Harry Styles’ “Love On Tour” takes center stage

New York Times

Harry Styles watches in awe as he listens to his fans sing on night one at the Madison Square Garden.

Ella Asher, Reporter

One of the most sought-after tickets of 2022 has been Harry Styles’ “Love On Tour.” Arenas worldwide invited fans into “Harry’s House,” creating one of the most popular concerts of the year. “Love On Tour” of 2022 visited 37 cities and conducted 78 shows worldwide. 

On June 11, 2022, Harry Styles’ “Love On Tour” kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland. Styles graced the stage wearing a stylish pair of blue trousers and a yellow and blue bedazzled jacket to match. In Glasgow, the well-known musician Mitski served as Styles’ opener, energizing the crowds before Styles started his show. 

Throughout his tour, Styles played songs from his three albums, “Harry Styles” (HS1), “Fine Line” and “Harry’s House.” At select shows, he introduced the audience to a few unreleased songs, such as the fan-favorite “Medicine.” He also featured his iconic song from his days in One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful.” 

His first show in the United States was at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. He wore a blue and white striped matching set to start off the night in style. Blood Orange, also known as Devonté Hynes, opened for Styles at the New York shows. On his last night in New York, a banner was raised in the venue, as he had made history at Madison Square Garden for playing 15 consecutive nights of “Love On Tour.” 

On the first night in Los Angeles (LA) at the Kia Forum, Styles wore California-inspired, high waisted pants with a palm tree jeweled jacket. Popular folk, rock and reggae artist Ben Harper opened for Styles, helping to get the crowds up and moving prior to Styles taking the stage. Before Styles hit the stage, staff rolled a storage box labeled “soft goods” past fans who all knew the not-so-secret fact that Styles was inside the box. In the middle of his stint in Los Angeles, Styles had gotten sick with the flu and unfortunately had to postpone three shows until January.  

A special concert within his tour was on Halloween, which gave birth to the term “Harryween.” Many fans were very eager to see what Styles would wear this year, as last year’s show saw him as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz.” On Harryween, Styles dressed up as Danny Zuko from “Grease.” He even sang a cover of “Hopelessly Devoted To You” as a tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who had recently passed. One of Styles’ newest songs, “Little Freak,” features the lyrics “Did you dress up for Halloween?” which excited fans when he sang that line on Harryween, as many were dressed up in costumes for the concert. 

Part of the experience for fans going to Styles’ shows is seeing his wardrobe and how he was dressed that night. Styles is known for his extravagant, stylish outfits. His sense of fashion has become a part of his allure and mystique.

Concertgoers not only dressed in their best Harry-inspired outfits at the shows, but they were also able to purchase merchandise at the concert, such as crewnecks, hoodies, tote bags, posters and more. Fans who were unable to attend his shows can still purchase products from his online store. Most of Styles’ products featured a house, which is a key symbol for his latest album, “Harry’s House.”

Fans have been waiting eagerly for Styles to come to their hometown. As of this writing, Styles has recently finished up his tour for 2022 in South America. He will return to the stage toward the end of February 2023, with the exception of the three shows he will make up in Los Angeles due to his brief sickness. 

Fans claim that “Love On Tour” was one of the best concert-going experiences of their lives. The combination of Styles’ incredibly talented music, eye-opening stage presence and elaborate wardrobe selections made for an experience unlike many others. Tears shed and screams of excitement filled the arenas as fans basked in the loving environment that Styles created.

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