Where they are now: One Direction rocks the Rose Bowl

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Alexa Hines

One Direction plays to 60,000+ fans at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 12, 2014.

If the performances by One Direction were reviewed by the screams at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, then they got rave reviews on all three nights.

One Direction — made up of Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan — performed at the Rose Bowl on September 11, 12 and 13 with opening acts Jamie Scott and 5 Seconds of Summer.

The screaming began early in the evening as outbursts exploded with each One Direction perfume commercial, song clip and even the pre-recorded public safety announcement. The screams didn’t stop until fans walked out of the stadium hoarse with complaints of sore throats.

The show opened shortly after 7 p.m. with an acoustic performance by One Direction songwriter Jamie Scott. While the crowd didn’t go crazy, they respected him. He performed his own songs including “Free”, “Gold”, and “Unbreakable”. He is a pleasing performer and songwriter and is returning to Los Angeles for a headline show at the Troubadour this November.

Australian boy band, 5 Seconds of Summer, brought the crowd back to life. Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin performed an hour long set, starting out with their hit song “18″.

They kept up the excitement (and screams) throughout the set and when they performed their hit ballad, “Amnesia”, they encouraged the audience of 60,000+ to hold up their lit cell phones. Their set ended with their number one song, “She Looks So Perfect”. But this isn’t the end for the boy band in Los Angeles as they will be back for two nights at The Forum in November.

The overseas invasion continued during the intermission between the two bands with music videos by the likes of Little Mix and Olly Murs. The crowd also danced to classics like the “Macarana” and participated in the wave while waiting for the main act.

photo 3Alexa Hines

The decibles reached a whole new level when One Direction made their debut with fireworks and dramatics to their hit track, “Midnight Memories”.

The band played for exactly two hours, sang 24 songs and rarely stopped, but when they did they made the huge crowd feel very small and intimate. Each member talked to the audience, thanked them, and interacted with them. Harry sang “Happy Birthday” to three audience members at the Friday night show, while Liam sang a snippet of their new song, “Fireproof”, which was available for free download.

These boys are actually talented. They all can hit notes vocally and hold them, and Niall can play guitar with skill. Outrageous dance moves or silly antics energized the crowd, and they took the audience on a journey from highs with “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Alive” to slower stints with “You and I” and “Little Things”.

The show was just plain fun. The band was very excited to be at the Rose Bowl, and the fans were equally excited as well. The boy band hinted they will be back when Liam addressed the audience asking if they (the fans) would come back if One Direction was to return to the stage next year.

Yes, Liam, I would.