Story and Photos: Haley Mullenix
On Saturday night (6/10) Louis Tomlinson, a former member of One Direction, brought his Faith in the Future tour to Kansas City! Fans lined up dressed in red and black, and passed out handmade friendship bracelets to each other as their own pre-show ritual. I was even handed one!
As the gates opened to The Starlight Theatre, fans were eager to find their seats to enjoy the three sets lined up for the evening. First up was Snarls, an indie band from Ohio made up of lead singer Chlo White, Riley Hall on bass, Mick Martinez on guitar, and Max Martinez on drums. With a vibe similar to Boygenius or Muna there was a lot to love about this group. The fans up front knew their music well, and even had inside jokes with the band which consisted of yelling “Say slay!” which they happily obliged.
Next up, all the way from Ireland was The Academic. A few times throughout their set lead singer Craig Fitzgerald was visibly moved by the crowd singing along with him, Louis fans definitely do their homework on openers! Joining Craig was Dean Gavin on drums and brothers Stephen and Matthew Murtagh on bass and guitar. Influenced by bands such as The Strokes their sound reflects that with catchy bouncy choruses and slick guitar riffs.
Finally, Louis Tomlinson took the stage! Far from his boy band days there would be no choreographed dances or answering twitter questions but he did sneak in a couple One Direction songs which the fans appreciated. Stopping in between songs Louis expressed his gratitude saying, “Thank you for accepting me for who I am and who I am as an artist”. All night I was in awe of the crowd. They were so loud and though the night was a bit cloudy and rainy, they showed out waving their lights in the air and lighting up the sky as Louis moved through the set.
Louis’s sound nowadays is a bit on the pop punk side ranging from stories of personal growth to relationships and loss. His latest album Faith in the Future is his second album as a solo artist and came out just last November of 2022.
Overall the crowd was amazing, and was incredibly receptive and excited for each act which was awesome to see! Louis put on a great show and it was exciting to see him in action. Louis still has a full tour ahead of him here in the U.S before heading to the U.K and Europe so be sure to catch him while you can!
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Louis Tomlinson
