• The All Things Go music festival took place in Maryland and New York on Saturday and Sunday.
• Chappell Roan, a major performer, dropped out at the last minute – but other artists made up for it.
• Artists like MUNA, Reneé Rapp and Janelle Monáe have proven that other queer artists deserve the spotlight too.

On Sunday night, MUNA welcomed the audience to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland for the All Things Go Music Festival, which the group affectionately dubbed “Lesbopalooza.”

When the word appeared on the big screen, the crowd's deafening reaction spoke for itself. The three queer bandmates Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin then delivered a triumphant hour-long set that walked the line between horny and silly. There was crunching during the sex fantasy anthem “No Idea”; During “Anything But Me,” a song that begins, “You're gonna say that I'm on a high horse / I think that my horse is normal-sized,” they threw a bunch of inflatable ponies into the pit.

Many bands dream of one day being met with such great enthusiasm. But the remarkable thing was that MUNA wasn't even the artist the festival audience had bought tickets for.

The artist originally scheduled to perform on the date, Chappell Roan, pulled out a day before the festival began, leaving organizers to work “around the clock” to fill the gap in their schedule.

Luckily, MUNA was already scheduled to perform at the festival's first New York edition on Saturday, so the band agreed to double up. (Roan's performance spot at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens was instead replaced by a troupe of local drag queens.)

Roan's decision was met with equal measures of support and disappointment from festival goers. Many said they were persuaded to purchase tickets (between $119 and $199, or even more at resale price) because of Roan's now-famous stage presence and the extraordinary pace of her career. Although Roan wasn't slated to headline, her monthly listeners on Spotify had grown to over 45 million by the start of the festival, far outpacing the majority of her fellow artists (and trailing only Sunday headliner Hozier).

Even in her absence, Roan's aesthetic was ever-present. The festival was littered with Midwest Princess merchandise and Pink Pony Club-style cowboy hats. At least one person wore the full Statue of Liberty and imitated Roan's appearance on stage at the Governors Ball in June.

There were fewer examples of solidarity on social media. Roan was widely criticized for withdrawing from the festival at such short notice; Her decision came after a week of backlash sparked by poorly worded political statements Roan shared on TikTok. When she announced her short break on Friday, Roan told fans the noise had become “overwhelming.”

Still, festival organizers and artists were united in Roan's corner. In a statement, All Things Go said it “strongly supports artists who put their well-being first.” MUNA even included a cover of Roan's breakout hit “Good Luck Babe!” added to her setlist, describing it as a “group exercise” to show her love and support.

This position makes sense as All Things Go has long been committed to booking and promoting both women and queer artists.

MUNA have shown the same commitment, particularly in recent years when they have toured in support of their 2022 self-titled album. The band regularly recruits friends – usually women and artists from the LGBTQ+ community – to take the stage for their closing song “Silk Chiffon”, including Phoebe Bridgers (who appears on the studio version), Lorde, Gracie Abrams and Arlo Parks, Julien Baker and most recently Lucy Dacus.

“Silk Chiffon” may be MUNA’s biggest song to date, the indie hit that launched their self-described “Queer Joy” era, but it’s just one of many gems on their setlist. In fact, for fans who went to All Things Go for Roan and got MUNA instead, it's hard to imagine how they could come away unsatisfied. Their two catalogs share many of the same themes: rebellion, transformation, self-determination, sapphic desire and, most importantly, hope and resilience in the face of judgment and bigotry.

Roan's fans were understandably disappointed by her absence, but if All Things Go showed us anything, it's that there are a lot of queer musicians out there today who deserve equal amounts of attention and admiration.

In other words, Roan isn't the only member of the LGBTQ+ community making escapist yet intimate pop music right now, although the parasocial behavior she's inspired might lead you to believe she is.

The backlash Roan received this week was at least partially justified – she failed to communicate her criticism of the Democratic Party effectively, leading her to fall into the familiar trap of “both-sidedness,” and then failed to communicate effectively to respond to this constructive criticism – but it is also true that her rise to stardom has led to vicious harassment and unreasonably high expectations for her life, her personality and her career.

Much of the obsession with Roan seems to stem from the idea that she represents the queer community in a way that doesn't exist elsewhere (and therefore must represent the community perfectly), which is simply wrong.

It's true that Roan has managed to enliven parts of queer culture that are often overlooked or unfairly vilified, particularly drag performers and trans people. She was also celebrated for championing social justice initiatives.

But she is certainly not alone in these aspirations. On stage at All Things Go, MUNA made a point of dedicating “Kind of Girl” to the trans people in the audience and introducing their performance of “I Know a Place” – an optimistic rallying cry for queer kids who feel insecure or unloved, so to speak her very own “Pink Pony Club” – with a passionate speech against fascism.

And MUNA was far from the only queer act at the festival. Her performance was followed by Reneé Rapp, the shamelessly unfiltered vocal powerhouse who came out as a lesbian earlier this year. Other standout artists included Towa Bird, who delivered her own guitar set before joining her friend Rapp on stage for “Tummy Hurts”; Amber Bain of The Japanese House, whose stunning indie-pop gems like “:)” and “Boyhood” explore her journeys with queerness and gender; Maren Morris from “The Middle,” who recently came out as bisexual; acclaimed singer-songwriter Ethel Cain, who is transgender; Conan Gray, beloved for his poignant depictions of gay desire; and Janelle Monáe, a self-proclaimed “free-ass motherfucker” who stunned festival audiences with flashy costume changes, gay anthems and show-stopping vocals.

None of these artists have achieved the same mainstream success as Roan, but that's kind of the problem – and the point. When just one person is put on a pedestal, they are almost destined to let you down. There is no reason why Roan should carry the hopes and expectations of an entire community when she has many like-minded people who can (and should) share the spotlight.