Louis Tomlinson Closes European Chapter in Style at Paris’ Accor Arena
After three years, it was time for British singer Louis Tomlinson to take to the stage of the Accor Arena once again. Three years ago, on October 14th, he did so for the “Faith In The Future” tour, this time to celebrate during the “How Did We Get Here?” tour. The Accor Arena filled up, all for that one singer.
The show kicked off with one of the singles from his new album “How Did I Get Here?”, “Lemonade”. After the intro, the band and, of course, Louis himself took to the stage. At the final chorus, the entire Accor Arena turned yellow through the large amounts of confetti, which further enhanced the playfulness of “Lemonade”. The set continued with “On Fire” and “Written All Over Your Face”.
After “Out Of My System”, the singer moved slightly forward to his catwalk, featuring a question mark, the symbol of the tour, to perform “Bigger Than Me”. Although “Bigger Than Me” is not necessarily an emotional song, the audience decided to turn on their phone torches, lighting up the entire Accor Arena.
During “Dark To Light”, ‘Tommo’ got the chance to show his more emotional side on stage. This song was written as a tribute to Liam Payne, the singer’s late former bandmate. The grief and pain were not only felt by Louis himself, but many a fan was deeply moved during and after hearing this song live. The presence of Louis’ own family in the venue made this moment even more intense and meaningful.
Right after “Imposter”, Louis performed “Lucky Again”, following a speech in which he mentioned that the evening promised to be a very special one. Louis shared with the audience that he remembered the Accor Arena from his time with One Direction, a rare moment, as the singer seldom looks back on that period. That the venue truly means something to him was clearly palpable. Even more special was when he announced that former bandmate Niall Horan was present in the venue, upon which Niall got his moment to wave to the audience.
During “Lucid”, the semi-title track of the new album, and “Saturdays”, fans had set up a next-level fan project via an app. Through that app, you indicated in advance where you were standing or sitting, after which your phone automatically lit up as part of a pre-programmed animation that covered the entire venue. The animation during “Lucid” lasted no less than five minutes and was simply stunning, a feat that had also been seen during the previous show at this venue and was now matched once again. During “Sunflowers”, fans had brought as many forms of sunflowers as possible (a photo, a real flower, a handmade flower, a costume, it was all there). During “Kill My Mind” the phone torches went up and down; the fans knew exactly what the show needed to give it that extra layer.
The show ended with two songs that can only be heard on vinyl: “The Observer” and “The Answer”. Although these are less well-known and less easy to listen to, the entire Accor Arena went wild. During the final song, “Palaces”, another single from “How Did I Get Here?”, the atmosphere was absolutely incredible! With Paris as the closing night of the European mainland leg of the tour, the “How Did We Get Here?” tour now heads to the United Kingdom. A strong concert once again from the singer who absolutely stands at the top of the contemporary music scene!
