Not even the cold, wet Irish weather could deter the spirits of the crowd queuing up outside the 3Arenato see Niall Horan’s sold-out show. His first solo tour had kicked off two nights prior with a successful sold-out show in Killarney, yet if the excitement outside the 3Arena was anything to go by, this show was set to trump it.
Niall Horan needn’t have performed any songs at all; his mere presence is enough to trigger squeals of delight throughout the arena. The 24-year-old walks on dressed in grey culottes and a white t-shirt, guitar strung casually over his shoulder. She’s On The Loose is a good choice of opener; it allows Horan to ease into his set, although, given the relentless, fervent cries from adoring fans, a nursery rhyme probably would have equally sufficed.
Horan is a seasoned performer; he struts confidently around the stage (which is covered in red and orange carpets) with the air of someone who has been doing this his whole life. The One Direction expat barely gets a chance to speak in between songs with the furore from the girls in the audience, but when he does, he is down to earth and good humoured. Vocally, he has improved considerably from his One Direction days, where he was often deemed the weak link compared to his comrades.
Horan fronts an excellent band; Santry’s Jake Curran provides bluesy guitar solos in most songs while bassist John Bird from Northern Ireland doubles up as a great backing vocalist. The earnest Too Much To Ask is a definite highlight of the set, as is the more subdued Flicker, which Horan admits is his favourite from his debut album.
Horan proves to have a few tricks up his sleeves; halfway through the set, he welcomes songwriter Ruth Ann Cunningham to the stage to sing their co-written track Seeing Blind together, and then treats the audience to a number of covers including Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark and Thin Lizzy’s Dancing In The Moonlight (the latter of which pleased a lot of reluctant parents at the show). For his encore, Horan performs an altered, slightly rockier version of One Direction’s Drag Me Down, before launching into his sultry swan-song Slow Hands.
As popstars go, Niall Horan is one of the good guys. This tour, which will end in Florida in September, will provide Horan with the necessary time that he needs to develop as an artist and performer. It was evident from the show that he has a clear vision of the type of artist that he wants to be, and given the support structure surrounding him, it’s an attainable goal
Clare’s speech about Harry in Japanese @ Tokyo - 08/12
[cont.] And then I met Harry’s mother. It wasn’t the same day but a few days later. And his mother was also a very beautiful person. So, no wonder such an amazing person was born. Also, I was eating a banana while talking to someone and holding it in my hand. And he took the peel from me and threw it away. He’s that type of person. Someone who does acts of kindness without even being asked. He’s so young, but he really touches my heart and inspires me.
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