On The Road Again: Cleveland, Ohio
By: Madeline Patrick
On August 27, 2015, One Direction played in Cleveland for the first time EVER, and I was lucky enough to attend.
One Direction consists of four boys, Louis Tomlinson, 23, Liam Payne, 21, Niall Horan, 21, and Harry Styles, 20. The boys, including past band member Zayn Malik, 21, auditioned for the British X Factor in 2010. After being rejected at boot camp, Simon Cowell asked the boys if they would be interested in competing as a group, and thus One Direction was formed. They came in third place overall and were signed onto Syco records. The boys became stars when their hit single, “What Makes You Beautiful”, came out in 2011. After that, the boys toured with Nickelodeon’s band Big Time Rush, then went on their own tour for their album Up All Night, then Take Me Home, Where We Are for Midnight Memories, and finally, On the Road Again for their most current album Four. Zayn left the band this year in March.
I was fortunate enough to see the Take Me Home tour in Pittsburgh, the Where We Are tour in Philadelphia, and finally the On the Road Again tour in Cleveland, Ohio. The boys of One Direction announced that after this tour, they will be going on a hiatus to explore their individual careers.
The opening act for One Direction was Icona Pop, who sing the hit song “I Love It”. The Swedish duo consists of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo. Hjelt even played kazoo. They played a few of their own songs, did a cover of “Up Town Funk” by Bruno Mars, and then played their most popular single, “I Love It”.
An hour later, the boys of One Direction came onto the stage, resulting in the screaming of thousands of fans, ranging in the ages of 5 and 25. They opened with my personal favorite off their album Four, “Clouds”. They then sang their hit single, “Steal My Girl”. The entire crowd sang and screamed as the boys walked up and down the runway. Niall strummed on his guitar and he and the rest of the boys sang with the fans. They sang “Let me Kiss You”, from Take Me Home, “Stockholm Syndrome”, “Fireproof”, “Ready to Run” from Four, and my all-time favorite, “Better than Words”, from Midnight Memories.
Everyone screamed as Niall Horan sang his solo. The next song was “Don’t Forget Where You Belong”, which Niall wrote, about being on the road, away from home, friends, and family and attempting to stay grounded during that time. The audience waved their flashlights in the air to the beat of the song. “Little Things”, one of their most popular songs, was acoustically played, with Niall playing guitar, the screens showing the boys turned black and white, and flashlights were in the air as the boys sang about how they’ll love their significant other no matter their flaws. One Direction then sang “Night Changes”, “18”, and “No Control” from Four. They next said how excited they were about their latest single “Drag Me Down” being a huge hit and thanked the fans for supporting it so much. Next was “Diana”, a touching song, written for their fans. Then, “What Makes You Beautiful”, Through the Dark”, my sister’s favorite: “Girl Almighty”, and “Story of my Life”.
The Boys left the stage but the lights stayed off. Five minutes later, One Direction came back out for an encore, singing “You & I”, “Best Song Ever”, “Act my Age” a song Niall’s brother, Greg, wrote, and finally, “Little White Lies”.
Every few songs, the boys would joke with the fans, read signs, and even took a few “selfies” with them. Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall all expressed how grateful they were to have such supportive fans. They continuously said how they would not be their without their fan base.
The One Direction concert was one the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had and I can assume everyone else who attended feels the same way.
Every few songs, the boys would joke with the fans, read signs, and even took a few “selfies” with them. Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall all expressed how grateful they were to have such supportive fans. They continuously said how they would not be their without their fan base.
The One Direction concert was one the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had and I can assume everyone else who attended feels the same way.