Louis Tomlinson is currently on his highly anticipated world tour. One of the stops was a sold-out gig at the OVO Wembley arena. As a venue, Wembley holds lots of personal significance for the Walls singer. It was where twelve years ago his career began when during the BootCamp stages of series 7 of The X Factor, he was put in a band with four other guys. Louis’s subsequent years in One Direction helped to pave the way for his own world tour. As Louis told the packed out crowd it was the place where he did his first-ever performance as a solo artist.
Support for the gig came from The Snuts who previously played at Louis’s Away From Home Festival and Only The Poets, an unsigned band that Louis has championed since they opened for him back in 2020 at his headline gig for War Child at Scala in London. Both bands are phenomenally talented and had the crowd on their feet. Many of the crowd knew all the words to the five-song setlist that Only the Poets did, including their upcoming single ‘Every song I Ever Wrote’.
Wembley Arena is a huge venue it holds 12,000 people. Louis who originally was set to do two nights at the Roundhouse in London, upgraded to Wembley due to demand, not only did he sell it out but there were thousands of fans watching via unofficial live streams on Instagram, which were done by fans who were lucky enough to bag tickets to the huge moment in Louis’s career. He’s an artist who could easily have sold out another night at Wembley and likely will on his next tour.
As an artist, Louis doesn’t disappoint live. It’s all about the music with him. From the moment he took to the stage to the end of his set he delivered hit after hit. He sang 11 out of 12 tracks from his debut album Walls. Songs like ‘Habit’, ‘Always You’ and ‘Don’t Let it Break Your Heart’ were songs that fans seemed to sing along to extra loudly.
He sang two brand new songs ‘Change’ and ‘Copy of a Copy of a Copy’, which potentially could feature on his yet to be released second album. The packed out crowd knew all the words, screaming them back to him. There were some nods to his time with One Direction with ‘Drag Me Down’, ‘Little Black Dress’ and ‘Through the Dark’, which the fans loved.
Louis is a consummate professional who is fully aware of what goes on at his shows and is extremely attentive to his fans, not hesitating to stop the show a couple of times if he sees fans unwell in the pit, quickly directing both his own security as well as the venues to help them either by getting them fresh air or handing out water to keep them hydrated. He also never fails to acknowledge fan projects and signs. Creating a safe environment where fans feel included, appreciated and loved which created a beautiful and very emotive moment during ‘Only the Brave.’
He is a true performer who was born to be on the stage. His show is just him and his band playing music. The addition of the string section for some of the songs highlighted just how important music is to Louis and it’s clear the band he has with him on this tour feels the same. Be it a venue that holds 2000 people or a venue like Wembley that holds 12,000 you come away from a Louis Tomlinson gig knowing you have seen a guy who lives, breathes and loves music, who doesn’t take what he has for granted and who is grateful for the support his large fanbase continue to give and will do so for many years to come.
You can find out all the info about the rest of Louis’s world tour and get tickets here!