The easy response to a concert like last nightâs would be cynicism. Niall Horan, a very pretty one-time member of a boy band that didnât win a television talent contest, played to an arena packed with girls and young women who seemed more interested in screaming at him than listening to him sing.
That would be the easy response, and it was one I was quite ready to write before I arrived at Spark Arena last night. And some of the elements would be true â the audience was, largely, screaming girls and young women, and Horan is undeniably pretty. But he is also surprisingly talented, and that is the review that I think I should write instead.
Horanâs music, on record, is ultimately a touch unremarkable, perfectly pleasant and agreeable but somewhat forgettable. Live, however, he manages to find depths to his songs that provide a surprising â well, to me at least; the faithful in his audience clearly knew that he was capable of more than I had anticipated â richness. It doesnât hurt, of course, that his voice is more mature and potent than, again, recordings might suggest.
Horanâs set was made up, largely, of Flicker, the one album heâs released since the demise of One Direction, and he padded his show with the inevitable brace of his old bandâs songs, and a couple of covers. There was an agreeable range of styles on display â while the albumâs title track is a single-guitar acoustic thing that, despite the enormous cheers it drew, was a little lightweight, show-closers Slow Hands and On My Own benefited from Horanâs five-piece â one of which, wonderfully, was a fiddle â backing band, who fleshed out the sound of these numbers in an arrangement that put muscle on the bones of songs that grew into themselves in a live setting.
Comparisons with Horanâs one-time bandmate Harry Styles, while possibly unfair, are inevitable, and Horan definitely fares better. While Styles, who appeared on the same stage in December of last year, put on a pared-back show that would have been better suited to the Tuning Fork lounge next door, Horan had a stage production that, while hardly spectacular, let folk know that he knew he was playing an arena, and understood that, no matter how chirpy and cute he may be, he needs a production behind him to fill the show, and he and his band put on an effective, arena-sized show, something Styles struggled to achieve.
Horan also revealed himself to be a competent musician. Itâs expected that a singer like him will strap on an acoustic guitar and strum it, even if one could be forgiven for wondering if the thing were even plugged in. But Horan demonstrated a comfortable familiarity with his instrument, Flicker being his song alone, and his reading of Camila Cabelloâs Crying In The Club was driven by his far-from-shabby guitar. Perhaps more questionable was his other cover, Dancing In The Dark â Springsteen, he assured us, is his favourite singer and songwriter, and this did feel like just a tiny bit of a stretch, but his take on the song, an acoustic opener that built into a full-bodied rocker, went beyond its primary roles of âLook â see, Iâm not just a pretty boy, I have depths too!â and as gateway drug for the teenagers, and suggested that Horan has a future ahead of him as a credible performer.
Iâm not, I have to confess, a fan of Horanâs music â in particular in its recorded form, it is, as Iâve said, a touch disposable and inconsequential for my tastes. But with the polish of his performance, the ease of his rapport with his audience â the Westmeath accent doesnât hurt â and the added dimensions his songs adopt on stage, he managed to win me over.
Jupiter and Venus at sunset, Mars, Saturn and Vesta until dawn.
First up is Venus. It reaches its highest sunset altitude for the year this month and sets more than two hours after sunset.
You canât miss Jupiter, only a month after its oppositionâwhen Earth was directly between Jupiter and the Sun.
The best time to observe Jupiter through a telescope is 10:30 p.m. at the beginning of the month and as soon as itâs dark by the end of the month. Â
Just aim your binoculars at the bright planet for a view including the four Galilean moons. Or just enjoy Jupiter with your unaided eye!
Saturn is at opposition June 27th, when it and the Sun are on opposite sides of Earth. It rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. Great Saturn viewing will last several more months. The best views this month will be just after midnight.
All year, the rings have been tilted wide openâalmost 26 degrees wide this monthâgiving us a great view of Saturnâs distinctive rings.
The tilt offers us a view of the north polar region, so exquisitely imaged by the Cassini spacecraft.
Near Saturn, the brightest asteroidâVestaâis so bright that it can be seen with your unaided eye. It will be visible for several months.
A detailed star chart will help you pick out the asteroid from the stars. The summer Milky way provides a glittery backdrop.
Finally, Mars grows dramatically in brightness and size this month and is visible by 10:30 p.m. by month end.
The best views are in the early morning hours. Earthâs closest approach with Mars is only a month away. Itâs the closest Mars has been to us since 2003.
Watch the full Whatâs Up for June Video:Â
There are so many sights to see in the sky. To stay informed, subscribe to our Whatâs Up video series on Facebook.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com. Â
Why are they so long?? Because Niall talked after each song and I couldn't not record him talking and interacting with the crowd it was the loveliest ducking thing ever and hello that accent in person ??!! Beautiful
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