The Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas sent out a mid-week warning to fans planning to see Niall Horan and Maren Morris perform there on Friday: Don't come early. Drink plenty of water.
A massive heat wave engulfed North Texas in the days leading up to the show, and by the time Arlington native Morris took the stage Friday evening, the temperature hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, the weather didn't deter fans from filling the outdoor venue to see country music's "it" girl and the heartthrob headliner who got his start in boy band One Direction.
Despite a glaring Texas sun shining right in her face, Morris kicked off the concert with style and grace, touching on the highlights of her breakthrough album, Hero, and simultaneously crossing off an item on her bucket list.
"I've grown up coming to see so many concerts here, but I've never played here before," the 28-year-old told the crowd.
Morris no doubt showed off her country roots with tunes like new "Feels," reportedly from a forthcoming album, and "I Could Use a Love Song," her first song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. But she also proved her ability to cross squarely into pop when she performed "Second Wind" with an interlude of Beyonce's "Halo" that fit so well, you could have almost missed it if you weren't listening carefully.
As the singer strapped a guitar on to perform the Grammy Award-winning "My Church," Morris harkened back to the days driving around D-FW and hearing the track come on radio stations like 99.5 The Wolf.
"It was emotional," she said, "because you don't ever expect to hear your own voice coming out of a speaker box."
Morris closed with "Middle," her catchy collaboration with DJ Zedd, and for the first time the sun was low enough to see some of the stage's lighting effects. Unfortunately, the production aspects of her show were lost to the sun's glare, but the energy from Morris and her band sufficed to entertain the crowd.
It was obvious, however, who the audience had really come to see when the house lights lowered to welcome Horan to stage. Screeches and squeals resounded from the venue at the mere sight of the singer's quaffed hair as he and his guitar took center stage to perform favorites "On the Loose" and "The Tide" from his solo album, Flicker.
"How you doing?" Horan said with a sly smile before correcting himself. "How y'all doing? All y'all."
That was just the first time the masses of teenage girls swooned over the 24-year-old Irishman. Not that he had to do much -- Horan's songs are filled with the makings of teenage fantasies about romance that appeal to a sentimental side. The high-pitched voices throughout Dos Equis Pavilion echoed every lyric of "This Town," "Paper Houses," "You and Me," and "Too Much to Ask" with a fervor that gave the mellow songs an infectious energy.
Horan also played One Direction songs "Fool's Gold" and "Drag Me Down," but those hardly seemed like crowd favorites compared to his solo material.
Horan impressed with his musicality not only on vocals, but also on piano and guitar, which he played throughout the show. Morris joined him for their duet "Seeing Blind," another love drunk tune, before Horan asked fans to put their cell phones away for an emotional "Flicker." Lord knows it was a big ask — one young girl near my seat stood on her chair and filmed nearly the entire concert on an iPad.
"I feel like we can create a moment for those who do like this song," Horan said, appearing to get choked up.
Horan's performance starkly contrasted a recent stop by his former band mate, Harry Styles, whose stage presence reads like a modern-day Mick Jagger. As my friend and One Direction concert buddy put it: If Styles is the guy at the bar buying a round of shots, Horan is the one nestled in a corner booth having a deep conversation over a glass of wine.
And that's not a bad thing, though on a night as hot as Friday, the end of Horan's set could have used more momentum leading up to the encore. His new song, "Finally Free," helped with its folksy, upbeat tempo and charming Irish fiddle.
Horan saved his impossible-not-to-love tracks "Slow Hands" and "Mirrors" for the encore, closing with some of the biggest sing-alongs of the evening.
In Dallas, the former One Direction member proved he's groomed for stardom and showed infinite promise as a solo artist, especially if his music can grow and mature in the future. Fortunately, he has a rabid fanbase that will grow, mature and support him along the way.
