When Capitol Hill Block Party announced its return after three years back in February, the lineup raised more than a few eyebrows. Complaints from those over a certain age about the lineup being foreign to them and targeted to Gen Z spawned heated rants and discussions (as well as a pretty hilarious Needling article) regarding ideal lineups and staying on top of culture but also who festivals should target in the first place. Because let’s be honest, the only people who typically want to spend three days fighting through a crowd of people in the blazing sun just to see a band they love, tend to be the youth.
And the youth certainly came out. Waves of bodies fought for front row spots at the Main Stage for Charli XCX, Flo Milli, and Danny Brown and danced with complete abandon to Jai Wolf, 100 Gecs, and, of course, Diplo. Elsewhere, the smaller stages held beautiful moments for upcoming touring artists and local bands to connect with their current fans as well as make new ones.
There’s no doubt that Sudan Archives walked away with a whole crew of new loyalists after playing the fuck out of the violin to an inch of her life at the Vera Stage or that an entire crowd didn’t simultaneously swoon for the cowboy hat-clad local band Sea Lemon over at Barboza. It's especially certain that Enumclaw fans not only freaked during their incredible Saturday set but all over again when Toro Y Moi rocked their merch on stage for his set later that night. And those moments are the ones that I think even those who happen to not be Gen Z can appreciate.
We sent one of our incredible photographers Travis Trautt to capture some of the best moments from Capitol Hill Block Party 2022 and he did not disappoint! Check out a few of our favorites below.
For the first time in a decade, Martin Douglas journeys into the mouth of the beast that is Capitol Hill Block Party.
Lizzo, Mitski, Phantogram, and more!
