Niall Horan plays Liam Payne’s voice at End of an Era performance

“We thought something might happen, but never anything like this,” Payne could be heard saying. “I’m always trying to remind myself of where I’ve come from and where I’ve managed to get to in my life.

It’s amazing, really.”View this post on Instagram. Fan-shot footage showed Horan standing quietly on stage as Payne’s voice played, before the lights eventually went dark. The unexpected addition came at the end of End of an Era, a song that already holds special significance for Horan because he rewrote it following Payne’s death in October 2024.

Horan originally began writing the song with Julian Bunetta and John Ryan years ago, but revisited it while working on his fourth album, Dinner Party. He previously said rewriting the track became a therapeutic process and that he wanted the song to capture both the sadness of losing Payne and the happy memories they shared.

“End of an Era” includes lyrics reflecting on the passage of time and the memories of Horan and Payne’s years together in One Direction. The group formed in 2010 after the five members were brought together on The X Factor and went on to become one of the biggest acts in pop music before beginning their hiatus in 2016.

Payne died aged 31 in October 2024. Horan had reunited with him in Argentina just weeks before his death and later said he felt fortunate that their last meeting gave him a happy final memory of his friend.

The Birmingham concert marked the beginning of Horan’s Dinner Party: Live on Tour, with the singer set to continue the tour across Europe and North America.