WBOI Presents: Live and Local at The Landing is coming back to downtown Fort Wayne for Summer 2026.
In partnership with The Landing, Live and Local will once again showcase some of the region’s most exciting local talent in a celebration of music, community, and summer. This year’s concerts begin May 29th. They will continue the last Friday of each month, May through September.
2026 Performance Schedule
- May 29th: Los Electro (Psychedelic Cumbria and Latin Rock)
- June 26th: Man of the Flood (Progressive Indie Rock)
- July 31st: Anthony Giraldi (Soul, R&B, Indie)
- August 28th: Funayūrei (Synthwave)
- September 25th: The Thinning (Indie Rock)
This season of Live and Local at The Landing is made possible with support from the Ardelle and Theresa Glaze Foundation as part of WBOI’s Amplify All project.
WBOI’s Brianna Barrow spoke with Assistant Manager of The Landing, Lindsey Corwin, and WBOI President and General Manager, Travis Pope about the event and what attendees can expect, ahead of the concert season.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: I'm joined now by Travis Pope, president and general manager of WBOI, and Lindsey Corwin, Assistant General Manager of The Landing. Thank you both for being here.
Travis Pope: Thank you for having us.
Lindsey Corwin: Yeah. Thank you.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: So, for listeners who may be new to it, tell us about live and local at The Landing.
Lindsey Corwin: Yeah. So, this is a series that Travis and I kind of brought to life last year, and really the whole WBOI team. We really wanted to bring live music back to The Landing. We had had some summer series before, and I really wanted to focus on local talent, and especially bands that do original music.
I feel like there's a lot of really great bands that are doing awesome covers that are so fun that I love to see. But I felt like what was missing was a place downtown, for bands to showcase their original music. And I think Fort Wayne has a lot of really talented bands, and I think that we need to provide more spaces for them to be able to flourish and kind of spread their wings.
I approached Travis because we see each other often at the landing and in passing at the coffee shop, and I brought this idea to him, and he thought it would fit well with what you guys have going on here. So last summer, we had a great series. We did four shows. Unfortunately, one of them got rained out, but this year we're back. We added an extra date, so there's five shows. This year, it'll be the last Friday of the month, starting May through September, and it's from seven to nine.
People can come out, sit out on the landing, grab a DORA drink. And if you don't know what Dora is, it stands for Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, meaning that you can go grab a drink from your favorite restaurant at the landing and bring it outside to enjoy the music. You also can stop at any of the local businesses on the block or in the neighborhood. You can go shopping. You can get food, and then, like I said, you get to enjoy some of Fort Wayne's best local talent.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Can we talk a little bit about why you both believe it's so important to spotlight and give a platform to local and regional artists here?
Travis Pope: Sure A, because WBOI is a place for the entire you, that part of you that wants to be informed, but also that part of you that wants to be entertained. B, because it's fun. And C, because last year was a very long year here at WBOI, and at some point, I was at Live and Local at The Landing, listening to Augmentasia. I was micro-focused on the stage, trying to anticipate anything that could or would go wrong.
And I'd sort of forgotten where I was, and I turned around, and there was a line dance going on behind me. These people…who had had hard weeks, just like I had…who were just trying to make it to the weekend and remember what it's like to live just for a moment with no strings. And they were there and they were having a good time. And for me, it was an opportunity of, hey, this is also what it is that we do. And I need that reminder. Certainly, I need that reminder during the summer, when all the things are happening at one time and I'm just trying to make it the Friday.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Yeah, and we had a great lineup last year. Augmentasia. I know Los Electro was there. They got rained out.
Travis Pope: SUN.DYLE.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: SUN.DYLE was incredible. I actually just saw them the other day. So, we had a great lineup last year. Do we want to speak a little bit about this year's lineup?
Lindsey Corwin: Sure. So, because Los Electro got rained out last year, we invited them to come back. So, they're going to be kicking off the first one on May 29th. If you don't already know who Los Electro is, you definitely need to. They are a psychedelic cumbia and Latin rock band. If you want to dance, they are the band to come see. I mean, I can't say enough good things about them.
