I *Finally* Got To See Louis Tomlinson Live On Tour, And It Was Better Than I Could Have Imagined
Samantha Colleran, February 2022
I’ve been waiting to type these words out for over two years, and finally being able to say it still feels like a dream- I saw Louis Tomlinson live on his first solo world tour, and every moment of it was just as magical as I hoped it would be. Seeing him for his virtual concert in December 2020 was absolutely incredible, and having his debut album Walls on repeat for hours was one of my favorite ways to pass the time while the world was in isolation, but there’s nothing like live music. I’m still trying to process the night, even four days later, but I promise to do my absolute best to give a cohesive summary of the full show.
As always, I need to appreciate the opening act of the night. Sun Room are a SoCal based garage band who make 60s inspired surf rock tunes. My only complaint is that they couldn’t play longer. I would absolutely love to see where these guys go after touring with Louis; their energy was off the charts amazing, and you could tell how thankful they were to be on stage. Singing about ex girlfriends and crashing their bikes, to their very awesome rendition of “Blitzkrieg Pop”, Sun Room were a really solid opening act selection, and I hope in the next year or two they get to headline their own show at Hammerstein!
Louis. I don’t even know what to say. It’s been about six and a half years since I’ve seen him in person, last time he shared the spotlight with three other boys who have also gone on to do great things with their music. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the rush of emotion and adrenaline that immediately ran through my body as the house lights dimmed and Louis walked out on stage looking effortlessly cool. He very fittingly begins the show with “We Made It”, a triumphant track which sees him reflecting on the past and realizing he’s risen above hardships and has truly made it to where he wants to be. It was so therapeutic getting to sing that with Louis. We’ve all been waiting to be back together, and this song marks the end of that wait.
Since Louis only has one album out, it was expected that he’d sing some covers. Of course coming from One Direction, he treated fans to his own versions of “Drag Me Down” (this followed “We Made It” and it was amazing), second encore song “Through the Dark” (Louis forgot the words, but he sounded great doing it so I let it slide), and “Little Black Dress” (a song Louis has always carried during the One Direction days, and it may have sounded even better with just him singing it). Louis also covered Catfish and the Bottlemen’s song “7” which received such a wonderful fan reaction, and Kings Of Leon’s “Beautiful War”, which was a quieter moment during the night that allowed Louis’ voice to shine.
Some other quieter moments were acoustic driven “Too Young” and an unreleased song Louis has added to the setlist titled “Copy of a Copy of a Copy”. Louis sounds arguably at his best on “Copy”, with slightly more intense lyrics and a rockier instrumental it’s quickly become a fan favorite, and fans rightfully allowed Louis a moment of quiet to let the lyrics sink in. “Habit”, once again, another fan favorite, shook the venue as fans screamed their hearts out to the second verse, lyrics that Louis has often said he’s most proud of; “I took some time ‘cause I ran out of energy/ Of playing someone I heard I’m supposed to be/ But, honestly, I don’t have to choose anymore”. Closer to the end of the setlist was “Defenceless”, a song once again that has such well thought out lyrics that sound even better live than they do recorded.
As someone who has been through a lot since the beginning of his solo career, Louis has a number of songs that reflect those tough times. He lost his mother, Johannah, in 2016 to leukemia, and to honor her memory he wrote two incredible songs to highlight the impact his mom had on him. “Just Hold On” shares her message of powering through the hard times, while “Two Of Us” is Louis sharing his feelings about his loss, once again with a reminder from Johannah to never give up. Although the lyrics are extremely hard hitting, Louis’ voice never faltered, he carried the song out effortlessly, and that to me is a true mark of bravery.
Continuing on the same path of encouraging and uplifting listeners, Louis sang his very well received single “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”. This was the third song on the setlist, and hearing him sing one of the songs I gravitated towards for comfort during the hard times of COVID hit my heart in such a special way. It felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. Sometimes life can hurt like Hell, but not letting the hard times break your heart is the harder part, and hearing Louis sing those sweet words made getting through the hard parts feel worth it.
Two other songs that struck me were “Always You” and “Fearless”. “Always You” is my favorite song of Louis’ and he’d been teasing it for a few years prior to the album release, so getting to finally scream the lyrics to this song was so spectacular. “Fearless” falls slightly towards the lower half of my track ranking when it comes to Walls, but Louis and his band reworked the song to make it sound slightly more rock-y and seeing Louis with his arms wide open facing the crowd singing his heart out about feeling fearless was perhaps one of the most powerful moments of the night.
Towards the end of the show, Louis opened up to the crowd and let us all in on a little secret. Although he exudes so much confidence on stage, he told the crowd he wasn’t feeling 100% that night. “There’s times when you come onto the stage, and you don’t feel 100%, and it’s fucking terrifying… but I come out here, first song, and I feel your fucking support… I need you, and you need me.” Hearing him say this was incredibly overwhelming for me. Lately, I’ve been feeling like anything I write isn’t good enough, so I took a step back and let myself fall into a place where I told myself I couldn’t write anymore. Knowing that Louis gets the same feelings, even after almost twelve years of being a performer, is something that I needed to hear at that moment.
“Only The Brave”, one of Louis’ most lyrically interesting but shortest songs, was the first song of the three song encore. This song is another one of my favorites, and seeing him get so focused and fall right into the song was breathtaking. Watching Louis sing “Only The Brave” felt like such a surreal moment where you truly see him putting his all into it, making sure every note sounded right, and it made me fall more in love with the song. The show closed with Louis’ rockier tune “Kill My Mind”. The crowd went absolutely nuts, and it felt like the start of the show all over again with the energy between us and Louis and his band, it was the best way to close the show and Louis’ two night run at Hammerstein Ballroom.
The wait for this show was a long one. It was postponed more than once, there was a venue change, and it hurt to see COVID keep ruining something for an artist like Louis who has been through so much and deserved a win. The two years and some months I spent waiting for this concert were so long, but so worth it in the end. Getting to point at him and sing the lyric “For every question why, you were my because” during “Walls” was something I had been waiting to do for years, and finally living that moment out is something I won’t ever forget. Louis is a performer who puts his all into everything he does; he cares about his fans more than any artist I’ve ever seen live, he’s an honest, genuine soul, and his talent is beyond words. I’d wait 838 days all over again if it meant I could have as wonderful of a night as I did on Saturday (although I’m hoping the wait for his next tour will be much shorter).
Louis, thank you for everything. I’m so beyond thankful for being able to witness your first solo tour, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Have you been to any of Louis’ shows, or do you have tickets for any of his upcoming dates? Let me know in the comments and if you have seen him, what was your favorite song off the setlist?