your attention once you hear CJ’s distinct and soul-filled vocals. 

Songs like “Lonely Sometimes” and “Bottle It Up” got the set going and got the audience dancing along. While much of the time you want to dance along with them, other times you can’t help but to stare and be amazed by the mind-blowing talent and passion of those on stage. One moment that always stops me in my tracks during their show is CJ’s performance of “The Foreigner” where the emotion is raw and as the song progresses, bandmates Andy, Alex, Adam, and Piano Whitman build the song to a hard-hitting gut-punch of an ending. 

Before their set ended they took a moment as Andy shared their gratitude and recognized the meaning of the moment for them and the talent they played alongside in the lineup. Then to close out their time they hit us with their pop-iest song written out of spite by CJ but truly is a bop, that song being “California”. Then ended their set with “Is It My Love”.

Celisse

Over on the main stage and ready to rock the fans, despite battling a bit of a cold was Oakland born and Broadway and television artist Celisse. While her debut album is still on its way, that didn’t keep fans from instantly falling in love with this rocking, gritty, and soulful powerhouse. From her songs about a trash human which included Celisse shredding some serious guitar, to the slower tempos of “Lost” she knew how to connect with the crowd.

A little later she would blow minds with a cover of Bill Withers’ “Use Me.” She then wrapped her set with an original song that got the crowd singing “goddamn” before shifting to a slightly more family-friendly “gosh darn”. As she completed her set she received a standing ovation and undoubtedly a lot of brand new fans.

Lucius 

From their beginnings in New York back in 2007 to now, this group fronted by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig has been featured in many of Brandi Carlile’s recent songs and TV performances but they’ve also recently released their latest album ‘Second Nature’. 

To start their set Lucius came in with a bang as both stepped to their mics accompanied by a drum for each, then proceeded to songs with the occasional synchronized drum break. Shortly after they broke out the keytars for “Paranoia”. Throughout their set, their harmonies were sharp and magical. They even led us through a bit of a dance moment along with their song “Heart Burst”.

Before wrapping up their set they welcomed Carlile to the stage to sing along with them on “Dusty Trails” and then rounded out their time with their hit “Genevieve”.

Brandi Carlile & Friends

Back for night two and ready to rock, Brandi Carlile and her band took the stage. Similar to night one they opened with the mesmerizing three-part harmonies in “Stay Gentle” before illuminating the amphitheater in a rainbow of colors signifying love and acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community as Carlile stood alone on stage and performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. After that moment the remainder of the show would take its own unique spin to ensure those that attended night one got a different set and special moments.

Once they rocked the house to the power of “Broken Horses” Carlile invited friends Jess and Holly of Lucius to the stage as they performed their song “You and Me On The Rock” together. Then came moments of goosebumps as Carlile performed “Hiding My Heart Away” in a chilling and perfect style before inviting her wife Catherine to the stage as they performed Tracy Chapman’s “The Promise”.

Continuing with cover songs Brandi and her band then began to ramp things up with her song titled “My Song” which included an additional verse of U2’s “Where the Street Have No Name”. Then it was time to double up on the Brandi as she invited her friend and fellow festival artist Brandy Clark to the stage along with Carlile’s brother James as they began to perform Clark’s song “Best Ones” live for the first time. Then they hung out on Clark’s latest album as they performed their song “Dear Insecurity”, creating a beautiful moment for all. 

Shortly after it was time to “start some trouble” as Carlile said as they began to play some big hits that absolutely rocked the air and sent goosebumps throughout alongside songs such as “Mama Werewolf”, “The Story” and “Right On Time”. All this grew to a power hit in the form of “Sinners, Saints and Fools” accompanied by Lucius before closing the set with “The Joke”. 

The time for an encore had arrived, and much like night one it was filled with the stars of the festival including some brand new stars. She returned to the stage alongside SmallTown Strings, the nieces and nephew of Carlile, and a Folk/Americana group on the rise as these young musicians began to play their original song “Dream Again” as Brandi watched with pride as she sat behind them. It was then time for a little time machine party as she welcomed back Lucius as they performed The Wings’ “Live and Let Die” followed by Queen’s “We Are The Champions”. Then all the artist made their way onto the stage to close out the festival with the fitting pride and party anthem that was Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out”.

A stunning night of music hosted by some amazing musicians and surrounded by loving fans who love love. 

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If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.