DJs Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso perform during Billboard Hot 100 Festival - Day 1 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on Aug. 22, 2015 in Wantagh, New York.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billboard
Axwell & Ingrosso turned in a superlative headlining main stage set at Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival on Saturday (Aug. 22), reminding any who had forgotten why they were able to conquer dance music a half-decade ago as two-thirds of Swedish House Mafia.
The duo packed the main stage for their mid-evening performance, delivering a mix of crowd-pleasing classics and new selections from their forthcoming album.
Silhouetted against a flashing backdrop intermittently marked by flames, the artists recaptured their Swedish House star power with a slew of old fan favorites like “One,” “Save the World,” and “Don’t You Worry Child.”
But their set was far from a nostalgia showcase, as the artists interspersed their past hits with contemporary cuts like Kygo‘s “Firestone” and Valentino Khan‘s “Deep Down Low” and their strongest new singles “Something New” and “Sun is Shining.”
Some of the night’s best moments also belonged to collaborations like Alesso & Ingrosso’s “Calling (Lose My Mind)” and Ingrosso and Tommy Trash’s “Reload,” showcasing the breadth and depth of the artists’ combined catalog.
When a flurry of streamers and pyro signaled the set’s end, fans showed their appreciation in unrelenting cheers. “I forgot how good they are,” one said as she made her way up the stairs.