Walking up the stairs to the stage, Niall Horan could feel the goosebumps on his neck and arms prickling. These goosebumps were attributed not to nerves but to the sheer excitement and anticipation to perform. The adrenaline must have been surging. This is the moment he has yearned for. The moment he has been dedicating months of his time to rehearsing for. He tells us as much when he is on stage, later. 

The former One Direction heartthrob wasn’t the only one buzzing for the show. Behind us, we could hear fans ask each other, eagerly, “Do you think he will play ‘Tastes So Good’ first?” Their prediction was correct (and we had somewhat suspected this, too). 

Niall began the show with ‘Tastes So Good’ and then went straight into Heartbreak Weather’ (from his previous album of the same name) before going into ‘Pretty’. ‘Pretty’ went down exceptionally well with the crowd singing along the lyrics, “You’re so f*cking pretty”. Listening to the song in a live setting really brought it to life.

The first three songs were great and really set the tone for the rest of the euphoric night.The show was brilliant and it felt actually good for the soul. 

Niall gave a confident performance and seemingly loved being on stage, saying: “We’re going to rip the roof off this place!,” He also said he was”getting emotional”, before telling himself, “Relax, man!”

As he sang ‘If You Leave Me,’ Niall got down on his knees, cradling the microphone stand as he did. 

Then, from the high-energy start, came slower-paced ‘This Town’, which was very meaningful, as was ‘End of an Era’. An audio clip of the late Liam Payne (Niall’s One Direction bandmate) talking was played at the end of the song, which was poignant and a lovely tribute.  

Niall and the band moved to a B-stage for the next segment, which Niall said he wanted to be “trad-y”…and it was! He said he wanted fans to experience what it might be like for the band at “3am in [his] kitchen”, and also for the song to feel more upbeat, because, in his words: “Ive got a lot of sad songs”. 

For ‘Flowers’, Niall really rocked out and then he went a bit grungy, too, before ‘Nice To Meet You’. We weren’t expecting this heavier sound from Niall, but we absolutely loved it! 

If ‘Pretty’ was a crowd-pleaser, ‘Steal My Girl’(One Direction song) went down astronomically well, judging by the screams and the singing along from fans. The vibes were so wholesome, though. It was truly iconic. It was great that Niall was not one to shy away from his boyband past, as ‘Steal My Girl’ was one of the highlights of the night! Niall noticed too, saying: “The energy in this room is palpable.”

He ended the night by saying: “I have a few songs left and I really don’t want to get off this stage.”Niall mentioned the show was a “safe space” and encouraged audience members to sing and dance and “let loose”. It was such a strong start to the tour that it seems impossible to fathom how he will improve as the tour progresses, but we are sure he will!