Niall Horan’s turn at MOA Arena

Fans have already seen for themselves how ex-One Direction cutie Harry Styles fares as a solo artist during his recent concert at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena. Come Sunday, June 10, it will be the turn of another former 1D member to strut his stuff at the MOA. Niall Horan is bringing his Flicker World Tour to the MOA and he has the hits to delight his fans.

Horan, now a good-looking 25 year old, scored very well with his first solo outing in the Flicker album. Now, he has This Town, Too Much To Ask, Seeing Blind and the biggest seller of them all, the funky R&B and very tuneful Slow Hands. Maybe like what Styles did, he will also dish out some One Direction tunes.

With two 1D guys already in the bag, fans are hoping that the remaining three will also go on tour and visit Manila. Liam Payne. The sexiest One Direction member made quite a big splash with his solo ventures. Strip That Down, which features Quavo and is composed by Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac, and Get Low with EDM star Zedd and You with hip-hop biggies Wiz Khalifa and Jessie J.

 Louis Tomlinson scored a jackpot with his first release, Just Hold On with DJ Steve Aoki and then did it again with his second, Back To You, featuring Bebe Rexha and the Digital Farm Animals. As for Malik, now renamed ZAYN, he already has a number of solo hits like Pillowtalk, I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades of Grey) with Taylor Swift, Still Got Time with Party Next Door and Dusk Till Dawn featuring Sia. Sadly, there is still no word if he will soon go on tour.

July 4, Don Moen at the Araneta Coliseum. The hitmaking worship leader returns to the Philippines and makes feeling good and blessed such a treat with his awesome hit songs, God Will Make A Way, Lord I Offer My Life To You, God Is Good, Give Thanks, I Want To Be Where You Are and many others. Moen is also set to perform at the CPU in Iloilo on July 6; the University of Baguio on July 8; Laus Event Center in San Fernando, Pampanga on July 10; and the Santa Rosa Sports Coliseum in Santa Rosa, Laguna on July 11.

July 19 and 20, Celine Dion Live at the MOA Arena. The first night is said to be already sold-out but Celine fans might still have a chance with the second. I was told that she might be bringing in the same show that wowed patrons at the Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas recently. That was truly spectacular.

Besides, spectacle or not, I do not think that Celine’s fans will want to miss the thrill of her great vocal pipes singing the hits like Because You Love Me, Beauty And The Beast, It’s All Coming Back To Me, To Love You More, The Power Of Love and the biggest monster hit of them all, My Heart Will Go On live.

Aug. 26, Why Don’t We in The Invitation Tour at the Samsung Theater in Makati. Just in case you are wondering who Why Don’t We is, I urge you to listen to the big hit Trust Fund Baby, which the great Sheeran himself composed for this exciting young group. The boys are Daniel Seavey, Zach Herron, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais and Jack Avery. They have another biggie coming up, the catchy These Girls.

Oct. 21, A1 at the Kia Theater in Araneta Center. Remember A1? This British-Norwegian group was one of the more successful boy bands to come in the wake of the Backstreet Boys fever. That happened 20 years ago and the boys are returning to Asia, site of their early successes to celebrate their anniversary year.

The big news here is that while the A1 that came here to perform two years ago was a trio, this time around we are getting a quartet. This is because original member Paul Marazzi is joining Ben Adams, Mark Read and Christian Ingebrigsten for the first time in 15 years. Songs to watch out for are Everytime, Like A Rose, Take On Me, Same Old Brand New You, Caught In The Middle and Heaven By Your Side.

Oct. 26, Mariah Carey at the Araneta Coliseum. What a superb treat for music fans to have both Dion and Carey over for shows on the same year. Of course, the incomparable Mimi returns to Manila armed with her No. 1 hits.

And these are many, One Sweet Day, Vision Of Love, Love Takes Time, Someday, Emotions, Hero, Always Be My Baby, My All, Heartbreaker and maybe, because the date is only a few weeks away from the Christmas holidays, she might just give in to requests and do All I Want For Christmas Is You, her original which became the biggest selling Christmas song of the pop era.