All Good Now 2026
Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, Maryland – June 13 & 14, 2026
Review & Photos – Rebecca Wolf
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccawolfconcertphotos/
On the weekend of June 13th &14th, All Good Now returned for its second year at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. This incredible musical event was born out of the All Good Music Festival and Camp Out that ran from 1997 through 2015 and had been held in Maryland, Ohio and several locations in West Virginia, most notably, Marvin’s Mountaintop. Beginning as a festival that primarily centered around jam bands and folk artists, over time it grew to include bluegrass, funk, rock, reggae and fusion. However, after 2015 the festival came to an end.
After a decade, in 2025, Tim Walther, founder of All Good (All Good Presents) decided to bring back this celebration of incredible live music, with its positivity, joy, and diversity; the goal being to keep the spirit, energy and community of the original festival, packaged in a new environment. The iconic Merriweather Post Pavilion, originally opened in 1967, with its beautiful grounds and structures, made it the perfect venue to transition to the new All Good Now festival. Walther believed concert-goers, now at different ages and life stages than when they originally began attending All Good 20+ years ago, were ready for an upgraded location and experience, followed by a hotel bed to sleep in (no amping) after reveling in continuous music, performed each day by seven bands, from noon until 11pm. After 10 years away, the question remained whether the crowds would return and could the spirit of the festival be successfully recreated in its slightly different outer package. Well, those worries were put to rest when fans showed up in the thousands, bringing their positive vibes and passionate music-loving spirit to the pavilion, reviving the festival with its new moniker, All Good Now. With the success of All Good Now 2025, it was clear fans would be eagerly awaiting All Good Now 2026 and the tradition of an annual All Good Now festival had been born.
Many music festivals are centered on a specific music genre or a theme, but All Good Now brings together a range of artists, including jam bands, funk, blues rock, folk rock, bluegrass, reggae and alternative. While the sound of each one may be different, the underlying current that connects all the bands is their go-with-the-flow, happiness-inducing spirit. To me, that spirit, is the very essence of the entire festival. With this being my first “All Good” experience, I didn’t know what to expect. However, what I quickly discovered was that the festival fits perfectly with the name “All Good Now.” Everything is “good.” Everyone is “good.” As the phrase states, “We’re good.” Everyone is treated as equal and is accepted. It felt as if the festival was the great equalizer. There were concert-goers from younger to older, smaller to larger, those dressed in bold, eye-catching attire to those dressed in unremarkable apparel, and those who were well-groomed to those likely needing instructions on self-care skills. However, none of this mattered. There were no outward expectations or judgmental behaviors. Everyone was laid back, social, and communicative and there to share in the incredible musical performances.
You couldn’t help but be immersed in music as there was live music playing almost continuously from 12:00 pm -11:00 pm, at either the Chrysalis or the Pavilion. The performances began each day at the Chrysalis, on the far end of the grounds. This expansive, open-air stage, covered by a bright green, aluminum tiled canopy, is a soaring piece of modern art, nestled amongst the trees of Symphony Woods. Going to and from the Chrysalis there was plenty to catch one’s eye, including the enormous All Good Buddha statue, a fixture at All Good performances and a favorite spot for photo taking, and the All Goodfather Clock. One could also stroll through Shakedown Street to look at (maybe purchase) the brightly colored, beautiful hippie-like apparel and accessories. With the stifling heat starting early in the day, many concert-goers set themselves up to watch performances at the Chrysalis from beneath the shaded trees, while others congregated directly near the stage front.
Of each day’s seven performances, the first three took place at theeChrysalis. On Saturday these were singer-songwriter Cris Jacobs, alternative Columbian band BALTHVS and American reggae band The Hip Abduction. On Sunday the day began with funk band The Main Squeeze, followed by blues-rock band Andy Frasco and The U.N. and jam band Leftover Salmon. The fourth artist each day, the first “larger” performance, was held at the Pavilion, with 6000+ seats and a total seating capacity of over 19,000 when including the SkyLawn, two grassy knolls overlooking the Pavilion stage, 40 feet in the air. Fans with tickets for the pit, arrived early to grab their spot along the rail, relishing being out of the glaring sun and watched the Chrysalis performances on large screens hanging in the Pavilion. On Saturday, fans eagerly awaited the arrival of the iconic Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, who had fans of the Dead passionately singing and dancing along to beloved Dead numbers. On Sunday, this spot was taken by roots rock band Larkin Poe, who rocked the crowd with their dynamic energy and fierce jams.
For the fifth show of the day it was a trek back across the grounds, through the Symphony Woods to the Chrysalis. While some chose to remain in the Pavilion to avoid the heat and await the days’ two final performances, those eager to see funk band Lettuce on Saturday and roots band The Wood Brothers on Sunday, made that final crossing. During the day, while walking about the grounds, one might have been pleasantly surprised and amused to encounter The Amazing Giants. These “Giants” were three women (a rotating group) who traveled back and forth and up and down the hills of the venue on incredibly tall stilts, dressed in psychedelically-colored, mardi gras-like attire, including feathered boas and plumed headpieces, waving handheld fans with billowing scarves, twirling hula hoops and blowing bubbles to entertain the masses.
