Finding solo success after the astronomical rise of One Direction may have seemed daunting from the outside, but Louis Tomlinson weathered obstacles and hardship to make his own mark on music. Finally, he was able to bring his world tour to Los Angeles this week for two sold out shows at the brand new YouTube Theater.
Having honed his skills on some of the largest stages in the world, it’s no surprise that he brings the same presence and confidence to his own show. He took the stage to the deafening shrieks of a packed house, visibly happy to be back in front of fans after postponing this tour several times during the pandemic.
The room was bathed in warm colors that matched the vibe of Tomlinson’s setlist, which kicked off with the empowering “We Made It” and a fan-favorite cover of One Direction’s “Drag Me Down”. Tomlinson tethered himself to his mic stand, but took plenty of opportunities to walk the length of the stage and make every moment special for the fans.
Much of Tomlinson’s debut album consisted of raw, honest ballads and that energy filled the theater on songs like “Too Young” and “Fearless”. The room was prepared, waving all manner of signs and lightsticks in time with his soaring vocals and stellar band- even at one point joined by a full string section for even more dimension.
Tomlinson expressed his incredible joy all night long, calling the tour “fucking incredible” before adding covers by both Catfish and the Bottlemen and Kings of Leon to his already amazing setlist. “Habit” drew some of the loudest screams of the evening while yet another underrated 1D track- “Little Black Dress”- took the adrenaline in the room to the next level.
The main portion of the set concluded with a massive sing-a-long to “Walls” before Tomlinson re-emerged for an encore that included yet another 1D song and ended with rock banger “Kill My Mind”.
Each member of One Direction has found their own sound in their solo careers and Tomlinson’s niche brought the rocker out in everyone on this tour. Seeing his genuine smile and thrill at performing again certainly had diehard fans emotional by the end of the night. As he goes on to the international portion of the tour, fans here in the States are already eagerly awaiting new music and the chance to be together again.
Check out all the photos from night two at YouTube Theater!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
