Louis Tomlinson
July 20, 2026
Jacobs Pavilion, Cleveland
By Robert McCune
Can’t blame Louis Tomlinson, leaning on a mic stand on a pavilion stage on the banks of Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River, for wondering: “How Did We Get Here?”
Formerly of best-selling Britpop boy band One Direction, Tomlinson has broken the bindings of “boyhood” and established a solo career with three full studio albums since 2020, including the latest, this year’s “How Did I Get Here?”
Though some stragglers among the fans can still be spotted wearing their 1D gear, and probably all of them would welcome a reunion of sorts or collab (sadly, without Liam Payne, who died tragically in 2024), most appear more than thirsty for Louis’s own, individual flavor of lemonade.
Proof is in the many sold-out shows across a 17-week tour of Europe and North America.
In week 17, the millennial pop-rock star was in Cleveland for his 50th show since late March, and the fourth to last show of the tour.
So yeah, we forgive you, Louis, if your head’s spinning a little and it takes you a minute to figure out just how you got here.
But it didn’t take more than a minute for Louie to get his footing and bring a stadium-sized show to this mid-sized outdoor venue.
The crowd was primed by an international duet of girl rockers, with first Picture Parlour from Manchester, England, and then The Beaches from Toronto, Canada, taking over the stage.
Picture Parlour, fronted by Katherine Parlour on vocals and guitar, have the blue-smoke grit of Amy Winehouse with the swagger of Patti Smith. Their opening set featured a slamming guitar trip down “Cielo Drive” and a selection of other sultry singles like “Strange Is Love,” a song that made its live debut earlier this year.
Next, Canada’s The Beaches struck chords for all jilted lovers with a takedown on the no-good Exes and an outpouring of lesbian love. Riding a wave of recent popularity surge from soundtracking an episode of the new viral college rom-drama series “Off Campus” with their song “Edge of the Earth,” the alt-beach dance rockers kicked the energy up several notches. Their signature “hop” on the 2023 single “Blame Brett” is also sweeping Tik Tok and the socials, and was a sensation here, too, as were all of the up-beat dance moves on display. It’s not a “Hypothetical” to say that these femmes are fatale in a live show.
When it was Tomlinson’s turn, the crowd had fully filled in around the short peninsular runway, extending from the main stage, that was erected specially for this show, though it wasn’t occupied by the singer until near-halfway through the set.
The stage theatrics were high from the onset, however, as the opening song, “Lemonade,” rained bright yellow confetti all over the audience. Fifteen of the 24-song set drew from the latest record, with a mix of tracks from his other two albums as well as a One Direction “cover” and the bonus “Miss You,” unreleased outside of the Japanese version of his debut, which came during a four-song encore.
Strobe lights and screen projections were enough to warrant a warning of potential epileptic episodes. “Sunflowers” was a particularly bright burst. But a couple of more intimate acoustic moments – on “Defenceless” and “The Answer,” the latter starting off the encore – served as ports in that storm of showmanship.
Where do we go from here? Have faith in the future of Louis Tomlinson.
Follow Robert McCune on Instagram (@Every_Thing_After_Photo) and listen to the “Every.Thing.After Podcast” on Spotify.
