One Direction Play New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium

Keely Chisholm ‘17/ Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

British-Irish boyband One Direction played to a sold-out Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. The concert was the first show the band played in the U.S. so far on this year’s “Where We Are” tour. Previously, the band played shows in South America and Europe—the third and final leg began in Toronto.

Opening for them was Australian pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer, whose energy got the crowd excited and cheering. Even with only a fraction of the crowd in attendance, the sound of the screams was almost deafening. By the time One Direction came onstage, the screams had become an almost permanent fixture, the volume fluctuating throughout the night but always present. Sometimes this made it hard to hear what the boys were singing, especially during the softer songs.

The band played a mix of old and new songs, but mostly performed from their latest album, last year’s Midnight Memories. First-album One Direction was not forgotten, though—“What Makes You Beautiful” and “One Thing” were performed as well.

One thing that some fans, especially those around for the band’s first two tours, might have thought was missing was a cover song. After hearing One Direction cover Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” on their first tour and Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” on their second, a cover song was somewhat expected on this tour as well.

Between the five video screens that made up the set and the five members of the band, there was a lot to look at. The stage, composed of ramps extending to both ends of the width of the field and a long catwalk to the center, made it easy to see, no matter where you were sitting. They really made use of the space, dashing about the stage and switching sides near constantly.

What made the performance so enjoyable was not just the music, or the comical dancing, or even the fireworks interspersed throughout the show, it was the way that the five members of the band so clearly connected not only with the audience, but with each other as well. Amid rumors that the band are no longer friends with each other, it was nice to see them play-fighting onstage, sitting together talking and laughing, and teasing each other. The energy felt like it flowed between the band and the crowd, each feeding off the vibes of the other.

Every band thanks their fans during shows, but throughout the concert, it was near constant. Each member in turn took a few minutes in between songs to express their awe at playing in such a large stadium and to interact with the audience. In addition, the number of empty and half-empty water bottles thrown into the crowd was a thank you of a different kind.

One Direction will be touring America through mid-October and releasing their fourth album on Nov. 24.