Zayn Overcomes Nerves for Stripped-Down Set at His First L.A. Shows in Over a Decade: Concert Review

Thania Garcia

30 January 2025 at 4:27 pm·4-min read

There was both a fervor and a tenderness to the nature of Zayn’s performances at the Shrine in Los Angeles. For the first of three back-to-back sold-out dates — his first L.A. concerts in over a decade — the English singer-songwriter seemed oddly taken aback by the reception of the crowd. Of course, the shrills and shrieks of thousands are nothing new for the former One Direction member, but this audience was very conscious of the rarity of these concerts — and it showed.

An introverted and calculated performer, Zayn was promptly on stage at 9 p.m. to greet an eager and sweaty room with the edgy “My Woman.” Much of the setlist is dedicated to promoting 2023’s “Room Under the Stairs,” his fourth studio album. Comprised of rootsy folk and blues and co-produced by the Nashville-based Dave Cobb. “Room” marked a significant pivot in style for an already unpredictable artist. When “Mind of Mine” arrived as his debut in 2016, Zayn proved a distinct dexterity as an R&B vocalist, and maintained prioritized sensuality as themes throughout his first three LPs. In making the switch to acoustic guitars, he took an abrupt leap that could’ve been a career-ending move for any other performer, just not for one with this particular fanbase.

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Some 11 years after Zayn announced and cancelled his first tour as a solo headliner due to anxiety, it’s clear now there is a mutual understanding between him and this audience. From the moment he appears on stage, to the final curtain call, you can feel everyone in the room is holding their breath. For the first song, fans didn’t immediately start singing along, possibly stunned by the vision before them (“I still can’t believe this is actually happening,” I overhear a concert-goer behind me), but the pace picked up the second the drummer crashed her cymbals.

“I forgot how much I love doing this,” he told the audience on opening night. “I always enjoyed performing. I was super nervous to do it, but every night it’s been fucking sick.”

Surrounded by an all-female band (a drummer, three backup singers and a hell of a lot of guitars), Zayn walked a stage is decorated in greenery, mimicking the intimacy or closeness of a jam session at a campsite; he regularly walked to the back to pick up a mug and drink. In-between songs, his quips were short, and wholesome reminders of how much time has passed since the last time he performed in L.A. (“The first place that I moved to when I moved out here to the States,” he said).

For much of his time in One Direction, “I was always brooding, never said much,” he commented at a previous tour stop. “This is an improvement.”

In a nightly feature that has been a highlight of the tour, Zayn delivered a stunning, near a capella rendition of the passion-fueled and falsetto-laden, “It’s You,” a single from his debut effort. All of the lights were turned off except for a single spotlight, and for the first time that night, the audience was hushed as he sailed through the song’s vocally demanding chorus. For this song and other “Mind of Mine” cuts (he only performs three: “It’s You,” “Borderz” and “Pillowtalk”), he admitted to being nervous about the live execution of their high notes: “Does anyone know ‘Pillowtalk?’ Okay, you can sing that, I’ll go and sit for five minutes,” he joked.

He also performed three songs from the “Z Sides” or demos from “Room Under the Stairs” that prove to be crafted for a live environment, in particular the bluesy “Ignorance Ain’t Bliss,” which resulted in a dance party for those with leg room. He also delivered a cover of a personal, long-time favorite of his, Paolo Nutini’s “Last Request,” which in hindsight seems to be a touchstone for Zayn’s interest pursuing pop or psychedelic rock instrumentals over R&B.

A man of few words, Zayn capped the night without saying much, and then “Stardust” was played over the speakers as a tribute to former bandmate Liam Payne, who died in October, with his photo projected onto a large screen. The gesture encapsulates just how much as changed, not only for those whose last opportunity to catch Zayn would’ve been in 2014 as a part of One Direction, but for the artist himself. With one final exhale, rows of fans slowly filed out and hugs were exchanged, putting a cap to a page-turning night.

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