Let’s set the scene – thousands of screaming tweens and teens, not one but TWO sensational boy bands and catchy pop songs to keep fans on their feet. With a show more intimate than the typical arena concert, tween/teen heartthrobs Big Time Rush and One Direction brought the BETTER WITH U TOUR to Canada, setting hearts a flutter last night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
First on the bill, preparing the crowds, was Jackson Guthy. Fifteen year-old Jackson, who was invited to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last year, performed several songs including his new single “I Got You.”
British boys Niall, Louis, Liam, Zayn and Harry – also known as One Direction – took to the stage next. They opened with “I Want,” off their new album ‘Up All Night’ which will be out March 13th. If their accents weren’t enough to make you swoon, the songs were. Included in the mix was an amaZAYN cover of Kings of Leon’s hit song, “Use Somebody.” As One Direction’s 30-minute set came to a close, the boys performed the single that shot them to #2 on the Canadian charts, “What Makes You Beautiful” and it was beautiful.
Credit: Dominic Chan www.dominicchan.ca
The One Direction boys came to Toronto fresh off their BRIT Awards win for Best British Single and created quite the fandemonium. The girls were screaming and their merchandise flew off the shelves. It’s clear that One Direction isn’t going anywhere but up!
Surprisingly, some fans simply left the show after One Direction left the stage. So, performing to an unfortunately smaller crowd, headliners Big Time Rush opened with the song we all know best, the theme song to their show, “Big Time Rush”! Logan, Carlos, James and Kendall were super entertaining, so if you were one of those fans who left you missed out. They performed a selection of songs from their two albums, ‘BTR’ and ‘Elevate,’ including their latest single, ‘Music Sounds Better With U.’ My favourite part of their set was the choreography – it was crazy! They even jumped on and off a trampoline and slid down poles.
Each band gave high praise to their Toronto fans. Niall from One Direction took to Twitter after the show and posted, “toronto,holy…that was absolutely amazing! thank you for an amazing canadian welcome! this is why we do this job.” James from Big Time Rush kept it going, tweeting “Life really is #BetterWithToronto You guys were an amazing crowd! Hope you had as much fun as I did! Xoxo, JM.”
If you missed Big Time Rush this time around, don’t stress! This tour is wrapping up soon in the U.S. but the guys will be back on the road this summer with shows across the U.S. and Canada, including a stop in Montreal on September 4th and Toronto on September 8th. Tagging along is Australian hottie Cody Simpson and previous X Factor finalist and newly signed Nickelodeon talent, Rachel Crow. For a full list of dates, check http://www.bigtimetour.com/.