Niall Horan – The Show: Live On Tour In Singapore

Singapore Indoor Stadium
May 9

Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan is not the most well-known or commercially successful member of now-defunct English-Irish boy band One Direction, unlike Harry Styles, who has won Grammys and starred in Hollywood movies.

But based on Horan’s The Show: Live On Tour concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 9, which promotes his third and latest album The Show (2023), he might just be the most underrated.

The tour kicked off in Belfast in late February, and sees the 30-year-old speeding his way through Indonesia, the Philippines and Tokyo over the week before heading to the Americas and British Isles for a marathon summer leg of some five dozen or so shows.

He easily kept a few thousand concertgoers at the Singapore gig enthralled and on their feet all evening.

Here are four highlights from his 90-minute show.

1. Soft rock vibes

Despite being a late-millennial who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, Horan’s musical influences are very much rooted in the classic rock of the 1970s and 1980s. 

This is clear in all his three solo albums – Flicker (2017), Heartbreak Weather (2020) and The Show – which cover the soft rock genre with an added mix of pop, folk and country vibes, and were well represented in the 20-song set list.

Horan’s desire to be a respectable musician – and not just a former idol belting pop bops – came through most clearly in his staging of the show, which eschewed big set pieces, outfit changes and fancy effects. 

Instead, he placed his live backing band front and centre on a sprawling platform that kept fans’ focus solely on the music. Horan had a good rapport with the band and held his own with his vocals and stage presence.

2. Solid musicianship 

As has become a habit during his solo musical career, Horan kept a musical instrument – usually a guitar – in his hands for most of the gig. 

Occasionally, it did seem like he was trying too hard, such as when he alternated between guitar and harmonica during You Could Start A Cult. 

While he pulled it off, Horan was at his best when he put his instrument crutch down and allowed himself to wander the stage and interact with the eager crowd. 

3. Irish charm and humility 

Horan has always been thought of as the “nice guy” of One Direction, thanks to his polite and seemingly affable personality. 

These traits were on full display, as he thanked the audiences several times for turning out, especially given the six-year absence since his last performance for some 4,000 fans at The Star Theatre in June 2018.

“Thank you for staying so loyal... I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for 14 years,” he said. 

While reading some fan-made posters being held up in the standing pen, Horan gamely opened an exam results slip for a fan – she passed – and signed a birthday card for another.

4. Coming into his own

Rather than ignoring his history with One Direction, which disbanded in 2016, Horan gamely acknowledged it by including one of their deep-cuts in his set list: Stockholm Syndrome, off their fourth album Four (2015).

The song’s opening notes elicited ear-shattering screams, and had much of the audience singing along. But they were equally enthusiastic about the most popular tracks from his solo oeuvre, including Black And White and This Town.

The sweet, catchy Heaven and the energetic yacht rock number Meltdown – lead singles off The Show – were also warmly received. 

It bodes well for Horan’s continuing career as a solo artiste, something he himself seemed to realise while saying his farewells.

“You have been a dream, and I promise it won’t be six years before we do this again,” he said.