Sweetlife Festival brought high energy and excitement to end the two-day event filled with awesome artist, good food, and wonderful people. Withday one of the festival getting put in the books day two had everyone ready for a new line-up that included even more showstoppers.
One of the most anticipated headliners throughout the whole festival included Abel of The Weeknd. Fans could be seen front and center hanging out at the stage at the beginning of the day. Crowds came loaded with XO clothing and accessories, which could be spotted throughout the day. There were even XO ballons floating around the grounds before he even took to the stage.
The Weeknd brought his A-game and even performed his newest single, “The Hills,” and also shared he would be releasing a new album shortly. When he began the song, the audience cheered after waiting all day for his highly anticipated performance. To follow up Kendrick Lamar’s performance which featured only one song off of his most recent album, “To Pimp A Butterfly” which many fans we’re not happy with. He performed a number of classics from “Wicked Games” to “Love Me Harder.” The Weeknd also connected with his audience and shared a bit of his story of coming a long way in the music industry.
Day two also included a variety of performances ranging from indie bands to rappers. Among that crew included Marina & The Diamonds, Vance Joy, Phantogram, Charli XCX, Raury, Holychild, Banks, Calvin Harris, San Fermin, Wet, Goldlink, Sun Club, Bishop Nehru, Chaz French, Grant Shapiro, Matt F.X., Jilly Hendrix, Tom Lemmo, Dirty Chocolate, and Vic Mensa.
To get the festival kicked off Bishop Nehru an 18yr old rapper from Rockland County, Ny took to the stage with his lyrical flow and ill hip-hop instrumentals. He made sure to perform his highly favored track “Lemon Grass” produced by the musical genius MF Doom. Although, the bass was hella heavy my ears were good thanks to Ear Love earbuds. He also went on to perform tracks off of his latest EP, Nehruvia: The Nehruvian including “Somebody Waits” and “MansSin feat. Que Hampton”. He also made time to chat with fans after his set and give the little homie Wizdem a few minutes to share some bars.
The Baltimore band, Sun Club, also made sure to put on an awesome show with wild hair and great vocals. Everyone in the group were wildly talented whether they were on guitar, bass, or drums. The captivated the audience with their fun tunes “Beauty Meat” and “Summer Feet” off of their Dad Claps at the Mom Prom. Although these guys had a lot of bed head they put on a show that set the mood for the summer.
Getting the party kicked off early the mega talented, Goldlink took to the stage to perform many of his popular hits including “Ay Ay” and “Sober Thoughts“. Now we always enjoy when fellow DMV artist come out to shows and support each other so it was a pleasant surprise to see Chaz French take on the stage with Goldlink for a turnt song. I’d definitely say he’s one to watch as he’s been recently spotted working with the great Rick Rubin.
Recently signing to Roc Nation, Vic Mensa had the Sweetlife Festival hella lit. He took to the stage with a bottle of Rose in hand. His performance quickly turned from composed to drunken stumbles on stage, but his verses stayed on point. His clique could be seen backstage jamming to his music as well. Mensa performed “Drive Me Crazy”, “Cigarettes”, and “Down On My Luck”.
Coming to fame within the past year, Charli XCX brought an entire stage set from white speakers to animal-printed clothing. Now that’s boss, right? She sported white-framed sunglasses throughout her performance. Charli danced on stage, complained about the heat and even got on her knees to sing along. Her set included her rapping Iggy Azalea’s verses of “Fancy” and other favorites from “I Love It” and “Boom Clap.”
Towards the end of the day the DJ legend-to-be, Calvin Harris took to the stage and immediately grabbed the audience attention with a few fireworks, long string confetti, and an ill lightshow. He played many of his popular tracks including “Feel So Close”. He also went on to closed the festival with “Blame” from his album “Motion,” which released in 2014. His lightshow kept the audience in a trance along with bright graphics from his DJ booth radiating his iconic Calvin Harris brand. Being in the mix your cool see ravers enjoying his set while giving none stop high fives, sharing glow sticks, and partying like they just don’t care.
The night ended with fireworks as Calvin performed his last song. Fans left pleased with the festival and talked about returning the following year. We’d also like to send BFA some love for some of the photos provided.
From tasty food to top performers, Sweet Green brought positivity to the two-day festival and the DMV area. Kicking off summer in the best way possible, the event will surely make headlines next year. So we’ll see you next year Sweetlife. Click here to view day one.
