The Harryfication of New York City
Is it worth it to see an artist in concert five times? If the artist is Harry Styles during “Harryween” at the Madison Square Garden – Yes.
Harry Styles took over New York City during a set of Madison Square Garden appearances in October.
November 5, 2021
There are not many people I would pay [REDACTED] to see in concert. There are also not many people I’d stand for hours in 5”-platform boots to see. In fact, despite my obsessive personality, there’s just one person I’d do it for: Harry Styles.
On Oct. 3, 4, 16, 30 and 31, Harry Styles, along with special guests Jenny Lewis — and later Madison Cunningham and Orville Peck — sold out and performed at Madison Square Garden for Love on Tour.
Now, long story short, I must say that I was beyond lucky to afford these tickets because, throughout quarantine, I adopted crafting as a coping mechanism. This crafting led me to develop a Harry-Styles-themed earring business, which proved to be quite profitable. As a result, I consider all of these tickets as business expenses. Moving on …
The Waiting of It All
The night before each of these concerts, my roommate Emily and I waited outside Madison Square Garden (MSG) to get as close to Harry as we could at the show. The two of us waited in the general admission line as early as 2 a.m. for a concert that started at 8:00 p.m. Everyone with general admission tickets received an email stating that overnight camping was not permitted. So, we took its advice and slept across the street from the arena instead of at MSG.
The firstcomers established a fan-made line by writing a number on our hands in numerical order using a permanent marker. Although we waited for hours in the cold and rain, it was easy to make friends with those around us in line, as we all have a particular fixation with a certain white, British man. No matter where we landed in the pit on the concert nights, we ended up screaming at the top of our lungs surrounded by beautiful people wearing sequin tops, colorful pants and, obviously, feather boas.
After napping on the streets outside of MSG and sleeping through many emergency vehicle alarms, I was able to get spots 21, 41 and 186 in the general admission line on three different nights. MSG assigned these spots at 8:30 a.m. on the morning of each performance, and employees noted the order on unique MSG-inspected wristbands. We were permitted to exit the queue after receiving these wristbands and prepare for the fashion exhibit that is a Love on Tour show.
Although we waited for hours beforehand to be as close to Harry Styles as possible, the first three shows were staged in the round, resulting in no bad seats in the arena. In the middle of the arena was a diamond stage, and two catwalks stretched along either side of the diamond, dividing the general admission pit in two. The shape and size of the stage allowed many of the fans who had waited in line for hours to be at the stage’s barricade and have a great position for the performance.
Playing songs such as “Olivia” by One Direction and “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo, there was never a dull moment waiting for Harry and his opening acts. As soon as you entered the arena, you could feel the high energy and excitement radiating from the crowd.
I was so beyond lucky to experience the sensation of the lights going out in the arena five times. There is no comparable excitement to the sensation you feel when the lights turn off before a concert. That sensation alone was enough to make me want to see Harry Styles again and again.
Opening acts Jenny Lewis, Madison Cunningham and Orville Peck never failed to wow the audience. Each performance had an electrifying stage presence that drew audiences as soon as the performer set foot on stage. Jenny Lewis’ performance had alluring visuals that further enhanced her magical singing voice. She never failed to stun the crowd as she answered phone calls from her dog during the act and departed the stage escorted by someone in a full dog costume.
Madison Cunningham and Orville Peck were also the perfect opening acts for the Harryween shows. Cunningham’s soothing yet energizing voice complemented Orville Peck’s energetic stage persona perfectly, and the two performances further enhanced the whole experience.
The Man of the Hour
The arena went pitch black at 9:10 p.m. each night, and the fans filled the floor with enthusiastic screams. Starting his set with visuals of bunnies and a voiceover of Charles Bukowski’s poem “Style,” Harry Styles rose from the middle of the stage where every audience member could see him. Wearing different, unique outfits each night, it was always such a rush to see the slightest peek of what he was wearing.
Harry never dared to disappoint us, from wearing a black, open, feather-armed suit to sheer shirts and polka-dot pants. “Golden” was the perfect opening song for the five performances. The slow build-up in the piece only heightened the audience’s excitement as he rose from the middle of the stage. As soon as Harry began “Golden” with his eccentric and opening “Hey!,” everyone in the audience knew the show would be 90 minutes of high-energy dancing, singing and, of course, crying.
The performance was jam-packed with extreme crowd engagement and excitement. Harry read very comical fan-made signs throughout the shows, sang “Happy Birthday” to audience members, and held up various pride and Black Lives Matter flags to show his unwavering support. The crowd chanted the mantra “Treat People With Kindness” at the top of their voices and listened intently as Harry sang lyrics to hold onto, such as “We’ll be alright.”
The excitement was palpable throughout his encore of “Sign of the Times,” “Kiwi” and “Watermelon Sugar.” “Kiwi” never failed to make the floor of MSG shake during every performance. After all, Harry wrote the lyrics “It’s New York, baby, always jacked up!” for a reason.
Harry put on a unique show each night, whether by singing note changes in his songs or pointing out groups of dads wearing tucked-in golf shirts in the audience, even though the setlist was the same for all three performances.
The City’s Best Fancy Dress Parties
The Harryween performances, however, were performances I would trade my firstborn child to experience again.
The stage setup was traditional for this unique, two-sold-out-night event. Instead of being in the round, there was a single, rectangular stage in which Harry could run around. Harry and his band dressed up as “The Wizard of Oz” characters on Oct. 30, with Harry leading the group as Dorothy.
On this night, he surprised his audience with a cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” directly after “Sign of the Times,” causing many, including myself, to tear up. On Halloween night, Harry and his band dressed up as clowns. Yes, clowns. Harry surprised his audience with his unreleased song “Medicine,” which made the floor of MSG shake once again. Following “Medicine” was a cover of “Toxic” by Britney Spears.
I will forever be thankful and honored that I got to see Harry Styles sing a Britney Spears cover in a Gucci clown suit.
It’s undoubtedly apparent by now that when it comes to Harry Styles, the line between “love” and “obsession” is muddled in my mind. Yet, throughout these five performances, I was able to get reposted onto Lewis’ Instagram story for barking (yes, barking like a dog). Surprisingly, I was even able to be featured in Vogue’s “Harry Styles Threw the Best Halloween Party in New York” article, which documented many of the beautiful costumes people wore to the celebration that was Harryween. Who would’ve thought that being obsessed with a white man would lead to me being in Vogue.
I saw Harry Styles perform at MSG five times. I don’t like to think of the logistics of that, specifically financially, and although this is where I could get cheesy, all I have to say is: Yes, I would do it again!
Love On Tour Setlist – Spotify Playlist
“Golden”
“Carolina”
“Adore You”
“Only Angel”
“She”
“Falling”
“Sunflower, Vol. 6”
“To Be So Lonely”
“Woman”
“Cherry”
“Lights Up”
“Canyon Moon”
“Treat People With Kindness”
“What Makes You Beautiful” (One Direction cover)
“Fine Line”
Encore:
“Sign of the Times”
“Watermelon Sugar”
“Kiwi”
