Article: Bunny Teef @Babybunnyteef
On March 4th Louis Tomlinson’s first solo world tour (LTWT) landed in Portland, Oregon, at the Roseland Theater. I attended the show alone, had a GA ticket, and had no aspirations of being at the barricade; after queuing for about two hours I claimed my spot mid-floor. Sun Room’s set was great, Louis’ show was intoxicating, and the normally dull Portland crowd was full of energy. After Louis closed the show with “Kill My Mind” everyone filed out of the venue to Oasis’ “Wonderwall” playing overhead.
After the show, a relatively small group of fans was waiting outside the venue to see Louis’ tour bus leave. I had nowhere to be and decided to stay for a while. Tour videographer Charlie Lightning hung around, chatted with the crowd, and shot some footage. Despite security repeatedly emphasizing that Louis had already left the venue, we continued to wait. Louis eventually got on his tour bus heading to Vancouver, BC, Canada. Louis briefly popped his head out of the window to wave and it happened so quickly @updateHLD posted it in slow motion. After one performance in Canada, Louis’ tour would return to Portland on March 7th for a second show at the Roseland. Even though there weren’t any cupcakes or mysterious hooded figures in Portland on night one, I drove home absolutely buzzing for night two.
Before the show a few nights later, I pulled out some poster board and made two signs. The first sign was harmless: “We Fookin ❤ You!” The other sign, as you’ll read, was a little…loud. Waiting in line to get into the venue I kept them discreetly rolled up. I finally took my balcony seat right above the downstage-left corner, mere feet above the stage. I showed the signs to the strangers next to me and someone from the floor caught a glimpse. They called up for me to show it to the crowd. As I was about to publicly out myself as a Larrie, I was mildly concerned it may not go well. Regardless, I stood and raised the iconic message “HE GOT THE DAGGER!” high for all to see. It sounded and felt like everyone in the venue cheered in approval. This was a safe space full of Larries and we had no idea we were about to see the best show of the tour so far.
*tweet used with permission of its author*
Soon enough it was time to start, but Louis was twenty minutes late and the crowd was restless with anticipation. When the band finally came on stage, there was no other way to describe it. You could feel something unhinged sizzling in the air. Isaac wore a Tigger onesie and Zak wore a matching gigantic orange suit and black bowtie. Louis “Always in my Heart” Tomlinson came to the stage wearing a white Burberry tee with a TB-logo (Tom Burgess, anyone?) and black Adidas shorts. We had the pleasure of seeing Louis’ spider web lower-calf tattoo. This was a great start, but not even close to the best part of the night. The energy on stage was electric and the crowd threw it right back. We waved signs to support our boy while shouting every word and jumping to every beat of “We Made It.” There were signs with touching and heartfelt messages like “I have loved you since I was 18” and of course goofy signs like “MILF City Population: You.” Towards the end of the night during “Through the Dark,” Louis giddily pointed out a typo on the cue card a fan made for him after he’d struggled with the lyrics a few nights before. Obviously, Louis knows the words to the song. Obviously.
Louis was in a great mood and more energetic than the first night. During “Drag Me Down,” I had the pleasure of Louis coming to my side of the stage. From a few feet away he pointed to his eyes (I see you) and then to my “We Fookin ❤ You” sign.
*photo used with permission from @bigblues1DLWT*
My soul ascended to a higher plane and I spent the rest of the show in the clouds. Next, while Louis humbly thanked the crowd, Matt announced that he needed deodorant. It was clear this was a bit, but what the hell is going on? After friend and head of security JD deodorized Matt’s pits they moved on to play “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart.” After “Fearless,” Portland gave it up for Steve’s handstand followed by Matt doing fifteen push-ups. Louis announced that the show had “gone a little west.”
About 45 minutes into the show, the room of just over 1,400 people sang along to “Habit.” Being that it’s a fan-favorite ode to the Princess Park era, I held up “He Got the Dagger.” Louis didn’t acknowledge it right away, but he did later in the evening during the incredibly moving performance of “Beautiful War.” From center stage, Louis gazed up to my corner of the balcony.
*photo used with permission from @bigblues1DLWT*
Walking over, he stood before the sign and pointed directly at it before turning back, making a hand movement that some Larries have come to believe is the British Sign Language sign for the letter H (the right-hand strokes along the open palm of the left hand). You had to be there, but if you weren’t, the interaction begins at 58:33 of this YouTube video of the concert.
There were tons more small moments between Louis and the crowd throughout the night.
After playing “Walls” and taking a brief break, it was time to come back out for an encore. On stage, Matt made himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes and Louis introduced “Only the Brave,” followed by “Through the Dark.” The show finally wrapped up with “Kill My Mind.” Love it or hate it, KMM is a solid banger and perfect for the encore. That energy built as everyone from Sun Room ran back on stage to close the show with Louis, Zak, Steve, Isaac, Michael, plus Oli on the maracas (obviously). Absolute chaos wrapped up an unhinged and memorable night. As the crowd left the venue the exit song was Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”
While in Los Angeles the following week, Louis, the band, and other important members of the tour entourage got tattoos before the show. Louis’ new tattoo is simply “odds” on his forearm. On March 22nd, Louis posted World Tour 2022 – North America Behind the Scenes to his YouTube channel. We learned a little more about the madness of Portland and it turns out the lads were playing Odds before the show. Odds is a game where you give others dares, a little like losing a bet. There’s not an official confirmation Louis’ new tattoo is related to the game, but odds seem in favor.
The second LTWT show in Portland was an unforgettable night with God-tier Louis moments and an incredible crowd. It was an honor to be part of it along with all of the other churchgoers. We certainly are a passionate bunch.
We’d love to hear from other LTWT attendees and see your pics and videos! Tag us with #NoStuntsMagazine and #LTWTPortlandN2.
