The Apple Music Festival is a 10 day music experience based out of London and broadcast to the world. The festival started in 2007 under the name iTunes Festival and has given the public incredible live shows every year since. The tickets are free of charge and if you can’t make it to the location to be there in person, you can view the shows online free of charge too [for a window of time] which makes this one of the coolest ways to see some of your favorite performers live!
In years prior artists like Amy Winehouse, The Script, John Legend, Death Cab For Cutie, David Guetta, Oasis, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and Sam Smith graced the stage and headlined this incredible music festival. One Direction even performed at the festival in 2012 when it was still called the iTunes Festival. As the festival grew and changed so did One Direction, and it was awesome to see the differences between then and now.
In 2015 it was announced that One Direction would be one of the headlining acts and fans went crazy. 2015 was a roller coaster of a year for the boys and fans alike. Fans watched Harry, Louis, Liam, and Niall stay strong through it all, and in turn, their fan base stuck it out with them. After a few corkscrew style twists and turns earlier this summer, things seemed to have mellowed out for the lads and they gave us some big surprises in the form of a single dropped out of absolutely no where, performed live for the first time not even 24 hours later, and a music video dropped in similar fashion that broke records! These lads have given it their all and have really gone to stand by their promise that this is not over, that they’re not finished yet.
So being a headliner for the Apple Music Festival was an amazing way to get back in the swing of UK shows after finishing the American leg of their tour in September of 2015. The boys thanked US fans for their support through while anticipating the next and final leg of their OTRA tour. The tour has given fans some incredible moments and memories to hold us over through the duration of their break in 2016 and the Apple Music Festival came through and did the same thing.
Little Mix opened up for One Direction and did a smashing job. They performed songs like Salute, Change Your Life, and an exclusive first performance of Grown. Their popularity has grown exponentially in 2015 making them a perfect opening act for One Direction. They have star power while still staying humble, and they are truly a group with an incredible bond who keep their feet planted firmly on the ground. Things like this make it easy to see that we’ll be enjoying Little Mix for a long time coming
One Direction took the stage soon after and as usual they were incredible. Having just released a new single ‘Infinity’ with the preorder of their album, which they let fans know today comes out on November 13th, their liveliness was even stronger than usual. They never let fans down; always coming out full of energy and appreciation for their incredible opportunity to make music every day, thus living out their dreams.
They performed hits like Steal My Girl, Ready To Run, Little things, 18, and No Control; and the crowd loved it. It’s easy to see why this performance was one of the most anticipated of the 2015 line up. While fans who experienced their stadium tour dates were treated to lovely shows full of intense power, fireworks, and incredible stage presence; fans who were able to attend this festival at The Roundhouse (and some other smaller venue shows) got a different and more intimate experience. Their voices were raw and powerful, each boy performing perfectly together and individually, showing off their own talents and how incredible their voices sound as they harmonize together.
Right before their show they were on Beats1 and did a short interview where they touched on The Roundhouse being one of their favorite venues, on how they’re excited to get some rest with their upcoming break where Liam said again, they’ll be back, more full of energy and with inspiration to write new music. They also joked with the host about what jobs they’d do in their free time – Harry being an estate agent, Niall being a DJ and Liam and Louis being in a One Direction tribute band. The interview was lovely; a glimpse into their true selves, happy, laughing, and joking around with another.
It’s a lovely feeling seeing the smiles across the faces of the boys when they look out into the crowd and see smiling fans singing their lyrics back at them. It’s nice to be able to watch them as they see how true and supportive fans are, as they thank us for just being there, the same way we thank them for being there for us.
Apple has done an amazing thing by making this festival so accessible to fans in the UK and outside of it. Our boys did a wonderful thing by again absolutely blowing their performance out of the water and doing so with ease, like they were meant to do this together for a long time to come. If you got to experience this show in person, you’re lucky! It looked like it was one of the best the boys have put on so far.
Louis, Harry, Niall, Liam – you never disappoint us, and it was amazing seeing the difference between your 2012 visit to the iTunes Music Festival and your performance today at the now Apple Music Festival. You truly grow with each tour date that comes around, giving us more somehow each time you sing a song, each time you grace the stage. We’re a lucky fan base, and we look forward to seeing you back at The Roundhouse in the next few years.