Fans brave freezing rain for Louis Tomlinson

Kicking off the tour for his debut album in Texas, Louis Tomlinson performed the third show of the tour to a sold-out crowd in Houston.

Although his debut album, “Walls,” was released over two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered tour dates, with the original Houston show scheduled for July 9 of 2020.

After waiting outside in the rain and near-freezing temperatures for hours, fans were able to enjoy Sun Room, the surf-rock band opening all of Tomlinson’s North America shows.

Tomlinson opened his show with “We Made It,” and with the upbeat and positive lyrics, it made for the perfect first song of the night, setting the tone for the rest of the show.

He then sang “Drag Me Down,” one of the three One Direction songs covered throughout the duration of the show. Singing all four parts of the song by himself, Tomlinson managed to give long-time fans, including myself, an updated and exciting version of one of One Direction’s many hit singles.

What could be classified as one of Tomlinson’s most uplifting songs, “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” was performed next. Tomlinson paused during the song, allowing fans to take over for him. One of the verses they carried was, “When the high’s too high, and the low’s too low; When you love someone and they let you go.”

Transitioning to one of his most personal songs, “Two of Us,” Tomlinson honored his mother, who passed away in 2016. Fans held him up throughout the song, supporting him through the emotional song.

Performing “Always You” and “Too Young,” Tomlinson focuses on the perspectives of relationships, showcasing how he always knew he’d find his way back to a specific person, later showing how he was “too young” in one of his previous relationships.

Tomlinson also covered “7” by Catfish and the Bottlemen, and “Beautiful War” by Kings of Leon. Despite him having no songwriting credits in either of the songs, fans still knew every word and continued to sing their hearts out.

For myself, this was the first time I had ever heard “Beautiful War,” so that mixed with Tomlinson’s soothing voice made for an unforgettable first listen.

Following his cover of “7,” Tomlinson sang more songs from his debut album, “Fearless” and “Habit.” Fans continued to amp him up, just in time for the performance of “Copy of a Copy of a Copy,” one of his unreleased songs.

Up next came a rock-stylized version of his debut single, “Just Hold On.” Next came Defenceless, my second favorite from the album, where fans continued to join in and sing over Tomlinson.

“Little Black Dress” was covered, another One Direction song. Tomlinson wowed his fans once again with a more rock-heavy song.

Singing “Walls” twice, fans sung “For every question why, you were my because” louder each time.

Three of my personal favorites back-to-back, “Only the Brave,” “Through the Dark” and “Kill My Mind.” Tomlinson ended his Houston show with an unforgettable performance, especially as fans brought out pride flags during his performance of “Only the Brave.”

With “Through the Dark” being my favorite One Direction song, it was a surreal experience to hear Tomlinson perform it live, along with seeing a large portion of his LGBTQ+ fanbase be proud of him and themselves.

Tomlinson continued to voice his love and support for his fans throughout his concert, stopping the show a couple times to check on a few fans.

Tomlinson’s North America tour continues throughout mid-March.

Photos by Michael Perea. Courtesy of MusicWhyNot.com