I was finally graced with Harry Styles’ undeniably awesome show at his second night in Nashville for “Love on Tour.”
When I purchased these tickets I was 19, and I frantically entered the ticket-purchasing queue of over 2,000 other fans. Under my desk in my Biology class, I battled the horrible school wi-fi and impatiently waited for my turn to snag some tickets. After battling it out with other fans who repeatedly beat me to the tickets available, I finally scored two for the show that was supposed to happen in July of 2020.
As we all know, March of 2020 put a major obstacle between me and Harry, and this show was postponed until October of 2021. Looking on the bright side, I was stoked that I would be 21 for this rescheduled date, though as a concert junkie, the disappointment was soul-crushing.
Not only did I have tickets for Harry Styles, I also had tickets for AJR and 5 Seconds of Summer. Unfortunately, AJR was cancelled altogether, and 5SOS rescheduled until June of 2022.
Fortunately for me, I was employed at The Caverns, a concert venue in Pelham, Tennessee, where we were able to safely put on shows at an amphitheater on the property with a limited number of attendees. This appeased my postponed shows for the time being.
After nearly two years of waiting, Oct. 1 of this year came around quicker than I imagined. It was unreal to be around so many people, masked and/or vaccinated as Styles required. Everyone was in their best clothes, and it seemed almost like a fashion show.
The lights went down and Bridgestone was engulfed in screams that came from such a deep place. Everyone in the venue was overwhelmed- we were with people who shared the same intense enjoyment for this event after months of isolation.
Suddenly, Harry Styles was right there. This day and age, an artist can sometimes feel like just a movie star or a fictional character that you only see through a screen, but not now. He was there, live and in the flesh.
As short bursts of his song “Golden” teased fans, a message was played.
“To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art,” said an omnipotent voice.
Music suddenly filled the venue and every person was on their feet, and an uninhibited dance party ensued. In this moment, it didn’t matter what was going on outside, what responsibilities we have, things that weigh heavy, they didn’t matter. All that mattered was Love on Tour, and love it was. It was a sensational sense of love and acceptance from a person so many people idolize.
I can say with no restraint that it was one of the best nights of my life. It felt like a fever dream, just a mirage that couldn’t possibly be real, but it was. After so many months of disappointment, loneliness and boredom, I was watching Harry Styles.
And then, after two hours of what was the best performance I have ever seen, it was over, and I have just one request.
Harry Styles, please release more music.
