Ah, we remember it like it was yesterday — One Direction’s Where We Are Tour kicked off in Colombia’s capital city, Bogota, just six short months ago on a warm April day. On Sunday, emotions ran high as the boys closed out the tour in Miami.
“This has been the most amazing tour we’ve ever done in our lives. Thank you so, so much,” Liam Payne said during a ‘sentimental’ speech on stage. “I know sometimes people think that we take it for granted, but on behalf of me and the guys, we love you very, very much and you really do mean the world to us.”
On October 11 and 12, the band’s concert film, Where We Are, will hit theatres globally. In the UAE, it will play across all VOX cinemas. It features the band’s full gig from Milan’s San Siro stadium, as well as backstage footage and an exclusive interview with the boys.
Niall Horan took to Twitter to call the interview “the best we’ve ever done”. A sneak peek of it tells us that Louis Tomlinson, the oldest member of the band, isn’t averse to wearing the same underpants two days in a row. Charming.
But what is it, exactly, that made WWAT so special?
For starters, it was the boys’ biggest tour to date. Three legs of extensive gigging took them around the world and back, bringing their show to stadiums in South America, North America and Europe. Yes, the guys can now cross Wembley Stadium, Croke Park and the Rose Bowl off their bucket lists.
Charismatic characteristics
Like any stadium tour, the band went big with intro videos, backdrop graphics and multiple stages. A runway connected the main stage to the squared B stage, which elevated high above the crowd towards the end of the show to momentarily give everyone in the house a nice view. As always, the boys ditched the typical boy band routine and came into their own on stage, each embodying a set of charismatic characteristics that their fans have come to love from them.
Throughout the tour, we tracked Payne’s boundless Twitter rants, Harry Styles’ magical hair growth, Horan’s healing knee, Zayn Malik’s growing pet collection and Tomlinson’s multiplying tattoos. But now, the boys of 1D have said their temporary goodbyes to life on the road and are ready for some well-deserved zzzs.
So, what can fans expect in the meantime? Payne has assured his Twitter followers this isn’t the end, but the beginning of something new. Boy banders have deep sleeves, after all, and there’s apparently a lot tucked up there to keep everyone happy.
“Lots of people saying they don’t want WWA tour to end but I think... Yeah, you do, there may be something else lined up,” tweeted Payne. “So don’t get upset that today is the last day, let’s have fun and we will see what tomorrow brings.”
Aside from the movie — and the fact that the boys will resurface with a new tour come February in Australia, with a stop in Dubai as soon as April 4 — 1D will channel their energy into the November 17 release of their fourth studio album, Four. The uninspired title begs the question: has exhaustion taken its toll on the guys’ creative juices?
The album’s lead single, Steal My Girl, says otherwise.
The tune was released just last month, and has already been heralded by some critics as a “classic rock” song. Sprightly piano, laid-back hand-claps and a sprinkle of booming percussion are the name of the game on this Journey-esque tune. The music drops out during the boys’ verses to leave little more than a whoozy whisper of tambourine, but the melody fills out again during the irresistible sing-along chorus, best suited for sloppy karaoke reenactments — our favourite kind.
A new single also means a new music video, and the 1D boys will have a chance to pull out the big guns for Steal My Girl like they did with their Hollywood spoof video, Best Song Ever. Their last music video for the ballad You & I fell short of the exciting mark and even caught some flack in the form of plagiarism claims. Overall, the video failed to leave a lasting impression, as there was only so much that could be said about five boys morphing into one another as they walked broodily down a pier wearing the same grey sweater.
But fear not — we have high hopes for this one, and we’re sure the guys have something special in store. Don’t they always? Meanwhile, we’ll be leafing through their brand new autobiography, Who We Are, and refreshing YouTube until the video miraculously graces us with its presence.
