This past Saturday, the HFStival returned to DC. RFK stadium is no longer an option, of course, so artists including the Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, Incubus, Bush, Liz Phair (who replaced Garbage), Jimmy Eat World, Girl Talk, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter, and Lit played at Nationals Park.   RelatedCome Out and Play: An Oral History of the HFStival Crowds were a bit thin for the first few hours, but more people arrived as the day progressed. As in the old days, the mosh pit was where the party was. And there were great sets in mid-day from Violent Femmes, Girl Talk, Liz Phair, and Bush, leading up to explosive performances from Incubus and headliners Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service at night. But even Death Cab can’t sell out Nats Park. We couldn’t help but wonder how much more robust attendance might have been had some of the heavy hitters of the past we saw on the video screens, like Gwen Stefani, Henry Rollins, and Pavement, actually been onstage. Photograph by Mike Kim / Kimchi Photography / @mikeeekimchi For many Gen Xers and younger people, the festival was a chance to relive some ’90s and early 2000s memories. Here are a few we met:  Haley Birmingham  Photograph by Evy Mages Who she’s here for: Violent Femmes, Jimmy Eat World, Bush, Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service. Something unexpected: “The funniest thing: me and my friend are in our mid-30s and didn’t see anyone else we know our own age, but her 17-year-old ran into a friend. It’s good to see younger people getting into it.” On her outfit: “I pulled this from out of my closet. I run a barber shop in Baltimore [True Barber Co.], it’s a very industrial space. This [music] is what we play in the shop all day.”    Sureet Sandhu Photograph by Evy Mages His history: “I saw five or six [HFStivals] back in the day, and the last one in the 2000s. It was a thing to do every summer. It’s nostalgic.”  How this compares to back then: “It used to have stages outside and inside—it was unreal. I hope it gets back to that level.” If you can’t tell: “Rage Against the Machine was my favorite.”   Victoria Waechter Photograph by Evy Mages Who she’s here for: “All of them, but Incubus is my favorite. I’m 34, but some of these are just before me.”  Favorite parts of today: “All the people here have been a lot of fun, the bands have been so good live. I actually like that they put short sets, so you kind of get a lot of everybody, which is cool.”  On her outfit: “I literally got everything off of Amazon just for this. I found the shoes on sale and I built it off of that.”    Colette “Coco” Marchesini Photograph by Evy Mages Her history: “I lived on Capitol Hill, so I went to every HFStival since I moved to Capitol Hill in ‘90. It was the first time I got to see alternative music live with so many different groups. Some scared me, the others I really liked. Tickets were expensive but it was well worth it. It takes you back to being in your 20s and being at this all-day romp without being tired.”  Some shoutouts: “A special surprise was Girl Talk. … I forgot all about Tonic until I heard them today and I was singing their songs with every word. … I will admit, my heart goes out to the Violent Femmes.”  On her outfit: “I’ve worn hats like this since the ’90s. And the Vans. And [the shirt] is a kickoff for Halloween. I love skulls. Probably not age-appropriate but I don’t care anymore.”    Miranda Rosenfelt Photograph by Daniella Ignacio. How this compares to back then: “[I went to HFStival], like, 21 years ago! I miss the general admission atmosphere. I mean, it’s the ballpark, so you can go really anywhere you want to and find your friends. The specific sections, I don’t love as much because it keeps people more isolated from themselves. It’s really breezy up here, so that’s pretty nice.”  On the people: “It’s nice to be around such a diverse group of people. I love when I go to shows and I’m in the middle age range—there’s kids in high school, and people who have retired. Being around all these different types of people, of people who love so many different types of music, and think supporting live shows is important. These are my people.”  On their outfit: “This is my battle vest. Probably my favorite pin is the one that says ‘Sad ’80s Songs.’ A few pronoun pins, Molotov cocktail, ‘Be Gay Do Crimes.’ Over here, it’s signed by Laura Jane Grace from Against Me. As a trans person, I love all the walls she blew down, she made space for all of us. All the patches on here are from queer and trans artists. On the back, because it’s ACAB until I die, it’s ‘All Cats Are Beautiful.’”   Ella Micou Photograph by Evy Mages Who she’s here for: Death Cab for Cutie, the Postal Service, Violent Femmes. “Death Cab is really good for when you’re really sad. It’s just comforting.”  Memorable moment: “I’ve never heard of the second act [Filter]—the visuals were crazy. The screen in the middle had weird, like, acid trip visuals, and there were skulls and pool marks. It was weird.”  On her outfit: “I was thinking about what I can wear for a Death Cab for Cutie concert. I really like the birds; I was going for a twee thing. I thought it was an early 2000s, 2010s thing. I got this from Depop, and I got the tights from a thrift shop.”    Mac Hodgens Photograph by Evy Mages Something unexpected: “We’ve been here since noon. Girl Talk was so interesting and very unexpected, it was a little silly. It helped to keep the vibes up. It’s kind of a mix, because we’ve also got dad rock; I really liked Jimmy Eat World.”  Favorite song: “We both really like Violent Femmes. When ‘Blister in the Sun’ came on, that was our jam.”  On her outfit: “I got the shirt for $2. [Pointing to glasses] These are prescription; everyone thinks they’re fake.”    Keith Parsons Photograph by Evy Mages Catching up on music: “These are all the bands I should have listened to in high school and middle school. It’s interesting to hear them for the first time in concert…and recognize them when I hear them. I have heard Incubus before at Ocean’s Calling last year so I’m excited about that.”  Memorable moment: “Jimmy Eat World had a lot of good energy; it was still hot out. There was a guitar malfunction and [frontman Jim Adkins] had to kind of vamp his way through it. It’s good to experience a unique happenstance—those are the things that make a concert unique.”  On his outfit: “The hat I got at a fancy hat shop because these kind of flat caps just look great on me. The shirt and tights I got because I wear suits and ties to work and I wanted to go out somewhere straight after work and I didn’t have anything. I don’t remember if I got them both at the same time, but I did do it in the same way. I wandered into CVS, got this normcore Seinfeld T-shirt. And the tights—I didn’t want to wear board shorts. There’s only so many options.”    Tevia Woods Photograph by Evy Mages Who he’s here for: Incubus, Jimmy Eat World, and “mainly here to be support to my girlfriend who loves all these bands.”  Something unexpected: “The blonde girl, Liz Phair, I actually really enjoyed her! It was unexpected for me that I was really vibing with her. And the drummer was really good. I’m like, ‘I’m a Liz Phair fan?’ After every single song, she would switch her guitar. She needed to change her sound to fit the sound of the next song. She never stuck to one sound either. Every song, something creatively different, her vocals, how she hits it every time…I just love music.” His history: “I’m a sound engineer, I typically listen to a lot of rappers and singers in studios and record them. I just moved here, I’m very new, I have one plan and I have more.” The post PHOTOS: The Faces (and Looks) of HFStival 2024 first appeared on Washingtonian.