Acclaimed pop artist, Harry Styles made his way to Boston last month in front of a fashionable crowd at TD Garden. PHOTO CREDIT: Claudia Stepien
A lack of live music was a “sign of the times” for the last year and a half, but as COVID-19 restrictions are being changed and lifted, people are getting “golden” opportunities to see their favorite musicians in person again.
Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour” concert in Boston took place at TD Garden on Oct. 25, after being pushed back over a year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Masks and either proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test were required, but I was still wary about attending. In the end, the worrying was useless, as almost everyone had their masks on and the only sore throats at the concert were from screaming Styles’ songs.
I’ve been to two One Direction concerts, with my first having been when I was in middle school, so it was nice to be reunited with Styles as a college student almost a decade later.
I went to the concert with my best friend and years of concert inexperience made us forget how concerts work. We anticipated long lines and showed up seven hours early, ready to sit and play card games while we waited. Turns out, the gates didn’t open until two hours before the start time, so we just explored the city during the time we had to spare.
When the gates did finally open, we went to our seats in the way back, the nosebleeds as one might say, but the concert was still amazing from up there. Jenny Lewis was the opener, and although I’d never heard of her, I still really enjoyed her performance. Her music reminded me of Fleetwood Mac or Kacey Musgraves; twangy, feel-good country music.
In the middle of her performance, she got a phone call from a vintage dial-up phone on stage from her dog backstage, then transitioned to her song “Puppy and a Truck.” The skit was super fun and I really liked her setlist; my favorite of her songs was “Head Underwater.”
After a brief intermission, an audio recording from Styles played, reminding everyone to mask up and have fun, then he came on stage singing “Golden.” He played songs from primarily his second album, “Fine Line,” but also included a few from his first self-titled album, including one of my favorites, “Woman.”
“She,” “Sunflower, Vol. 6” and “Sign of the Times” were also wonderful to watch. There was the typical cheesy concert moment during “Sign of the Times” where everyone put their flashlights on and swayed back and forth to the music. The venue lit up beautifully, reminding me of the scene from “Tangled” where they released sky lanterns over the village. During this song, I went down to the floor level to get some pictures of Styles up close and managed to see the lights enchantingly reflect off of a disco ball over the venue.
Styles is known for his fashionable style, utilizing bright colors and his signature suspender and blouse look, and he did not disappoint that night. He wore a white blouse and blue pants with suspenders, and although he looked amazing, it was a little boring and I was more impressed with the outfits of the audience.
People went all out for the concert, donning glitter, cow print and bright colors, especially pink. The unspoken dress code for most people seemed to be a funky pair of 1970s inspired flare pants, a cute black or white crop top, a leather jacket and either a colorful cowboy hat, Mardi Gras style-beads or a feather boa. I was one of the many who unknowingly fit the dress code, and although there were so many people with similar outfits, I still felt really happy with the trendy look.
One of Styles’ slogans is “treat people with kindness,” and it’s obvious that his fans practice this mantra as well. Compliments were given out like candy on Halloween, liberally and gleefully. I both heard and said “I love your outfit” more than I ever have in my life and it was a wonderful feeling.
Overall, it was a magical experience. The venue was filled with strangers but it was still such a comforting environment, with great vibes, great people and great music. “Love on Tour” was both a concert and a fashion show, and that made the show so much more memorable.