Niall Horan honored his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne during the opening night of his Dinner Party Live on Tour in Birmingham, England, on Tuesday, Sept. 22. As Horan performed “End of an Era,” a song he wrote in part about Payne, a recording of Payne’s voice played at the end of the performance.
The recording featured Payne reflecting on the extraordinary success he and his One Direction bandmates experienced after the group was formed on the U.K. edition of The X Factor in 2010. His voice was heard immediately after Horan finished “End of an Era,” creating a direct connection between the song’s subject matter and the group’s history.
Horan originally wrote “End of an Era” before Payne’s death, with the song initially focused on moving into a new chapter while looking back at the past. He later returned to the track with longtime collaborators John Ryan and Julian Bunetta following Payne’s death in October 2024 and rewrote the lyrics to reflect their friendship and memories from their years together in One Direction.
The song was released on May 22, 2026, ahead of Horan’s fourth solo album, Dinner Party, which arrived on June 5. Horan had previously explained that he wanted “End of an Era” to have its own space before the album because of the personal meaning attached to the track.
Payne died at age 31 in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Following his death, Horan and the other former One Direction members publicly remembered their time with him and the impact of their years together as one of the world’s biggest pop groups.
The Birmingham concert marked the beginning of Horan’s Dinner Party Live On Tour, supporting his new album. The addition of Payne’s voice to “End of an Era” was captured by fans at the show and subsequently circulated online, documenting the tribute as Horan begins the latest chapter of his solo touring career.
