Landmark Music Festival 2015: The hits and misses from Drake to TV On The Radio

Megastars and miscues at the first-annual festival benefitting America's front yard

Jordan Uhl

Washington DC

Wednesday 30 September 2015 19:37 BST

Comments

Drake works the crowd at the nation's capital. (Cambria Harkey via Landmark Music Festival)

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Hits

Chvrches

The band was one of the most impressive acts of the weekend. Energy, lighting and crisp musicianship made for a breathtaking experience.

TV On The Radio

The group’s harmonies were on point during a set that combined both old and new hits that left the crowd wanting more.

Chromeo

David Macklovitch energized the crowd while Patrick Gemayel pumped out bass-heavy synth beats in what was a undoubtedly one of the festival’s best performances.

Wale

The rapper's set got off to a rough start with a few miscues between him and his DJ but delivered an energetic and otherwise remarkable performance in his hometown.

Charles Reagan Hackleman via Landmark Music Festival

Misses

alt-J

The band’s performance was so incredibly dull it’s a mystery how this band has gotten to this level in its career.

Drake

Aubrey simply went through the motions Saturday night. The former Degrassi star opted to have the crowd do much of the singing for him, belted out an unimaginative freestyle, and resurrected an otherwise stale beef. Still, the Canadian rapper drew a large, albeit blindly loyal crowd as many of them didn’t enter the park until right before his performance.

Cambria Harkey via Landmark Music Festival (Cambria Harkey via Landmark Music Festival)

The Strokes

The band casually took the stage — after a 20 minute delay — to the sound of thousands of shrieking fans. Again, fan loyalty obfuscated a lackluster performance. The set was far from their best performance, especially considering they ended their set short. The rabid fans who waited all day to get a spot up front didn’t seem to mind and are likely still reveling in the news that the NYC-based outfit is back in the studio.

Miguel

The singer’s hyper-sexualized act is getting old. That, coupled with an outfit almost certainly stolen from Lenny Kravitz’ wardrobe marred what could have been an electric set.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies