The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds of Summer Leave DC in a World of Joy

On October 15th, The Chainsmokers brought their World War Joy tour to the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, accompanied by 5 Seconds of Summer and Lennon Stella.

The evening began with the Youtube and television star Lennon Stella taking the stage. While I have to admit, her vocal talent is not questionable, I wasn’t impressed by the stage presence she gave to the audience. It could be to blame on the fact that the stage was incredibly large and it can be hard as a one person act to “fill” the room completely– however, I wanted more.

Australian pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer performed next. As someone who has seen 5 Seconds of Summer multiple times in the past, I’ve always loved their high energy and incredibly catchy music. They performed mostly songs from their latest record Youngblood, but to my disappoint, the energy didn’t feel like it was where it could have been. Their new aesthetic is much darker than what they’ve previously marketed themselves as, so I could see this change as potentially a part of trying to leave the “boyband” world behind them. Ultimately, the set was still very 5 Seconds of Summer and the crowd was entranced.

After an hour and a half wait, The Chainsmokers finally entered the stage with a set design suited for that of an EDM show. Unexpectedly, that seems to be what the show was, live EDM remixes of popular Chainsmokers songs. The crowd loved every second of it, head banging along to every beat. For anyone who is a fan of the rave scene, a Chainsmokers show is where you want to be.