This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Patrick Rochelle.
For some, a parking lot behind a salad and yogurt shop may not seem like the ideal place for a concert. But attendees of Sweetgreen’s first annual SweetLife festival didn’t seem to mind.
The event, held in Dupont Circle Saturday afternoon, featured an impressive line up of both local acts and bigger names. All proceeds from the sold out show went to the D.C. Farm to School Network, an organization that provides healthy, sustainable food for D.C. schools.
The first performer of the day was local DJ Will Eastman, who quickly encouraged the crowd to liven up.
“Can you come a little closer please?” he said as he began to play his first tracks. “Don’t be shy.” Eastman bounced from each side of his turntables, rocking back and forth and jumping up and down, working to energize the timid audience.
Among the many performers Saturday, Phil Adé seemed to be the crowd favorite. The young rapper, who was backed by a band of drums, bass and keys, asked the audience to “sing with me.” But as listeners started to sing along during the chorus of his first number, Adé laughed, saying, “Oh man, I’m back at church.”
Adé wasted no time grabbing the audience’s attention as he jumped off the stage during the middle of one song and began to dance with the audience while still singing along. He played songs from his new mixtape “The Letterman,” which he says will come out soon.
“It’s basically done,” Adé said about the tape. “It’s in the mixing stage right now.”
The energy Adé built up in the crowd seemed to wane during festival headliner Hot Chip‘s set. The crowd surged toward the stage and began to cheer as the band came on, but this excitement slowly died as each member took halfhearted turns at the tables. By the end, the once elated audience seemed more focused on the colorful beach ball being tossed about than the London natives.
Even though the music was the main event, the SweetLife festival also focused on promoting a green, healthy lifestyle.
“We like to get involved in the community,” explained Jaime Andrews, general manager of Vida Fitness, a D.C.-based gym. “We thought it was important to give back.”