Music spilled from speakers at venues and bars along Barracks Row last weekend, drawing people in and causing them to wonder where the sound was coming from. With songs from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and today, the free Art All Night: The Art of Music event brought out people of all ages.
Brian Ready, the executive director for the Barracks Show Main Street, said that with 15 different activations that night, one of his favorite parts was “seeing people interacting in it and loving it.”
“We do about 250 events on the street [a year]. We do a lot of music, so I said we should lean into something that we do, so let’s just do music everywhere,” Ready said.
To achieve this goal, Art All Night featured ‘90s, today’s and go-go music at Eastern Market Park. Live music performances took place at a selection of bars and restaurants on Eighth Street. People could head a couple of blocks up to hear disco, jazz, boy bands and even anime music.
Larger Than Life, named affectionately after a Backstreet Boys song, performed the classics from their namesake, NSYNC, One Direction, the Jackson 5, Boyz II Men and even K-Pop Demon Hunters to appease the younger crowd.
Edvin Ortega, a member of the band, said this was their first time performing in D.C., let alone at the historic Miracle Theatre. He said that once they started, “more people started walking in,” drawn by the noise coming from the theater.
“The crowd was really energetic and really excited. They just had a great vibe,” Ortega said.
Fellow bandmates Chris Jehnert, Drew Pearson and Micah Houston shared similar sentiments.
“You never know what to expect when you’re going to a new place,” said Pearson. “If they’re giving you a lot of energy, it’s really easy to give a lot of energy back, and the more fun you’re having, the better it feels.”
Seeing attendees fall into their own nostalgia was a highlight for the band, showing how music can connect generations. Houston said the exchange between the band members and the audience made it seem like they were “a family.”
“To perform with these guys, it’s super fun. Being able to build a brotherhood through that and share the stage together, you really can’t ask for anything more than that,” Houston said.
Fans exiting the theater and walking along Eighth Street Southeast agreed on the show’s lively energy, like Geidy Mendez from New Jersey, who said the event was “very millennial,” which she loved.
“They had choreography and everything! They did real good,” Mendez said.
Karen Swann, who also attended the boy band event, said she enjoyed the active, dancing elements and felt it was fun because “adult life is kind of sedentary.”
Several other genres of music were performed during Art All Night. The Pocket3 Go Go Band performed at the Eastern Market Park, highlighting go-go music as a staple of the Washington, D.C. community. Artists and bands also performed classical, jazz, 90s and disco music.
The Gem Fatales: Bringing Back Studio 54 event brought audiences back to the age of disco and was only open to people older than 21, Ready confirmed, but other events were open to all ages, including the Plus Ultra Entertainment event for anime music and cosplay.
Nayona Thompson, an employee with Plus Ultra Entertainment, described the events as a place where arts, anime and “otaku-esque” culture can come together.
“There are multiple interests that we all have, especially in the Black community, and we don’t really have that space. So when you bring together music, anime and nerd-core, you get this. You get amazing energy,” Thompson said.
The anime music experience featured vendors and artists, with performances from different bands that included crowd interaction and well-known anime-themed songs.
Maddie Veil, who performed with the band Flarecore, said that as someone from New Jersey, she loves the events D.C. has.
“It’s been a great night of bands, music and art. So many people showed up and there was great energy here in D.C.,” Veil said.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.