HCAU Review: Harry Styles Live on Tour
(Source: Author’s own)
Anyone who’s known me for five minutes upwards is very aware of how invested I am in One Direction. That is, very invested. Naturally, when good ol’ Harry announced he was going on tour, I did not hesitate to volunteer for the Hunger Games, which is the only accurate way to describe the craziness of the ticket sales for this tour. There I was, on an early May morning, walking to my friend’s flat, because in every battle there’s power in numbers (even if it’s just two of you). Armed with our credit cards and fully charged laptops, we were ready to go. We came out of this battle victorious, bearing two tickets to see Harry Styles on tour in Glasgow. In a 3000-seat venue, even nosebleed seats are considered a victory.
The thing about seeing Harry is, you get much more than great music and an amazing show. What people don’t know about us One Direction fandom folk is, we like to do good. Apart from annual charity drives for each of the boys’ birthdays ( www.1dfansgive.com ), we also like to take care of each other. Us fans have been bringing rainbow (and other LGBTQ+ representative) flags to shows for years now, with the aim to create a safe space for everyone regardless of who they are. Let’s also not forget fans bringing Black Lives Matter posters to the more recent shows.
(Source: Instagram: @harrystyles)
(Source: Instagram: @harrystyles)
To our delight, Harry decided to make kindness the theme of his tour, bringing out merch which says, “Treat people with kindness” being just one of the many wonderful statements he is making with this tour.
Harry’s choice of an opening act for the tour speaks for itself as well. MUNA is a self-proclaimed “queer band” from California, and let me just say, thank you Mr Styles for introducing me to this gem. The band, consisting of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson, is very outspoken about sexuality, gender, and feminism. They keep their songs gender-neutral. Their songs are amazing bops. Do I need to go on? Never mind, I will. Because the way they made me (and many others, I’m sure) feel at the show was really special. The band members noticed how diverse the crowd was, they held a whole speech about seeing the marginalised groups in the audience, about admiring our initiative to support each other and love each other, and asked us to bring what we created in that small venue to the outside world, to take care of each other out there. I nearly cried. I really wish I had a band like this to look up to growing up. Their song “I Know A Place” is that song all of us need to hear sometimes.
This has turned into a bit of a love letter to MUNA, I know. Back to Harry! Harry was his amazing, wonderful, energetic self. He sang, and pranced, and dance, and played guitar, and I had a blast. At the beginning of every show, Harry tells the crowd it’s their job to have fun, to dance, sing, do whatever makes them the happiest, tells them to be whoever they want to be. I’ll never understand those people who go to concerts and then act too cool to have fun. Anyway, there is no doubt Harry Styles knows how to put on a show. However, for me personally, the highlight of the night did not involve music. It was when Harry asked us all to hold hands, to raise them in the air, and then told us that no matter who we are, who we want to be, where we are from, he loves and supports every single one of us. As cheesy as it sounds, it meant the world to me. Some of us find it hard to love and accept ourselves sometimes, and to know that someone out there, someone you look up to, accepts you the way you are makes the world seem a little more okay. Which is all I need sometimes.
(Source: author’s own)
The concert that followed after ours, Harry went even more explicit with his speech. Talking to his audience in Stockholm he said “If you are black, if you are white. If you are gay, if you are straight, if you are transgender. Whoever you are, whoever you wanna be, I support you. I love every single one of you.” You might think – obviously, you are his fans, he appreciates you! Almost every celebrity supports the LGBTQ+ community and is against racism these days! But, let me ask you, how many of them acknowledge and support their diverse fans so explicitly? How many of them make sure their fans feel safe at the concerts, no matter who they are? Harry is a very privileged young white male. He knows his power, and him using this power for good? That should not be taken for granted, not in today’s world.
Here are some links for your inquiring minds:
MUNA – I Know A Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5gGm3NWU4
Harrys speech in Stockholm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qici9k4XNJY
Security guard at the venue thinking fans for bringing Black Lives Matter signs to the show: https://twitter.com/harrvstvle/status/925155731598217216
I sincerely hope you have someone in your lives, who makes you feel as happy and empowered as Harry makes me and many other of his fans.
PS: There are still tickets available for Harry’s April 2018 show in Glasgow in case you want to join in on the fun!
xoxo HCAU