By Caitlin Gallagher – Rattan
Bright neon lights and bursts of fireworks, screaming teenagers with pink cowboy hats, a stadium littered with shedding feather boas; the Harry Styles concert titled ‘Love On Tour’ has curated a unique and colourful image that has attracted over hundreds of thousands of fans all rushing to their nearest stadium to experience what they hope will be one of the best nights of their lives. Harry Styles, who started out in the music industry in 2010 as part of boy band One Direction and released his first solo album in 2017, took his world tour by storm following the release of his third studio album ‘Harry’s House’. Creating a magical concert full of cheers, laughter and joy through his sincerity and connection with fans alongside his charismatic and bubbly stage presence, ‘Love On Tour’ was a simply unforgettable experience for all in attendance.
Styles started off his set with ‘Daydreaming‘, the first song on his third album and brought a radiant energy onto stage with him that filled the entire stadium with amazement and excitement. Keeping the entire stadium cheering and screaming lyrics, he moved onto more popular hits such as ‘Golden’ and ‘Adore You’ and tracks from his most recent album. He is also accompanied on stage with his band, many of whom are well known and loved by his fans including his guitarist Mitch Rowland and his drummer Sarah Jones who came out to play as openers together. The combination of their live instruments and Styles’ live vocals gives the performance an edge the albums lack; the tracks become more emotive, more energetic and more entrancing, making the experience completely unique and captivating. Fans have also begun to create traditions at shows, such as the conga line during ‘Treat People With Kindness’ and the heart shaped balloons released during ‘Matilda’, intended to either remember a loved one or signify their love for someone they’re close to or even for Harry Styles and the song. These moments made the show so much more personal and brought everyone in the audience together in a way no other concert does.
Fans also connect with Styles through homemade signs which they hold up if they are standing close to the stage which he takes time out of the concert to read and interact with. At the show we went to, a couple brought an envelope revealing their baby’s gender which they hadn’t seen yet, hoping Styles would reveal it to them. Styles took his job very seriously after they handed the envelope to him, starting a drumroll in the audience and building up the suspense in the audience before revealing that the couple were expecting a baby boy. Styles had also in the past worked to make his concerts a safe place, particularly for those part of the LGBT community through use of pride flags and voicing his support, so one particular fan felt comfortable to ask Styles if he would help him come out as bisexual which Styles enthusiastically agreed to, parading the bisexual flag up and down the stage and encouraging the audience to cheer and join in with the chant ‘we’re coming out tonight, we’re coming out tonight, we’re coming out tonight!’
Before concluding the show, Styles also played a popular unreleased song ‘Medicine’ which he only sings at select shows and has become a fan favourite which resulted in screaming cheers, tears of happiness and jumping up and down for five minutes straight as fans belted out the lyrics to each other. The concert then came to an end with the emotional ballad ‘Sign Of The Times’ and the more rock, guitar and drums oriented ‘Kiwi’, both from Styles’ debut albums and accompanied by a dramatic fireworks display and more joyful tears from fans.
Although the two year long tour will be coming to an end shortly, the concerts were absolutely unforgettable and will go down in history as some of the best tours an artist has ever completed.