Back at the Pavilion, Saturday’s sixth show was the incredible bluegrass jam band Greensky Bluegrass. Fans packed the pavilion’s seats and lawn and enthusiastically sang and danced to the uplifting energy and spirit of the band’s progressive bluegrass sound. Together for more than 20 years, the connection and joy shared between these five musicians is evident and translates to their connection with the audience. Sunday’s sixth show was equally compelling in a vastly different manner. Rather than a band that’s been together for more than two decades, Claypool Gold is a conglomerate (a summer tour) of three of bassist Les Claypool’s bands from his celebrated musical career, including progressive rock band Primus (the most mainstream), experimental rock band Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and psychedelic progressive rock band The Claypool Lennon Delirium, with each band’s set seamlessly flowing from one to the next. The Claypool Gold performance opened with the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, joined by Sean Lennon. The Frog Brigade were appropriately dressed as a “brigade” in green uniforms and domed helmets. Once Claypool stepped onstage it was abundantly clear the mastermind of the band was the source of the band’s unique name and ensemble. Wearing a green multi-buttoned jacket, vest and black bowler hat, and playing a wooden Pachyderm bass, with a hook-shaped upper horn, Claypool himself had a “wizard-like” vibe.
With the exit of the brigade, the stage became aglow in red and a futuristic energy and sound filled the stage as the band transitioned to The Claypool Lennon Delirium. The keyboard player was now adorned in a metallic silver jacket, the drummer wore a top hat and Lennon traded his Fender guitar for a shiny silver custom BiLT Relevator. During both sets, Lennon, wearing a mariner’s cap, performed with a focused, stoic expression (like that of his father), his hair blowing across his face as he jammed on his guitar. Awaiting the arrival of Primus, thousands of devoted fans chanted the longstanding badge of affection, “Primus sucks! Primus sucks! Primus sucks!” a tradition which originated in the band’s club scene days. Whether Claypool performed with the Frog Brigade, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, or with Primus (during the later sporting a multi-button red, white, blue and yellow striped jacket and vest) he performed like a musical wizard, creating powerful rhythms and a unique, creative, alternative sound.
The seventh band, the “headline act” on both nights was the Southern/blues rock, jam band Widespread Panic. Throughout the two-day festival, the Merriweather Post Pavilion was packed with devout fans who could be heard excitedly talking about “Panic.” One fan who’d heard that I knew nothing about Panic’s music described the band as frequently being called the “Phish of the South.” Unfortunately that didn’t connect any dots for me, as I’m also not knowledgeable about Phish. I encountered another avid Panic fan who discovered I’d never heard Panic’s music and felt compelled to show me a picture on his phone of the quintessential Widespread Panic album, which he believed would turn me into a Panic fan, insisting I take a picture of his phone screen. I assured him when I returned home I’d listen to the album and he appeared pleased, presuming he’d created a new Widespread Panic fan.
Awaiting the band’s onstage arrival, the excitement in the audience moved like lightning, traveling from the fans standing in the pit (the early arrivers hanging on the rail), to those filling the pavilion seats, to fans with blankets and chairs and packed on the SkyLawn, to those perched in the towering SkyBoxes, looking down on the stage below. Although the festival had twelve additional musical performances over the course of two days, for many in attendance Widespread Panic was what they’d been waiting for and the band did not disappoint. While a band’s festival performance is generally shorter than a typical concert, Panic played a full two and a half hour show each night, with a 30-minute intermission between two sets. With this length of time, Panic was able to dive into their catalog, performing deeper cuts and going beyond the most popular numbers. Like with most jam bands, the music seemed to flow from one song to the next, allowing audience members to lose themselves in the music as they sang and danced along. Knowing many of the attendees from Day One would be there on Day Two, Panic made sure each show was distinct….not a repetition of the day prior. Adding another layer of electricity to the already high voltage performance was the incredible lighting that bathed the stage in shades if red, green, orange and purple and highlighted musicians at centerstage in beams of colored light.
One could go on and on attempting to showcase each and every band; all were unique, amazing artists that deserve individual acclaim. However, at its core, All Good Now is about more than the individual bands. The artists provided the music, but the festival created the experience—a place where shared moments, collective energy, and genuine human connection become just as memorable as the performances themselves. Ten years after saying goodbye to All Good, All Good Now was revived, revitalized and has now completed a second incredibly successful year. “That was the best festival!” my friend who accompanied me to All Good Now gushed. “Everyone was so friendly. I met so many people. It almost felt like I was back in the 70s…minus the hippies,” she laughed. In some ways that might be the perfect sign of a great festival….getting that laid back, free spirted 70s feeling….like everything is all good. And it was… it was “All Good Now.” Looking forward to experiencing All Good Now 2027!!
