Louis Tomlinson was a bit boring in Prague without One Direction
“Hooray, concert!” And the biggest so far! Seriously, we haven’t welcomed a foreign performer in Forum Karlín for quite a few months. One-fifth is still the most successful boy band in the world, which is currently pausing but reliably sold out. Unfortunately, why wasn’t that enough for a great experience?
Live: Louis Tomlinson
place: Forum Karlín, Prague
date: March 31, 2022
setlist: We Made It, Drag Me Down (song One Direction), Don’t Let It Break Your Heart, Two Of Us, Always You, Too Young, 7 (cover Catfish And The Bottlemen), Fearless, Habit, Copy Of A Copy Of A Copy, Just Hold On (cover Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson), Defenceless, Beautiful War (cover Kings Of Leon), Little Black Dress (song One Direction), Walls, Only The Brave, Through The Dark (song One Direction), Kill My Mind
Photo gallery
© Aneta Pačesová
You know what’s in that report. Glowing cell phones. Lots of Instagram shooting. Rainbow flags. Transparency is being said. Lots of squealing young ladies who make up most of the publications. Freezing parents outside. And of course a terrible mess before entering the Karlín Forum. And that’s exactly what it was. But all these properties also create a great atmosphere for the concert itself, it may not be to your liking. Only The Poets have tried it. We could musically compare pop jumpers to the more well-known The Script, only they are even sweeter. Every long tone, every smile or just a gesture to one side or the other demanded an enthusiastic cheer. For some, the reactions may be too much, but on the other hand, it’s probably still better than perceiving the atmosphere of some hipster indie band, where twenty people come, ten of them play mobile on all the time, six think about how much they are over things, and he doesn’t even see the rest of the foot on the podium. Sincere emotions are fine. Unfortunately, it must be stated that Louis Tomlinson did not even earn the knowledge of a louder squeal for what he was performing on stage, but only because of his own existence and the aura of the superstar. This is despite the fact that in the days of the greatest glory, One Direction was the least significant member.
© Aneta Pačesová
Even then, the five dances were danced as a disparate group of people who did not want to rehearse the choreography in the same clothes as the older boy band. Everyone wore whatever they wanted, and at their concerts they just jumped and waved to the audience. It worked perfectly and thanks to – similar conditions – quality pop hits, even listeners who you would definitely not call their target found them. “What Makes You Beautiful”, “Live While We’re Young”, “Best Song Ever”, “Steal My Girl” … There was a bit of guilty pleasure to feel there, but still: those were good times. But when Louis was not covered in the back of Karlín by another four parties, but only by his accompanying band, the stellar factor suffered. And in several ways. Only according to the debut album “Walls”, it is evident that its author would like to step into a little more guitar waters and learn from his favorites, to whom he cut a compliment in Prague. But he’s already run into it. When you play “Beautiful War” by Kings Of Leon, you are honored with the beautifully felt ballad that Caleb Followill embellished with his unique, cracked voice. But Tomlinson can’t do that, so one of the most beautiful songs on the Nashville group has become a crumpled, stuffy mass that you’ll probably only know from a clever guitarist in his backing band. It sounded like it usually sounds when X Factor participants sing things like that. Ehm.
© Aneta Pačesová
The father of a five-year-old son (whom he has with stylist Briana Jugwirth, although he returned to his ex-girlfriend Eleanor Calder a year after his birth) could bring a big, colorful pop show to Prague, which we would expect from him and a bunch of self-contained girls in the front row. However, we will probably have to wait for that – until his more famous, hit and extravagant colleague Harry Styles visits the O2 arena. In the Karlín Forum, however, it was a standard pop-rock set, during which rockets fired a few times, mainly the detail of the protagonist’s face was shown on the screen, and since Louis himself does not dance or play any instrument, all that was left was the singing. And that is not bad, but it is not exceptional at all. That’s about six out of ten. And in fact, we often couldn’t do that either, the audience always shouted their favorites with their vocal cords.
© Aneta Pačesová
Unfortunately, there were not many hits either. He himself doesn’t have many of them yet, and when he was already hunting in the home group’s repertoire, he chose lesser-known pieces, which was a wasted opportunity. But let’s not criticize, a few supporting songs were heard. “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”, “Fearless” with a great guitar solo, the title “Walls” accompanied by rolls of paper and the final “Kill My Mind”. These are pieces that are worth attention. This is the way to go. Probably the whole performance lacked the singer’s charisma, which is why it was a bit boring. We were hoping to get to know his personality a little. That he would turn out to be a nice guy who would give up for his followers. That they would derail him, how bravely his fan base in Prague accepted him, and maybe he will be a little impressed. Or give a heartfelt speech. Unfortunately, this did not happen. There was only one speech, before the song “Fearless”, but despite the general scream, it was not very understandable. And just before the end, the electricity went out. The whole band disappeared behind the scenes for ten minutes and then continued without apology.
The only glimmer of Louis’s good character came to the very end, when he invited a tour manager to the stage, who ends up with him, and they drank together. Only then did the singer come to life again. Even for those visitors in the front row in the last chorus “Kill My Mind” he finally surprised. That was nice. There could have been many more such moments.
© Aneta Pačesová
On the other hand, once you are a member of such a successful group and you experience all that Louis Tomlinson has experienced in his thirty years, you can probably understand that this squeal is probably more annoying to you. And that, for that reason too, you rather take the time for your technician to warn people before the concert that they are not allowed to throw anything on stage, to take a step back and that the security officers have water bottles at their disposal. The question remains how relevant this not-so-enthusiastic report will be to rock singers, who visibly enjoyed it all to the maximum and did not seem to be disappointed. Such will definitely be heard under the article. But it is possible that there is someone among them who hoped that he would get a little more off the stage for his undying favor. More love, more music, more shows. Damage. Maybe ten Harry will be pleased.