"Times Like These:" The beginning of the end of RFK Stadium
Celebrating a D.C. icon and one of the most important concert and sports venues in my life.
I’ve seen Foo Fighters perform multiple times at RFK Stadium in Northeast DC. It is a place Dave Grohl holds close to his heart and where he decided to host the Foo Fighters’ 20th birthday party on Saturday, July 4th, 2015. That was one of the magic events I attended at RFK.
In a report by WJLA - ABC7 News, “RFK Stadium demolition to begin late January, officials say,” it’s time to revisit times like these—of those who discovered who they were/are about two miles due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the west bank of the Anacostia River. The demolition is necessary and due, but it has also lit a spark in me to celebrate some of my experiences, and hopefully tales from others, who hold the stadium close to their hearts.
I saw this news earlier today while checking NFL news from the best pro football news site available, Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk. My RFK experiences started with the adrenaline-filled, big event magic of 1980s Washington Redskins (now known as the Commanders) football games as a little kid from the Maryland suburbs. Dave and I, from our childhoods, had the Maryland and Virginia sides of the DMV covered, respectively.
More to come about the sporting events, concerts—especially the numerous versions of HFStival starting in 1993—and other memorable moments of how this venue in the Nation’s Capital filled my soul and taught me the power of friendship and community.
Thank you, RFK Stadium. Love letters commencing.