Photos By: Krystiee Lee Photography
Following the releases of his second album, Faith in the Future, and a documentary that gave us a glimpse into his musical journey, Louis Tomlinson embarked on his second world tour. This tour started in Uncasville, Connecticut and lead him all the way back to Houston on July 8th. This time, instead of the Bayou Music Center, his show was at The Woodlands Pavilion. Before his set, while his crew set up the stage, his band members were checking their instruments and testing their mics while wearing NASA spacesuits. To most people, this would simply be seen as a reference to NASA in general and Houston’s nickname, Space City. However, in my opinion, it was also a reference to the One Direction music video for their song Drag Me Down which was filmed at the Johnson Space Center and Ellington Field here in Houston. So, for those of us in the crowd that were fans of Louis since his 1D days, it was really special and a bit nostalgic. Once the lights went down, which signaled the start of the show, an intro track began as the stage lights and massive screens flashed along. The sound from the track actually made my body vibrate with how intense and loud the sound was, and it created a lot of suspense and anticipation. The screams were already loud and got louder when his band took their spots on stage and a video of Louis popped up on the massive screens of him writing the name of his tour and second album, “Faith in the Future” in marker on the screen. Then his band began to play and sing while we waited for Louis to join them on stage. When he finally appeared on stage, the already incredibly loud screams were deafening.
The set started off with his song The Greatest from his newest album. When he sang the word “greatest” during the first line of the song, fireworks went off. It was such an awesome and bad ass way to start the show. The stage set up and light production was honestly really well done, especially the use of the screens to show off different angles of himself and his band in between themed visuals for each song. Bigger Than Me was one of my favorites on his set because his vocals, specifically in the chorus, felt transcendent, the way he sang was incredibly heartfelt and the way the fans sang it with him really amplified that feeling. Another one of my favorites of the night was Night Changes which is a One Direction song. I never got to see One Direction live when I was younger, so it was surreal to get the chance to hear it live and sing along with Louis. After Night Changes, these orangey rectangular lights with a strip of white LED lights in the middle came down for the song Chicago which changed the mood of the venue. It is a very beautiful, melancholic song about a desire to try again with someone that he still loves although it isn’t possible. Another great song from his set was Written All Over Your Face, this one is actually my favorite from his new album. I absolutely love the melody in this song, especially the chorus but the guitar groove in this one is just so good. It sounded great live, and everyone seemed to dance along, even those that came just to accompany someone.
At one point in the show, Louis stops to talk about the tour and the album and his gratitude to his fans. He said, “Give it up for yourselves cause you’re the fucking best fans in the world.” Right after he said that a fan bumped a beach ball towards the stage and almost spilled his drink and he quipped “Just missed the drink, you got away with it,” which was hilarious. Honestly, his fans really are great and super kind. Before the first opener, I watched many fans trade friendship bracelets and their kind interactions with one another. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything to trade at the concert, but some incredibly kind person left a bracelet on my car, so I did end up with a bracelet at the end of the night. Also, his fans created, organized, and executed two fan projects in which they spread out pride flags and a blue paper slip meant to be placed over your phone flashlight to turn the light blue. The pride flags were meant to be waved throughout but the paper slips were meant for a specific song, Angels Fly. On the slip it said to raise their lights when he sings the line “You’ll see angels fly” and sure enough, the fans did just that. It is so cool to see fans come together to make things like this happen, it really shows how much of a community fandom can create. A funny thing the fans did throughout the show was bark at Louis in between songs, which seems to be a tradition now in many different fandoms. In his set he included a cover of Arctic Monkeys’ 505 which is one of my favorite Arctic Monkeys songs. In my opinion, he and his band did it justice and the dark red lighting really set the perfect mood. The climax of that song was done so well, and the guitarist sounded amazing and put his own flair on the solo. One of his biggest hits, Back To You, was also on his set, however, instead of its original pop sound he switched it up to a rock version of it. I honestly much prefer this version; I REALLY hope he releases this version of the song.
Before the set ended, Louis and his band made sure to shout out Tom Allen, Louis’ tour manager, because it was his birthday that day. They played and sang “Oh, it’s Tom Allen’s birthday” to the tune of the guitar riff from The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. It was an adorably wholesome moment where Louis and Tom danced and then took a group photo with his band and the audience. The Texas heat was really tough that night so much so that Louis said “Fuckin’ hell it is hot up here, anyone who lives here credits to you because it’s fuckin’ warm.” The last song before the encore was Out Of My System which is another one of my favorites from his new album. It ended with a great big firework finish and then he went off stage. While he was backstage, fans sang verses and choruses of various 1D songs including No Control and Best Song Ever which was so cute. Especially when they sang No Control since Louis is a credited writer for that song and the chorus is sung by him which is a fan favorite solo of his. The first song played in the encore was Saturdays. The stage was kept dark except for one light that hung over Louis’ spot which served as a spotlight. This song is very somber but hopeful and the spotlight really emphasized the feeling, almost like a light at the end of a tunnel. My absolute favorite on the setlist was Where Do Broken Hearts Go which is one of my favorite One Direction songs. It sounded so good, and it was so fun to sing along to. He also sprinkled in a bit of The Who’s Baba O’Riley which was kind of a funny choice given that the 1D song, Best Song Ever, is constantly compared to it. The last song on the setlist was Silver Tongues which honestly was a great song to end the concert on. The song itself talks about the beauty and nostalgia of a drunken night with friends and not wanting the night to end. Right as he sang the chorus for the last time, streamers shot out of the cannons and fireworks went off as well. It was an awesome ending to an amazing night. All in all, this night was a night that I will always remember. It was such a beautiful experience, and I am so grateful to have been able to go. It has been such a pleasure to watch Louis grow and become more confident as a musician over all these years and I cannot wait to see what’s next for him.
About Author
