In 2010 One Direction was formed by Simon Cowell on the popular British television show X Factor. They quickly rose to fame and eventually their voices reached the United States. All of my friends liked this band but I was resistant. I used the argument that they didn’t play their own instruments, therefore they weren’t a real band. No matter how my friends tried to persuade me to listen to their music I wouldn’t. They tried to trick me into watching their X Factor performances and would even play their music in the car and not tell me it was them just to see if my opinion would change. Of course, I never fell for their tricks and stood my ground. Eventually, my friends became frustrated with my resistance and gave up.
A few years passed and pretty soon One Direction became popular enough to tour the United States as a headlining act. My younger cousin was a huge fan so her mom bought her two tickets to the show at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. After a lot of begging, my cousin convinced me to take her. I didn’t mind too much because one of my favorite bands, 5 Seconds of Summer, was opening the show. Even though I wasn’t thrilled about having to sit through a One Direction concert, I did enjoy making my friends jealous that I was going to see their favorite band. I soon realized I didn’t want to be the only person that didn’t know the words to One Direction’s songs so before the show I had my friend make me a playlist of all the songs on their set list. For the next few weeks, I began listening to the songs in the car on my way to work. I soon discovered that these British boys are actually pretty talented. At this point, I wouldn’t have called myself a fan but I definitely didn’t hate them as much as I pretended too.
When the day of the concert arrived my cousin was super excited. I hadn’t told her but I planned to surprise my cousin with great seats. The tickets her mom had bought us were very high up and far away from the stage. I went online and bought us seats on the floor about 15 rows from the stage. I kept it a secret and didn’t tell her until we got to the venue. I didn’t mind paying for better seats because as much as she wanted to be close to One Direction, I wanted to by close to 5 Seconds of Summer. My cousin was thrilled. She made a poster professing her love for Niall Horan and was convinced he would see her in the crowd. It didn’t matter to her that Lincoln Financial Field seats thousands of people so realistically there was no chance he would be able to see her face among the screaming fans. It also didn’t matter to her that he is about two times her age. I on the other hand, was still resistant to give into the One Direction hysteria.
After 5 Seconds of Summer played I was prepared to sit in my seat and have a terrible time. To my surprise, One Direction opened with a song I actually knew. I was soon standing up and singing along. They continued to play for about two hours. I was expecting that time to drag on forever but I was having so much fun that it flew by. By the time it came for them to close the show with their hit single “What Makes You Beautiful” I was sad to see the night end. At that moment I realized I had turned into a One Direction fan.
I now believe that One Direction is a very talented band. Even though they don’t play their own instruments it still takes a lot of skill to sing and command a stage. This realization has led to many “I told you so's” from my friends. Since this first concert experience, I have seen One Direction three times. Although I would like to experience their live show a few more times, sadly, One Direction ceases to exist. All five of the members have gone in their own directions and have started their solo careers. My reluctance to listen to their music cost me many years of happiness.
