Harry Styles

Harry Styles. What a bloody superstar.

The man needs no introduction, but I’ll just start by saying, if you haven’t listened to his solo albums, I highly recommend them. Harry has stripped himself of the boyband sound and created music that feels timeless, impressive lyrically and sonically. Whilst I loved his debut album, I was even more impressed with his sophomore album, ‘Fine Line’ and I’m desperate to see it live. So desperate, in fact, I purchased tickets to multiple shows of the Australian leg of his (now postponed) 2020 tour, despite tickets going on sale in March 2020 – peak-pandemic, mid-lockdown. Oops?

Since I will no longer be seeing Mr Styles in November, I think now is the time to reminisce on the past, mostly to prevent myself from becoming increasingly distraught about how much I miss the energy of the crowd and live music performances.

I’ve seen Harry live in concert four times over the past couple of years, each experience somehow better than the previous. I first saw him live at The Enmore Theatre, Newtown in 2017 – intimate, surreal, and magical – especially because I was standing metres away from STEVIE NICKS, who is also a fan of Harry Styles. Yes, you read that correctly. I stood metres away from the goddess Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac, while watching Harry Styles perform in Sydney, Australia. What a time.

Since then I have seen him perform sold out arenas and I’m constantly in awe of the way he captivates crowds. Not only is his production incredible, he utilises staging and the setlist to create an unforgettable experience for fans. Harry goes between a main stage and B stage, running through the crowd to get between both, which allows fans to literally reach out and touch him. Where the B stage signifies the intimate moment of the setlist, the main stage is saved for the high energy hits. Harry performs everything from his own discography to covers of Fleetwood Mac and a couple of the standout tracks from his One Direction days. It is also impressive to see him perform guitar on stage, something he never did when performing with One Direction.

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Harry Styles radiates confidence, authenticity, and acceptance on stage. When you’re in the crowd at one of his shows, the screams are deafening. Fans sing every lyric back to him and no one is sitting – even if they have seated tickets. The atmosphere is electric. Everyone is dancing – through his own setlist and the encores, which have involved Harry dancing on stage to “You’re The Voice” by John Farnham and “The Horses” by Daryl Braithwaite. The man knows the way to our Aussie hearts.

Often, the crowd is also a colourful sea of rainbow flags, a testament to Harry, who has made each concert feel like a safe space for his fans, where in his words, you can “feel free to be whoever it is you want to be.” Each show, Harry would prance on stage waving a rainbow flag. His guitar also donned a rainbow flag in the form of a sticker, along with Black Lives Matter and End Gun Violence stickers. These gestures are what makes Harry Styles so admirable, and what makes his fans feel so safe, seen and celebrated. Fans wear bold outfits – suits inspired by the man himself, vintage flares, sequins galore! Through the encouragement to be themselves, they express themselves accordingly and it’s so fun to witness, and partake in.

I miss Harry Styles concerts – I miss the music, the production, the atmosphere. As I continue to grow Lovers of Live, I’ll be writing more about Harry and sharing even more of the incredible photos and videos I’ve captured of him live on tour. Until then, I’ll be hoping the next time I see Harry Styles live isn’t too far away.