Virgin Mobile Freefest returned to Merriweather Post Pavilion on October 6, 2012 and drew over 50,000 people to the venue. Freefest 4 was headlined by Skrillex, Above & Beyond, M83, and Jack White but the lineup had a considerably larger amount of electronic dance music acts than previous years. The one day affair brings out a diverse collective of people, leaving outsiders questioning if this is really what all DC people are like.

The return to Merriweather for Freefest served as a homecoming of sorts, given it was the first show I’ve been to in Maryland in quite some time. If you’ve never been to Merriweather before it’s one of my favorite venues and would be even if I had not grown up in the area. The layout serves well for a festival and even though it’s packed in Columbia, Maryland the grounds feel natural, while the abundance of trees and art make exploration fun.

Freefest 2012 Photo Gallery

I don’t know that I have ever seen so many people at Merriweather as I did for Freefest 2012, but even still the stages weren’t overly packed and people were friendly. There could have been additional restrooms and vendors, but for a free ticket there’s really no room to complain. Production was 100% also spot on.

Australian twin duo Nervo may have been the biggest surprise all day, playing an upbeat house set filled with hits from the likes of Swedish House Mafia. It’s rare to find Mim and Liv at a festival that’s not pure electronic, but they definitely gained a handful of new fans with the energy and enthusiasm they brought to the Dance Forest. The same can be said for Thomas Gold even if it was for playing others hits like Calvin Harris’ Feel So Close. The crowd at that time being less interested in who was behind the booth or what buttons were being pushed – only wanting to dance.

After the fast paced beats of the dance forest, I moved to the West Stage for the chance to catch and photograph Nas, who was accompanied by DJ Green Lantern. The change to Illmatic proved to be too much so I took the time to walk the grounds. ZZ Top was shredding the main stage with blues rock, much to the delight of the crowd.

Freefest was my third attempt to see M83 this year and I had high expectations. Maybe they were too high, but it felt like Anthony Gonzales just wasn’t into it. Even though they only played two songs at Ultra, you could literally feel Gonzales’ soul pouring out of him as they played Midnight City. At Freefest there was no connection between the band and crowd. I’m not writing M83 off by any means, but recommend that you catch them in a more intimate club setting.

With the crowd equally split between the curiosity and draw of Skrillex or Jack White, Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy in the Dance Forest was a pure experience, just as it’s meant to be. Trance beats combined with the lights, lasers and a cool autumn breeze creating a unique ambiance in the trees and those in attendance. Surrounded by what felt like hundreds of friends, Group Therapy at Freefest was unlike a regular dance tent set and served as the perfect way to end the day.

I didn’t want to leave or for the night to end. I doubt many did, but unless you headed down to U-Hall for Alvin Risk (and a surprise set from Skrillex) there weren’t many options to keep the party going. We came, we danced and we left. The truth is that there is so much more potential for a festival who’s ethos is fighting against youth homelessness.

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Dear Sir Richard Branson,

You started Freefest to promote awareness and raise money for youth homelessness. It’s taken four years, but you have been able to raise $600,000 and 77,000 volunteer hours and will finally open the D.C. youth shelter RE*Generation House in November. While it’s an incredible feat and testament to the Virgin brand that you’re commited to such a noble cause even at the expense it brings, I can’t help to ask what more can you do with Freefest?

Education and awareness are the keys to making real change happen. There were many activist groups at Freefest, but when I’m slightly intoxicated rushing to a set, saving the rain forest is not really one of my concerns. Would I head to DC or Baltimore a day early to catch a presentation on how we can reduce our carbon footprint and change the world?  Hell yes. 

This leads to my question;

Why not turn Freefest into a multi-day free conference that includes seminars, networking events and presentations on topics like youth homelessness, poverty or social entrepreneurship? The whole thing can end with a music festival.

The demand for Freefest is so huge that missing the captcha on Ticketfly’s site is the difference between snagging a pair of tickets or slamming your head on the desk. People want to go to festival for the music but as our generation has shown time and time again, we are innovative and the future leaders of the world. Virgin continues to lead in all of the markets you’ve entered, why not go further with Freefest? We can make something really awesome.

I would love to help, be a part of Freefest’s future and keep it in Maryland. If not, I’ll still come for the good time dancing to music with friends. It is free after all :).

Sincerely,

Ben Hebert

Note: I regret not being able to find my way to the mysterious tent that you were pouring beer at with Nervo. Not being there is going to haunt me for a long time.

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