A live show can be anything you want it to be. A therapy session. A party, A karaoke night with your best friends. A solo sing-along. For me, Harry Styles‘ Night 10 of his sold-out Together Together tour was a dream come true. I’ve seen countless gigs, some of my heroes, some rising acts, but Harry Styles has been on the list for a while. On July 1st, I witnessed his sensational aura at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Artists who sell out stadiums have more than one thing in common, but the main one that stands out right now is their ability to bring people together; to make 90,000 people feel like a gigantic family, where you feel safe, loved, and celebrated.
Taking a seat in a crowd of fans wearing their new merch and commemorating the night, spirits were high after England’s fresh World Cup victory against DR Congo. Just before Shania Twain‘s opening set, fans could watch the game on the big screen. Styles’ team couldn’t resist, and just before he stepped on stage, they had to give an ode by playing ‘Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home).’
After we all placed our bets on what color combination and long pants vs. shorts Styles is going to wear, he opened the show with Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally‘s ‘Are You Listening Yet?’ rocking a pink floral shirt with a matching jacket and, sadly, long pants. Even though the peak of London’s heatwave was long gone, the jacket did not last very long.
For the fan favorites ‘Golden’, ‘Adore You’, and the mega-hit ‘Watermelon Sugar’, Styles appeared in the groove, savoring energy for the KATTDO cardio program. In between, ‘Taste Back’, which included elements of Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ and strings-laced ‘Coming Up Roses’, a small group of us was escorted out of our seats. Initially thinking not much of it, the team announced we were going to the standing pit.
I’m always down for a standing concert, as there’s an indescribable feeling of togetherness among hardcore fans, singing every single lyric. But what happened next was not what I had in mind when they said ‘a standing pit.’ Walking through alleyways showing our new wristbands, we returned to the stadium with the cathartic ‘Fine Line’ in the background. Slightly blacking out and mentally pinching myself, we were approaching the ‘Kiss’ pit, located right in the center of the rectangular stage. In other words, we knew we would be seeing Harry Styles from close, very close.
Struggling to process what was about to unfold, the experience I was about to have, I looked around stunned, taking in the view of Wembley from the pit, just as the nostalgic piano chords of ‘American Girls’ brought me back to life. For the segment of the show when Styles reads fans’ signs out loud, he did a gender reveal and offered to pay for car repairs; a generous soul all around.
The second half of the show, standing amongst die-hard fans, creating train dances and dance battles within the crowd, the concert turned into something else. Seeing more faces from up close, the euphoria was palpable. Diving deeper into the heart of KATTDO and Styles’ love for raves, with ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’, ‘Dance No More’ and ‘Pop’, it all clicked.
Harry Styles wants to have fun. Even though there was one rehearsed choreography, a very slick one for that matter, the show felt less like a performance and more like Styles being human, having fun with friends and running around, enjoying life. And that’s a positive. There were fewer theatrics than we might’ve seen during his previous tours. And fewer ballads, which, surprisingly, I was here for. Probably the most joyful moment of the set was ‘Treat People With Kindness’, when Styles found pride flags, flaunting them around.
The follow-ups ‘Season 2 Weight Loss’ and ‘Carla’s Song’ similarly carried a very celebratory, rapturous energy, which holds power capable of resurrecting anyone or anything. It is no coincidence; it is called the Together Together tour. It was always the case with Harry Styles’ shows, but this time around there is a bigger emphasis on looking out for each other and creating a safe space for one another.
As expected, ‘Aperture’ broke into a strobe-light-hands-in-the-air rager, after which came the encore in the form of an instrumental strings cover of One Direction‘s ‘Night Changes’ and ‘History’, which brought the whole stadium to tears. The surprise song of the evening was ‘The Waiting Game’, which elicited extremely loud screams. Continuing with an enriching strings section, Styles sat at a piano, delivering his debut single ‘Sign Of The Times’, making everyone reflect how far he had come as a solo artist.
For the last chorus, for the big finale, before the final song, fireworks erupted, making it into an even grander moment. Closing the show with ‘As It Was’, Styles ran around, getting his final steps in, as the entirety of 90,000 people shouted the fan favorite line ‘leave America,’ and Styles’ made ‘that was too spicy’ gesture.
On top of the hit-stacked setlist, Harry Styles transformed Wembley Stadium with his Together Together tour and twelve-night residency into a celebration of friendship. Being able to stand in the ‘Kiss’ standing pit, I had the privilege of witnessing the show up close, but Styles’ energy would have translated even into the nosebleed seats.
Harry Styles is already an icon for most, but he is a legend in the making, and his most recent record, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally stands as a musical magnum opus that soundtracks a man wanting to have fun and looking sensational while doing it. The Together Together tour has your back; it is two hours of pure entertainment, funny anecdotes, and Harry Styles at his happiest and most comfortable.
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Words: Karolina Kramplova
Photographer: Anthony Pham