Niall Horan Plays Liam Payne Recording at Tour Opener

Niall Horan played a recording of Liam Payne’s voice after performing “End of an Era” at the opening night of his Dinner Party Live on Tour in Birmingham on September 22, bringing the late One Direction bandmate into the show through a reflection on the group’s success. Payne’s recorded voice was heard as the song ended at the concert. In the audio, he says, “We thought something might happen, but never anything like this,” before recalling how far he had come in life. The clip was shared in footage from the performance. The recording’s original interview and when it was made have not been established in the available reporting. “End of an Era” is a song Horan has described as a tribute to Payne. Horan said previously that he and collaborators John Ryan and Julian Bunetta revisited and rewrote the track several times after Payne’s death in October 2024. The song had initially been written earlier, but Horan said its meaning changed and the three decided to return to it. Payne died at age 31 after falling from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Horan later said he was grateful to have seen Payne shortly before his death.