On Dec. 25, 2020, I received the gift of a folded up piece of paper, I turned out to be the best gift of Christmas morning. The piece of paper was a concert ticket to Louis Tomlinson’s World Tour concert located at the Anthem in Washington D.C. 

Tomlinson released his tour dates on Instagram on Oct. 24, 2019. The concert was dated to be April 5, 2021, but COVID-19 had other plans. The concert was sadly postponed to February 10, 2022. 

The Anthem is a smaller theater that has a larger pit area and a limited number of seats on the second and third level. I had general admissions tickets, so knew I would have to get there early to have a good spot in the pit.

When I first arrived at the Anthem, it was around 2 p.m., and the concert started at 8 p.m.. I thought I was early, but many fans were very eager to see Tomilson perform after a two year wait and camped overnight outside of the Anthem to be in the front of the pit. 

When getting in line to enter the concert, all attendees were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. 

While I was waiting in line with my friends, we quickly made friends with the people around us, and many staff and attendees gave out different pride flags that were to be waved during the concert. One fan in particular wanted to have a memorable experience and had a notebook passed around where other people in line could write positive notes. Later in the evening, getting tired from standing in line for many hours, fans took it upon themselves to lighten the mood by singing Tomlinson’s songs. 

Even more fans showed their support in line by wearing One Direction merch, Harry Styles merch, Larry (Styles and Tomlinson’s ship name) custom shirts and surprisingly, Twilight-themed shirts with Tomlinson’s face on them. 

After waiting over five hours, the doors finally opened and a wave of excitement filled the air. Many fans went straight for the merch line while others, myself included, rushed to the pit to get a good spot in line. 

My friends and I secured a pretty good spot that was close enough to the stage to clearly see Tomilson, although we were quickly shoved due to the show being sold out. It was a tight squeeze. We quickly became friends with the people next to us, who also went to high school in Loudoun County. 

The openers of the show, Sun Room, I personally had never heard of, but I became a fan after seeing them live. They are an all-boy band from California with four members. They have a very upbeat and summery vibe, and they were great performers on stage that sent the audience in a trance.

After the Sun Room’s set, Tomlinson quickly came on stage. The high intensity arena was lit with red lights, screaming fans and his signature smiley face logo lit up behind him. Excitement filled the crowd quickly while the first song, “We Made It,” started to play. 

The energy he brought to stage was enticing while his voice sounded even better live. The band behind him was just as into the music as he was, signing backup vocals. 

As the show went on, it only got hotter in The Anthem. A number of fans even passed out, and Tomlinson stopped the show immediately to get staff to help fans, and water cups were distributed. The show then went on but was still stopped numerous times to get water to fans. 

Later in the night, Tomlinson played an old song from his One Direction days, “Little Black Dress.” I can confidently say this was the song everyone screamed the loudest. 

As the show came to an end, he began to converse with the crowd and thanked everyone for being one of the best shows he had. 

To signify the show’s official ending, The Anthem’s lights came on, and even though the concert was a great experience, everyone was quick to leave due to how hot it was inside. 

However, I endured the heat a little longer to go to the merch table. His merch was reasonably priced: sweatshirts we’re $40-$58, shirts were $25, and posters were only $15 . 

While in the merch line, an older fan approached me and asked how long I have been a fan of Tomlinson, and I told her ever since he was in One Direction. She then told me that she saw One Direction in concert when she was younger. 

That’s when I realized many different generations of loyal Tomlinson fans came together that night. 

In short, the concert had an intoxicating energy, but still was a safe environment. The music was some of the best I’ve ever heard live and would recommend anyone to go to one of his shows.