Foreword.
Right, so I was debating whether to write this post in English or Norwegian, as I’ve been leaning more towards the latter as of late. However, I felt it was a bit more suiting to write this in English. For the third year in a row I went to see One Direction, this time in my own country. We bought the tickets ages ago, and they’ve been lying in my room, collecting dust ever since they arrived in the post. I have mentioned that One Direction have sort of faded from my life this year. I don’t know what it is/was, but I suspect it started with The OTRA (On The Road Again) tour. It was a disappointment to realise they hadn’t come up with a new concept. The tour is basically the sibling to WWA tour. And I know I wrote I could watch them over and over again. But I hadn’t meant the same setting over and over. Being disappointed in a favourite, that’s when you start opening your eyes. You’re no longer in love—no longer blind to their flaws. I realised today during the concert that I’ve not really been updated on anything. I didn’t know the setlist, I didn’t even know the stage. I didn’t even write a post about the songs I was looking forward to listening to. But I’ve decided to do my traditional recap (it's really fucking long, and mostly for my own good so I can remember this). Here's the first and second one. With no further ado, here’s my recap!
Before.
Kiwi and I met up with my belieber friend, and then we walked down to Aker Brygge. None of us are good at making decisions. We might have days where we’re a bit bossier than usual, but they’re rare. After a bit of debate we decided for a restaurant where Kiwi apparently thinks the burger is good. That opinion is based on the time she ate there years ago. I told them it was a suitable place for us to sit. They didn’t get it, and thought of me as stranger than usual. What I meant is that we’ve had some moments, the three of us. And one of our best days (in my opinion) included that restaurant. I’m pretty sure that we had burgers then too, then we wandered to the tip of Tjuvholmen where we sat and chilled for hours, I think. Don’t they say that true friendship is being able to share silence comfortably? Something like that anyway. I can’t say the food was great, and then it started raining. “Ah, I love soggy burger,” I said. I realise now that I’ve not mentioned that we sat outside, but we did. We were also lucky enough to be placed on a spot where we wouldn’t be covered when the rain started pouring. After we decided we’d had enough with the restaurant, we asked for the bill. The waitress and I didn’t understand each other, which was a bit amusing. We walked to Pascal, because my belieber friend loves macaroons. It’s not for me to be honest—and I can’t really pinpoint what it is. We decided to kill some time in the garden to the royal palace, where we took “family” photos. We also took “hide behind the bush”-pictures, which I thought turned out pretty damn well. After our photoshoot (phutusjuut), we walked to the underground. It was predictably pretty full. I’ve realised that after attending so many concerts as of late, I’ve tired of a lot of crowds and full spaces. Ah, and standing in lines. Naturally, I exposed myself for a One Direction concert, because there’s not that much of a crowd really, no lines and no full spaces. Kidding. Well, we ended up at the correct place after deciding to get off at an earlier stop than recommended. Then we even had the gall to use the men’s bathroom in order to avoid standing in line. We were a bit spooked at the look of urinals lined up against basically all the walls. But we ran into cubicles beside each other, when we didn’t see any men or penises. We decided to walk out all of us at the same time, so if there were any men, it’d be a bit more “normal” for a woman to be in the men’s loo. Luckily we didn’t spot anyone, but it doesn’t mean we didn’t hurry washing our hands.
Opening acts.
Whilst Isaac Elliot was performing, my belieber friend and Kiwi went on a hunt for earplugs, as we realised we’d might get hearing damage from not using them. When they got back, I commented, “he’s grown up”. I’m pretty sure he warmed up for One Direction the first time around too. McBusted was the second opening act. McBusted consists of two groups really: McFly and Busted. The first group I became familiar with when I used to sing Obviously on Singstar. The latter I became familiar with via Jonas Brothers. McBusted were fun. It’s like I always say, it’s always best when you can see the artist enjoy themselves. They were cracking jokes and taking the mick out of each other. And their entering onto stage is brilliant. I watched it via Tom’s vlog once, but I didn’t realise they do it for each show. Listening to Stargirl, I was actually thinking about Chris Moyles. Then here’s my favourite part, and the last part of their set. They sang Year 3000, and as Dougie pointed out, it’s both a McBusted and Jonas Brothers song. I think The Jonas Brothers got the rights to do a cover of it, and it featured in a movie they did years ago (or maybe that was another song). But it was originally a Busted song. Anyway, it was a bit strange and surreal maybe, seeing them in person (though far away). I was thinking “that’s Tom, who has done all these amazing Youtube videos that you’ve watched. And that’s Dougie, Ellie Goulding’s boyfriend whose a vegan and sober for a couple of years now”. I bought a hot dog during a break. It was good and much needed. I think I realised how tired I was during the set of McBusted.
The show.
