After weeks of waiting and counting down the days it had finally arrived- April 12th. The day that I would see Harry Styles, that I would be in the presence of Harry Styles- along with another 20,000 people at the O2. The show was the part of Styles’ second world tour for his debut album, Harry Styles, and was also the second night in London.
We arrived early, a couple of hours before it started, in order to gain access to the Sky Lounge (because we are Sky Customers) and buy some of Harry Styles’ merch. We sprinted over to the nearest stand, to make sure we were at the front of the queue, and we were greeted by a large variety of sweatshirts, t-shirts and accessories emblazoned with names of songs, like Kiwi, and different uplifting slogans. I decided on a set of colourful wristbands, with the phrase “treat people with kindness” on them- a little reminder to try to be as kind as you can be every time you look down to your wrist. And even the action of buying them was kind, as 100% of the sales went to charity. These purchases set the mood for the night, and even as we were walking around the arena, everyone was smiling and laughing at each other.
After the support act had performed, there was 30 minutes of anticipation before Harry came on, and when he did it was even better than I had expected. He opened with one of my personal favourites, Only Angel. As soon as the drum beat started, my friend that I went with burst into tears- happy tears of course, and these didn’t let up until we got home. After the first couple of songs, Styles hyped up the crowd, by introducing himself and stating that “in this room tonight, you can be whoever you want to be”. This was followed by a large roar, and a waving of rainbow flags. Because Harry has worked to make his concerts inclusive for all, regardless of gender, sexuality, race or anything else, he has become an icon for equality. This acceptance could be felt around the whole room, and upped the whole experience. When these words were uttered, a girl next to us burst out into tears. Her girlfriend embraced her, and wrapped her in a rainbow flag that she was waving.
This atmosphere was emphasised even more when during Sweet Creature, a melodic love ballad, different areas of the audience covered their flashlight in pieces of paper to make them light up. Our area was red, and when Harry strummed the first cord of the song, we excitedly turned our lights on, and one by one the arena lit up into a beautiful rainbow. The best thing about it? The entire thing was completely organized by fans. It was used to show Harry the strengths of his fans, and this is only encouraged by Harry’s positive, caring vibe. This made the evening not just about the innovative music, but about celebrating the difference of others in the most brilliant way.
Eleanor Press, Sydenham High School
