5 Questions With So Fetch!: Opening Night of the Final Encore Starts Here
- Rusty Foster
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Opening night always means something.
But this year, it means more.
On Saturday, May 23, the Tarara Summer Concert Series begins its Final Encore season with So Fetch! – The DMV’s Ultimate 2000s Dance Party taking the stage at 6:00 PM, with gates opening at 5:00 PM.
That alone would be enough reason to pay attention.
But opening night is never just about the band.
It is about the first crowd of the season. The first walk through the gates. The first time the lawn starts to fill in again. The first song that reminds everyone what a Tarara Saturday feels like.
And this year, it is also the beginning of the final chapter.
That makes the first night of the season feel bigger, louder, and a little more emotional than usual.
To help set the stage, we asked So Fetch! five questions ahead of their opening-night performance, including one that feels especially important this year:
What has Tarara meant to them as the series enters its final season?
Here is what they had to say.
1. What can Tarara fans expect from your show on Saturday night?
So Fetch!: “Tarara fans can expect a dynamic, high-energy show full of hits from the 2000s, spanning pop, rock, and hip-hop—full of nostalgia and songs they’ll want to dance nonstop to!”
There is no easing into opening night this year.
The Final Encore deserves energy from the start, and So Fetch! is built for exactly that kind of kickoff.
If their answer tells us anything, it is that this is the kind of show designed to snap people out of “we should go sometime” mode and into the middle of the action.
If you have been waiting for the right night to start the season, opening night is already making a strong case for itself.
2. What’s one song or moment in the set that always gets the biggest reaction?
So Fetch!: “There are too many moments to mention, but just to name a few, the choruses of ‘Mr. Brightside’ and ‘Crazy in Love’ really get an excited response from the crowd.”
Every great Tarara night has a moment when the crowd fully locks in.
Sometimes it is the first big singalong. Sometimes it is the song everybody forgot they knew every word to. Sometimes it is the point where blankets and lawn chairs suddenly matter a lot less because people are up, dancing, and fully in it.
That moment tends to define the night.
And for opening night, those moments usually land even harder because the crowd has been waiting months to get back.
Add in the nostalgia, fun, and pure throwback energy of a 2000s dance party, and there is a good chance May 23 will have more than one of those moments.
3. For someone seeing you for the first time, how would you describe the experience in one sentence?
So Fetch!: “It’s like being at the MTV VMA Awards circa 2008, in the best, most nostalgic way!”
That is the beauty of a band like So Fetch! on opening night.
You do not need a long explanation. You do not need deep prep work. You do not need to study the catalog or convince yourself to loosen up.
You just need to show up ready for a fun night and let the band do the rest.
For first-timers, that matters.
Opening night always brings a mix of loyal regulars and people experiencing Tarara for the first time.
A band that knows how to connect quickly, get the lawn moving, and make the whole night feel approachable is exactly what you want to open a season—especially the last one.
4. What makes an outdoor summer crowd like Tarara different from other venues you play?
So Fetch!: “It’s a real community feeling at the Tarara Summer Concert Series. Especially with it being all ages, and something about the outdoors heightens the experience and crowd enthusiasm.”
This is one of the reasons Tarara has always had its own personality.
It is not just a stage. It is not just a venue. It is not just another stop on a weekend calendar. It is an outdoor summer tradition with a crowd that arrives differently, settles in differently, and experiences live music differently.
People come ready for the full night. They bring their friends, claim their space, and become part of the atmosphere before the first note is even played.
The best bands feel that difference immediately.
And when a band responds to that kind of crowd energy the right way, the entire night lifts.
5. This is the final season of the Tarara Summer Concert Series. What does it mean to be part of this farewell season?
So Fetch!: “Tarara has been an annual community event that we always look forward to, and it will be sorely missed. Hopefully, we can make 2026 the best year ever and start it with a bang!”
This question matters.
Because this is not just another opening night. It is the first page of the farewell.
For bands, Tarara has never been just another booking. For fans, it has never been just another concert.
Over the years, it has become a summer ritual, a meeting place, a memory-maker, and a piece of Loudoun’s live music identity.
So when a band steps onto that stage this season, they are stepping into something bigger than a setlist.
They are becoming part of the final run of a series that has meant a lot to a lot of people for a long time.
That is worth honoring.
And it is worth showing up for.
Bonus Round: “If you only come to one Tarara show this month, make it ours because…”
So Fetch!: “If you only come to one Tarara show this month, make it ours because you’ll have the most fun remembering an indulgent era of bucket hats, Juicy tracksuits, and tube tops—along with all the best hits from the 2000s!”
Honestly, they may have said it best.
Opening night already carries its own gravity.
Add a band built to bring high-energy nostalgia, big reactions, and a soundtrack people actually want to move to, and the case starts making itself.
There is only one first night of the Final Encore. Only one first crowd. Only one first walk through the gates. Only one first song of the final season.
That makes Saturday, May 23 more than just the next thing on the calendar.
It makes it the night the Final Encore begins.
Opening Night Details
So Fetch! – The DMV’s Ultimate 2000s Dance Party Saturday, May 23, 2026 Tarara Summer Concert Series Gates Open: 5:00 PM Show Starts: 6:00 PM
Concert Club passes are also available, and private tents can still be reserved for select nights.
Because if there were ever a year not to wait, this would be it.