As per usual, I don’t really ever remember all the bits and pieces, but I know they started the concert with Clouds. And if I’m not completely wrong, I’m pretty sure there were some fireworks. They were really nice to look at, but then they made a bit of a fog across the stage, which made it a bit hard for me to see as I was adamant to look at Niall for each step he took. I automatically zoom in on Niall, and mostly only him because he’s my favourite. It’s a bit like watching a video of them. I have to watch the video multiple times if I want to see what each of them gets up to. But in real life you have to make a decision. Now here’s the harsh truth and reality: what we watched yesterday was like watching a rehearsal. I’m not surprised if the reviews are bad, because it was bad. Kiwi said that their charm is being uncoordinated and a bit messy, but there’s a line. And yesterday they crossed that line and went more towards unprofessionalism. Possibly this sounds like I watched something truly horrible yesterday, which it wasn’t. But as a big fan of something, I also think you’re the one who legitimately can be a proper critic. Harry was Harry, in his own world and doing his own show, as my belieber friend said. Niall’s energy was a bit subdued due to illness, but he was still very much the Niall as I am familiar with. My problem was with Louis and Liam, partners in crime. I don’t mind banter between the boys, it’s what I like about them. But when Liam laughs throughout most of his solo’s, it’s sort of hard to still see the fun in it. Because I came to listen to them perform songs, didn’t I? Louis kept throwing water on Liam, and they had a water war throughout the whole concert, sometimes making them unable to sing their solos. Luckily they managed to sing throughout No Control and 18. At least they seemed to have fun, and I imagine that Liam-girls were delighted to see him soaked in water. Liam did apologize a couple of times, for laughing so much. I just—it’s the first time I’ve seen how the absence of Zayn affects the band dynamic as a whole, and I think it shook me a bit. Seeing the “Thank you” posters during Night Changes was really nice. I’m glad the fan projects worked out, and it’s always nice to show gratitude to the lads, as they do actually do a lot of work. And the thing in the One Direction fandom is that it’s so obvious that the fans and the members of the band are complementary. We both need each other to exist. So they spend a lot of time during their shows thanking the fans, so I thought the thank you posters were a nice message for them. As Niall was standing on the other side of the stage, I watched Harry for a bit, and it seemed like he really saw the posters.
I have loved you (Niall) since I was 18.
As you know, I love Niall. I think the sun shines out of his arse sometimes, though I’m not exactly blind to his flaws. My highlight of the evening was listening to 18, and listening to Niall’s vocals during both that song, and all of the other songs. There’s just something with Niall’s voice and songs like 18 that really shows off his voice. It reminds me of when he did a cover of A Team by Ed Sheeran during their first ever tour in the UK. There’s some qualities in his voice that suddenly appears sometimes and gives me goosebumps. I don’t have any knowledge of musical terms, so that’s the extent of which I can try to explain it. He sang Zayn’s solo during Through The Dark and No Control, I think. It wasn’t Zayn, and I hadn’t expected that either, but I thought he did good. Maybe that’s just me being biased, but you know. During This Is Us, Caroline (their stylist) mentioned that Niall has these periods of which he obsesses with pieces of fashion items. As of late it might have been his strange tweed hat. But he’s been really attractive as of late. Well, more attractive than I usually find him. It has to be said that I’ve got a weakness for grandpa henleys. If you’re a man and you want to show off your body inconspicuously, I think that’s the way to go—grandpa henleys. I’m very much into his skinny legs in his tiny skinny jeans and his choice of shoes. I was glad to spot a bit of Niall and Harry interaction, as I think Niall is the only one who can really open the door into Harry-land, where he’s shut himself in. A long time ago I read a “future” fan fiction about Niall and Harry starting their own band after One Direction splits up, and for a moment yesterday, I could really see it.
Best Song Ever.
Niall was standing at the end of the stage, whilst the rest of the boys were at the main stage. As always, my eyes followed the Irish one, like glue. People were leaving, trying to escape the long lines early. In my peripheral, I could sort of see the fireworks. I think at the start of the song, the firework was the only light. Like, there weren’t any lighting on the stage when the fireworks started. When I watched Niall alone, I could see him illuminated by the colours of the fireworks. The firework made this kind of smaug, fog over the stadium, especially the stage. I remember just being glued to Niall, and having this moment. Due to the cloudy vision, it felt a bit like watching the movie, and Best Song Ever has always been about an “end” for me. It’s a strange song to get emotional to, but you know—I am strange. It’s like I had an epiphany: “I am done now. This might be my last concert, maybe I won’t be a fan for much longer. I am done with thee years of nursing school. I watched my first One Direction concert with the same people, and now we’re here and off to figure out what we’re supposed to do with our lives”. Usually when I listen to the song, I’m dancing. I’ve got fond memories of the song. But this time I was shock-still, just clenching my hands to my totebag. People around me were standing and dancing along. And I was just having a moment, as my belieber friend called it afterwards. With unshed tears in my eyes, I think I finally realised that it’s the end of another period of my life.
Afterthoughts.
This turned out longer than expected, but I’m not all surprised. I was indeed disappointed with the show, but I can’t get myself to regret seeing them. I think I’ll always want to see them live, because that’s just how my heart works. The heart wants what it wants, as a wise lady called Selena Gomez once sang. And I’m glad that Liam and Louis had fun. I can see how doing the same show over and over again can tear at you. Luckily they actually enjoy it. For me it seems a bit like you’re waking up and doing the same thing over and over, and I don’t think I could ever do what they do. It should be mentioned that I’ve had busy weeks prior to this concert; a lot pf physical stuff like going to concerts and more concerts, mountains and work. But I’ve also had a lot of inner turmoil, I guess, related to a new job and whatnot. My zits tells me I’m stressing. So I might have been a bit harsh on One Direction. But as I said, I love them, but I am probably also their biggest critics. When Dougie of McBusted said that Year 3000 is also a Jonas Brothers song, he sang a bit of Burnin’ Up. I laughed and clapped, because jeez, what a trip down memory lane. That song was released 7 years ago, which is fucking crazy. But it was one of the factors to why I think I had that moment during Best Song Ever. The whole concert yesterday felt like some kind of closure, and Dougie singing Burnin’ Up reminded me of the start, and I guess BSE reminded me of the end. In the end I think this concert was an epiphany for me, and that’s good, I think.
