A Love Letter To Love On Tour
Samantha Colleran, October 2021
On Saturday I finally got to do the one thing I’ve been waiting to do for 698 days. I finally got to see Harry for Love On Tour. I can’t even begin to explain just how much this show means to me, I’m going to try to sum up my thoughts and feelings in this post.
Before getting into Harry, I first need to give some love to Jenny Lewis. I didn’t know much about her before the show, but I was thoroughly impressed by her stage presence and her voice. She has a lot of really cool songs and gives off a Stevie Nicks meets Dolly Parton vibe as described by my concert buddy for this show, Matt. She was super cool and had such a fun energy, I know I’ll definitely be listening to some of her stuff after seeing her live.
Now, Harry. Talking about this show, even just sitting here a couple hours after being back at my best friend’s apartment and in my pajamas, still brings tears to my eyes. He opened with my favorite song off of Fine Line, “Golden”, and the emotion that tumbled out of me in that moment is indescribable. It felt like a weight lifted off of my shoulders, like I could finally breathe again. The setlist flew by incredibly quickly, but every second of this show will live in my memory forever.
With a perfect mix of old songs and new, upbeat and slow, Harry proved once again that he was born to be a performer. The stage was in the middle of the pit, with two catwalks on either side, so he made perfect use of the setup. He danced all around the stage, ran around to wave at fans and accept the fun things they threw on stage like sunglasses, an angel headband, and about four or five different pride flags. Each catwalk end got a song, “Falling” and “Cherry” were the more intimate moments of the night where Harry had members of his band join him to play the songs as the audience shone their flashlights and sang along. He made sure to ask everyone how they were feeling in between songs, calling out specific sections and making sure the people in the crowd were enjoying themselves.
Two of my favorite things about Harry shows are 1) that he always encourages people to “be whoever [they] want to be” for the night, and 2) he always makes sure to thank everyone who has helped him get to where he is. Even to this day, he’s still incredibly humble about how lucky he is to perform for huge crowds. He reminded the audience that he played his first ever show at MSG with his band in December 2012, and he told us how thankful he is to play it again and again and again. He thanked everyone for their support of his career; long time fans, new fans, he made sure he showed every single person how appreciative he is for allowing him to do his favorite thing in the world. He also made sure to thank the touring crew and his incredible band. It’s something he does at every show, but you can feel the genuine respect and appreciation for these people.
“Fine Line” was perhaps one of the most powerful moments of the show. For the first few minutes of the song, everyone was quiet and allowed Harry to get lost in the song. As the instruments built up and the belting of “We’ll be a fine line” got louder and louder, you could feel the audience just waiting to cheer him on. Getting to scream “We’ll be alright” right with Harry was one of the most incredible moments of my life, and it still doesn’t feel real. This lyric means the absolute world to me, and getting to hear that reminder sung live made me completely lose it.
The show closed with “Kiwi”, a tradition I hope Harry never lets go of. The floor was shaking the entire time, and the energy was just as strong as it was when the show first started. Everyone was singing and dancing and going absolutely nuts. It was the best way to end the night.
My words won’t ever be able to sum up just how incredible this show was. If you have the chance to see Harry live, I highly encourage you to take the opportunity to experience the magic of a Harry Styles concert. I waited 698 days for this show, and I’d do it all again if it meant I could have as perfect of a night as I did on Saturday. Harry, thank you endlessly for making me so incredibly happy. MSG night 3 was something truly special, and I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it.
You can feel the emotion in your post. So excited you finally got to enjoy this show!
Thank you! It was so special, a night I won’t forget for a very long time. 💓