Lizzy McAlpine takes us behind the scenes of her final performance of 2023
Callie Ahlgrim
- Lizzy McAlpine took the stage on September 30 at All Things Go, her final show of the year.
- Insider got an exclusive opportunity to trail her backstage at the Maryland music festival.
I first met Lizzy McAlpine through a computer screen.
It was September 28, 2022, and she had just surpassed 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify. "Ceilings," the centerpiece of her sophomore album "Five Seconds Flat," was starting to attract attention from indie-pop fans on TikTok.
Almost exactly one year later, I met McAlpine again, this time in person. It was September 30, 2023, and we were backstage at All Things Go, an independent music festival outside of Washington, DC.
Everything and nothing had changed. Her discography was the same; "Five Seconds Flat" is still her most recent release. But her audience has nearly quadrupled, with over 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify. "Ceilings" is now a platinum-certified smash with 350 million streams to date. For the festivalgoers I spoke to, McAlpine's was one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend.
Still, even with the buzz of stardom in the air, McAlpine was as sweet and stoic as I remembered. She graciously accepted all kinds of promo requests, packing her pre-show schedule with photoshoots and fan meetings.
"What else am I gonna do, sit around?" she said.
I tagged along for the afternoon before McAlpine took the stage — her final performance of the year — to give fans a behind-the-scenes peek into her festival day.
I met McAlpine in her dressing room, about two hours before her performance.
Before arriving at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, McAlpine spent a few hours in hair and makeup. But her look — a custom two-piece set by Oddli, complete with a matching choker and hair bow — had been selected well ahead of time.
She told me she couldn't bring outfit options, or she'd get overwhelmed and pick the "wrong one."
McAlpine's dressing room was stocked with her favorite snacks and a mini fridge full of Gatorade.
McAlpine said her rider typically includes snacks like granola bars, Stacy's Pita Chips, and Cheez-It crackers.
She also waxed poetic about Wawa, the cult-favorite convenience store chain from Philadelphia, where she grew up: "Every time I go home, the first thing I do is go to Wawa."
Her go-to order? A tuna salad sandwich with a brownie on the side.
"It sounds gross, but trust me, it's good," she laughed.
Shortly after we met, McAlpine was off to her next appointment.
McAlpine arrived at the festival in Columbia, Maryland at 3 p.m. In her set's preceding hours, nearly every moment was accounted for.
A member of McAlpine's management team had sent me her schedule for the afternoon, which was broken into bite-sized increments: 20 minutes with Spotify Equal for the All Things Go Creator Summit; 15 minutes with The Ally Coalition to promote LGBTQ+ rights; a five-minute meet-and-greet with fans who won a contest.
She took photos for Tumblr's yearbook project.
Her final shot was posted on All Things Go's official Tumblr page, alongside fellow performers like Tegan and Sara, Suki Waterhouse, and Hemlocke Springs.
In fact, much of McAlpine's afternoon was spent taking portraits.
McAlpine had several photoshoots booked with the festival's on-site photographers, as well as outlets like Stereogum and Dazed.
Photographers were forced to get creative with backdrops.
The All Things Go backstage area includes a pool, which was decorated with a collection of disco balls. But McAlpine said simply, "I don't think that's my vibe."
McAlpine's afternoon also included promo for the festival, like signing posters.
McAlpine was joined on the female-centric lineup by artists like Ethel Cain, Arlo Parks, boygenius, and Lana Del Rey.
Before heading to the stage, it was time for the all-important feminine ritual: swapping sneakers for heeled boots.
While McAlpine was working on her finishing touches, her mom dropped by the dressing room. They fell into an easy rapport, trading dinner suggestions and ideas for the rest of their evening: McAlpine was eager to see Carly Rae Jepsen perform; her mom was excited to see Maggie Rogers.
I also asked McAlpine's mom to name her favorite song in her daughter's catalog: "Firearm."
McAlpine caught a glimpse of her crowd while she rode to the stage in a golf cart.
She was slated to be Saturday's penultimate performer on the Chrysalis Stage, followed by the indie-rock band Mt. Joy.
Backstage, McAlpine's team kept busy with last-minute preparations.
McAlpine had to be fitted with a mic kit while her band warmed up. She also made sure to tune her acoustic guitar.
In the minutes preceding her performance, we could hear the crowd growing antsy.
McAlpine previously mentioned that All Things Go festivalgoers seemed kinder than most.
She had run into a fan at the airport, who gave her a colorful friendship bracelet with "ATG" beads. She wore it all day.
When McAlpine finally took the stage at 5:45 p.m., the screams were deafening.
"We didn't rehearse for this, or Music Midtown," she told me, referring to the Atlanta festival she played earlier that month. "I'm kind of winging it."
She kicked off her performance with "An Ego Thing."
The experimental-pop song is the second track from "Five Seconds Flat."
Asked which songs she cut from her typical setlist, McAlpine replied, "The random ones."
A festival set is usually shorter than a solo concert, which forces many artists to trim their ballads or deep cuts.
For her performance at All Things Go, McAlpine only included one song from her first album: the title track, "Give Me a Minute."
The highlight of her performance was the surprise debut of "Movie Star," a brand-new song.
McAlpine had originally planned to perform an acoustic cover song during her set ("Bruises Off The Peach" by Ryan Beatty), but instead, she spontaneously decided to give All Things Go a sneak peek of her new material.
"I'm special, he sees me / He chose me, out of everyone / I feel like a movie star in the leading role / Famous to someone," she sang to open the new song, introduced as "Movie Star."
It offered the perfect example of her distinctive lyricism, which tends to combine real-life storytelling with illusory, introspective details.
However, late last year, McAlpine told me that her third album may sound like a departure.
"I am not the same person I was when I wrote 'Give Me a Minute,' and I'm not even the same person that I was when I wrote 'Five Seconds Flat' anymore," she said. "I've completely moved on."
Earlier that day, McAlpine had said offhandedly, "I hope people care about my set."
In reality, she drew one of the thickest, most passionate crowds of the entire weekend.
Listen to Lizzy McAlpine and more on Spotify with Insider's rising artist radio.
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