Then June 26 is Man of the Flood. This is actually a band I'm super excited to see because I've never seen them live in-person, I've seen videos. I've heard really great things about them. They're a progressive indie rock band, and actually, I believe one of the members either used to or still does work down at The Landing at Marquee. So, that was another reason why I love like community and partnership like that.
And then on July 31st is Anthony Giraldi. He is a very soulful, R&B, kind of indie rock singer. I've seen him several times. I love, I mean, his voice is like butter. I love to see Anthony.
And then August 28th, this is another band that I've never seen, but I'm super excited about their name is Funayūrei. They're a synthwave band. I actually saw them, because a local magazine, What's Up, did an article on them, and I was like- a synth wave band? What? So, yeah, I invited them, and they said they'd love to come. So super excited about them, if I didn't mention it, it's August 28th.
And then ending the series on September 25th is a band called Thinning. They're an indie rock band, well known. They play at the Brass Rail lot, and they're always a good time as well. So, definitely need to come check them out. And then when the bands start playing, it's always dancing, laughing, fun. As Travis mentioned, it is always great to turn that corner at the landing and just see it come to life. And see what the landing really is in the heart of downtown, and to see it bustling like that is amazing.
And again, these are all local bands that do original music and some covers. So, you're going to hear some songs you may know, and then you're going to hear original songs from bands that you maybe wouldn't have ever stumbled across before, and you could become, you know, their new biggest fan.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: The landing is great vibes, but it's also, I know there's drinking, you know, it's DORA, but there- it's not adults only. There's plenty of families. Last year there were kids running around, dancing, and having a great time. So, it's definitely a great event to bring the kids to as well.
Lindsey Corwin: Absolutely. And I got some little surprises planned for families and kids. I have a friend, Katie Joe, also known as Slinging Sunshine, she makes these really cool bubble kits where you can blow these giant bubbles. So, I'm planning to have some of those bubble stations out for kids to play with while they're there.
Travis Pope: And if you're an adult kid, you can pick up a fanny pack with a WBOI logo on it.
Lindsey Corwin: There you go.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Where can people go for information on the event too? If they want to check out which band is playing?
Travis Pope: Sure, you can check out which band is playing and when, and find out more about the concert series, plus listen to last year's performances at WBOI.org/Live.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Could you both speak to how events like this help not only strengthen downtown, support local businesses, but also build community connection too?
Lindsey Corwin: Yeah. So actually, part of my role at the landing and as Assistant General Manager is community engagement. The landing naturally brings people down there, but when you add events and live music like this, it brings even more foot traffic. And people stay longer and it they create memorable experiences, whether it's with their family or their friends, and you know, it gives people something to do on a Friday night, and then the ripple effect that it has on all of these small local businesses that are down at the landing, you know, it's more foot traffic for people to go grab drinks, dinner, as I mentioned, shopping.
Our downtown is super walkable, so people tend to walk around and see what's new, and our downtown is growing too. So, every time you come downtown, every summer, it's like you're going to see more and more new restaurants, new businesses and more community growth. And I think the more that we continue to do collaborative events like this with our local partners, the more we can build a stronger sense of community and just support these local businesses that need it right now.
Travis Pope: And I would just add that this season of Live and Local at The Landing was made possible by a partnership with the Glaze Foundation. Part of the reason they were interested in funding this is because these are local bands. These are regional bands. These are folks who are your neighbors, your friends, and they are practicing their amazing craft for you right in your neighborhood. And how amazing is that? So, to be able to make that possible…when we talk about public media, we have to get out of this idea that public media is always just a thing that happens in your headphones or in your earbuds. It doesn't. It happens in your streets. It happens in these streets right in front of you, right in the heart of downtown. And what's more magical than that?
Last year’s series included performances from Connor Christian, Los Electro, Augmentasia and SUN.DYLE. You can listen back to each concert now at WBOI.org as part of WBOI Music Presents.
Follow @TheLandingFW and @89.1_wboi on social media for event updates, band announcements, and more.
