By Olivia Burns
British singer-songwriter and former One Direction member, Louis Tomlinson bought his Faith in the Future World Tour down-under and Melbourne was the lucky first on his Australia run to get a taste of what the artist had in store for them at the Sidney Myer Bowl on January 28.
Eager fans were lining up for miles down the road in the hot sun and as the announcement came out that the gates were now open, it saw everyone inching their way forward as fast as they could to get in. People were frantically prioritising either getting their hands on merch or to claim their spot for the rest of the night.
An hour went by from gates opening, people were still finding their way in as Melbourne’s own Velvet Club started off the evening. An indie rock band, who made you feel like all you were missing was the beach or a car with the windows down while blasting their music loudly. Was such a nice way to start off the night with good vibes and the sun shining, a very rare occurrence here, we were here to soak it all in.
Sea Girls hailing all the way from London were up next, giving some energy into the venue as people were still flooding in, filling up the open spaces. Familiar with these guys as I had already seen them live, I knew they would do a great job in amping everyone up for the evening ahead. Playing a few oldies but goodies and some tracks off of their newer album, they gave everyone a little taste of what they were about and surely gained some new fans at the same time.
Now it was just a half hour wait between the fans and getting to see their favourite artist. The excitement exuded from everyone along the barrier, counting down the minutes. But as soon as the intro video started playing on the big screen and over the loudspeakers, the crowd erupted into screaming. The band members swiftly got on stage and started playing the intro music. After getting the crowd all riled up, Louis walked out, hands raised above his head acknowledging the crowd, where the sea of people’s scream became even louder, if that were possible. He made his way to centre stage to a lone microphone where they seamlessly transitioned into ‘The Greatest’ a ballad of a song to start off the night. Playing through mostly songs off his Faith in the Future album, with some earlier tracks, such as ‘Walls’ and ‘Kill My Mind’. He also added in a great cover of Arctic Monkeys’ song ‘505’ and playing a throwback of One Direction days with ‘Drag Me Down’. He had everyone in the palm of hands, as he moved to each side of the stage, often giving waves into the crowd’s direction which were met with screams of admiration and people singing back the words to him as loud as they could.
It felt as though the night came to an end as he abruptly walked off stage after singing ‘Out of My System’, a crowd favourite and single off his latest record. It felt like an eternity waiting for him to reappear, while the crowd started up many chants to try win him over and get him back on stage from yelling ‘Encore’ and ‘Louis’ to singing a few different songs, he finally gave in and he walked back out. The band started playing, and he broke out the first line of Saturdays. I thought, too chill of a song to end the night on, little did I know he had two extra songs planned, to that he sang another One Direction song ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’, he then announced his final song, ‘Silver Tongues’. During this, he took an opportunity to jump off stage and ran across the front of the barrier, giving high fives and stopping to sing some of the song in the middle where fans were clambering to get just one acknowledging hand hold. Before we knew it, he was then back up on stage to finish off the song, before thanking the crowd, waving final goodbyes, and then disappeared, leaving the crowd in a bittersweet, whirlwind of emotion.
Other than a nod to his days in the band, by singing a couple of the group’s tracks, which I’m sure gave everyone a sense of nostalgia, myself included, if you were attending the concert, expecting a One Direction performance, you may have come away a little disappointed. While he may not be bouncing around the stage singing ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ with the others, he commanded the stage entirely on his own. His performance perfectly showcased so much growth and confidence within himself which was so amazing to witness. Going from being able to have other people to lean on, on stage for so many years, you have to hand it to him to take on all of this by himself. Louis was here to make his mark as a solo artist and I believe he did just that.
Photo Gallery : Louis Tomlinson – Sydney Myer Bowl (01.28.2024)
