At this concert, Horan covered two songs by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: the “Piano Man” Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen.
Early on in his set, Horan sang Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” where he showcased his crisp, harking voice. This song resonated well with his New York audience, and it was a perfect fit in his set-list.
Horan described “the one and only” Bruce Springsteen as one of his “favorite artists of all-time,” and he listed “Dancing in the Dark” as one of his favorite songs of his catalog. Horan encouraged the Long Island audience to sing along with him, and they obeyed his fair command. “If you know it, sing it loud and proud, like great Americans,” he said. “Let’s do it,” and he immediately broke into a raw, stripped down version of the Bruce Springsteen classic.
He accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, and by the first chorus, he had the fans singing along with him on “Dancing in the Dark.” He began the song as a ballad, and then it built up into the mid-tempo dance-pop, adult contemporary tune that it is known for. Horan did “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen proud with this bold and crisp rendition.
The Verdict
Overall, it was great for Niall Horan to perform these two classic songs (“New York State of Mind” and “Dancing in the Dark”) at Jones Beach, and subsequently introduce them to a younger generation of fans (who may not be familiar with either of them), in addition to his singing own smash hits as a solo artist (“Slow Hands” and his hits as a band member of One Direction (“Fool’s Gold” and “Drag Me Down”). If that weren’t enough, Maren Morris joined him for a duet on “Seeing Blind.”
