Niall Horan brought ‘Dinner Party Live On Tour’ to London over the weekend and it was the most perfect celebration of his career to date.
Niall Horan’s current tour recently made its London stop and it was everything a fan could hope for. Niall played two headline shows at The O2 Arena over the weekend and I was lucky enough to attend the Saturday show, and it was incredible.
From the moment Niall walked on stage, opening with Tastes So Good, the atmosphere and energy in the room was electric. I think this song was a particularly good opener, it got everybody into dancing and singing right from the off. It worked just as well as Nice To Meet Ya did on his last tour as the opener.
Niall made sure to thank his adoring fans before leading into This Town, pointing out how it’s had over one billion streams and it’s now also 10 years old. Does anyone else feel super old?
Once the emotional rollercoaster of hearing This Town live came to an end, it wasn’t long before he sang End of an Era. This is the song he wrote for ex-bandmate Liam Payne, and this really got everyone in their feels. There genuinely wasn’t a dry eye in the stands. I thought it was really brave of Niall to include a snippet of Liam’s voice at the end, it was a beautiful way of honouring him.
I always feel that Niall does a fantastic job of making those huge arenas feel a lot more intimate, and this show proved that once again. He always interacts well with the crowd, making them feel included throughout the set. But the acoustic set of this tour gave it even more of an intimate feel. The dinner party theme was brought to light as Niall sat around a giant table, with his band, under a glimmering chandielier to sing a few songs acoustically, with drinks beside them. It felt like being in the pub, it was great.
It was during this acoustic set that Lewis Capaldi surprised the crowd by appearing. Not only did he bring out pints for Niall and his band, but he sat and sang a One Direction cover with him, You & I. This, of course, made the audience go wild and it’s a song I’d not heard live since I last saw 1D so I also really appreciated it. The nostalgia then continued as Niall also sang Steal My Girl, another One Direction hit.
The encore included, arguably, Niall’s two biggest hits Heaven and Slow Hands. To be fair, there was not one single person sat down. Everybody enjoyed themselves right up until the band did their farewell bow.
Two songs that really surprised me live were Pretty and Flowers. They were so much fun to chant back and I think next time I listen back to them, I’ll be listening from a different perspective. It’s always fun when you hear something live and it changes how you viewed it previously.
Overall, this particular show felt more than just a concert… It felt more like a celebration of Niall’s journey as a soloist so far, especially with two sold-out nights at The O2 and his debut single turning 10 years old. Niall successfully managed to bring together all of his solo material, and also weave in some One Direction, to create such a fabulous show. It was a very special evening!
Featured image is my own image.
