This past Thursday I got to see Louis Tomlinson in concert in Oakland and I want to speak a bit about my experience. I’ve been a fan of Louis for more than ten years so being able to see him live was an insane moment that I’ll never forget.

For the concert I drove up to Oakland that morning with the intention of lining up early so I could get a good spot in the pit. This was my first time ever having pit tickets so I didn’t really know what to expect. I lined up at around 1pm with the concert scheduled to start at 8. I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous at first because I was going to the concert alone and I didn’t want to be standing in that line with no one to talk to. While standing in that line though for all those hours I found a sense of community and camaraderie. People were walking up and down the line handing out signs and flags. Some fans had bought pizza and were handing out slices to people who hadn’t been able to eat yet. There were even some people asking others if they needed anything from Walgreens they could get them. I think this is something about live music that was missing during the pandemic. As a fanbase we weren’t able to connect with each other as we’re able to in person at a concert. Sure, there’s a sense of community through the Internet and social media but it’s not the same as when you’re in person.

Once doors opened it was another two hours or so before the concert started. Louis’ openers were Sun Room, a band that I was familiar with from hearing some of their songs on TikTok. They did extremely well and their sound felt on one hand like a throwback but on the other hand felt refreshed. While listening to their music I got this blend of Beach Boys and indie-pop vibes. When I later found out that they were from LA it made a lot of sense and I definitely see how that’s influenced their music. I highly recommend checking out their music and I’m really excited to see where they go from here.

When Louis got on stage the crowd erupted in such a way that the theater shook when he got on. Louis’ entire set was stellar and he really connected with the audience the entire time he was on that stage. With the theater that he performed at lending itself to a pretty intimate setting Louis really benefited from this. Despite the concert being completely sold out I felt at times like Louis was performing for me and looking directly in my eyes. I do wonder if Louis being in One Direction and performing on some of the world’s biggest stages actually taught him how to connect efficiently with smaller audiences. For example, if you’re able to perform three sold out shows at Wembley which holds about 90,000 people you learn how to connect and interact with an audience of any size. Overall, the concert was a blast and by the end of the show my voice was shot, my feet were aching, and ears were ringing. And I loved every second of it.

This was Louis’ first tour and I’m so excited to see where he goes from here. I’m so ready for his second tour and his second album. Cheers mate.