By Louise Lizan
Former One Direction member Niall Horan rocked the Mall of Asia Arena concert stage on Sunday whipping thousands of millennial fans into rabid frenzy.
The 24-year-old pop star kicked off his solo world tour in his home country in March and is set to conclude the concert series in the United States in September. The Manila leg of Flicker World Tour, generously presented by Smart Music Live, was the first pitstop of Horan’s tour in Asia.
Clad in his signature white shirt with his guitar slung over his shoulder, Horan opened the concert with his newest single “On The Loose,” which immediately made the audience up on their feet grooving, singing along, and appreciating Horan’s amazing vocals and guitar skills.
“Wow, this is absolutely insane,” Horan’s instantaneous response commending the crowd for their warm welcome. He also expressed his gratitude to all his fans that came despite of the bad weather.
Horan not once let his energy fade as he performed his sets in succession, just throwing some short spiels in between, also checking up on his fans all throughout the concert.
At one point, the Irish singer also remembered the last time he came to Manila with the rest of One Direction and his travel around the country.
“It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people,” he said.
The singer also asked the audience to put their phones down and feel the music, even as far as asking the people to close their eyes as he performed “Flicker.”
Throughout the show, Horan was all smiles—especially during the fan projects segment where
the entire Arena turned green as fans held up their flashlights while Horan was singing “This Town,” which he released just right after the 1D break-up.
During his “Fire Away” set, the singer told the crowd, “I see you,” responding to his fans holding out papers saying, “It all worked out.” “Thank you so much for that, that was very nice,” he commented.
Paying tribute to the world’s biggest boy band in recent history, Horan sang his rendition of One Direction’s “Fool’s Gold,” which got the fans all teary-eyed and choked up of all the memories of the old days.
His biggest single “Slow Hands” also took center stage. It got the audience’s hyped up with the whole Arena singing along, the venue was filled with deafening screams.
Horan concluded his show with “On My Own” as he showcased his guitar skills, his body moving along with the rhythm.
Still, accompanied by his own band and flashing LED lights behind him, Horan was evidently grateful and overjoyed to be back in the Philippines performing among thousands of screaming fans.
It all worked out indeed, as in the end, Horan’s constant vocals never wavered all throughout the concert, his energy matching the audience’s. His presence can be felt around the stage, strumming his way across the stage whether it’s an electric, bass, or an acoustic guitar.
“Manila, thank you so much! I’ll see you soon,” Horan promised as he walked out the stage, throwing his guitar picks to the crowd.
Even though alone, Horan proved the world that he can still dominate the stage with his ‘flicker’ of hope growing into something much bigger—probably another successful world tour in the near future.