Harry Styles stopped at the Wells Fargo Center on September 17 in Philly. After having rescheduled the dates three times, he finally got to perform for Philadelphia.
Jenny Lewis was his opener. She performed a 40 minute set, performing a lot of her hits. The crowd was already roaring and she said that we were so loud and thanked us for coming out. At one point, a phone rang on the stage, and her dog was on the other end. She answered it saying, “Yes, I love Philadelphia,” to which the crowd cheered. Lewis then made a toast to her father, who was from Philly.
After she was done, a half hour went by before Harry Styles came on stage. It was 9:03 and the Brit was ascending onto the stage. You could not hear the person next to you as the music started and he broke out into his fan-favorite hit, “Golden.”
He sang a few songs and then introduced himself. “Good evening Philadelphia. How are we feeling?” The crowd cheered and he smiled, walking around the stage. “I’m not going to lie to you tonight, I’m in a great mood. Actually, I’m in a FANTASTIC mood.” The crowd cheered again and you could see just how happy he was. Styles was dancing around the stage, joking and dancing with bandmates, interacting with fans and singing his heart out.
His hour and a half set was filled with every song from his current album, Fine Line, except for “To Be So Lonely” and songs from his first album too. However, another popular one “Sweet Creature” was noticeably missing as well.
The stage was 360, meaning it spread across the whole arena, making no bad seat in the house. Plus, the screens up top allowed for a great view. He wore blue pants with suspenders, white shoes and a pink shirt, truly resembling Fine Line colors. Styles looked like adorable cotton candy.
Styles’ love for Philadelphia goes way back. He is friends with Xander Ritz, who he visits from time to time. He met Ritz through his manager Jeff Azoff in 2015 and have been inseparable ever since. At one point in the night, he stopped singing and talked to the crowd to give ‘Some Facts about Philadelphia.’
He started off by talking about how Philly has America’s first zoo, the first medical school and hospital. The crowd cheered and were impressed that he knew that much about the City of Brotherly Love. Styles ended his facts with one very important one. “And you know what else is great about Philadelphia?” he asked. “WAWA BABY, WAWA!”
The crowd cheered for a good two minutes and he laughed to himself. Styles visited a Wawa a few years ago when he visited Philly and took pictures with fans. He is known to love the chain and shop there whenever he is in town.
During a medley of what can be called LGBTQ+ songs (“Lights Up,” “Treat People With Kindness” and One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful), Styles waved the gay pride and bisexual pride flags on stage and did not stop dancing.
When Styles went to one of the side stages to sing “Cherry,” he looked out into the crowd and pointed out a fan that was texting. “Hello? Are you texting?” Fans started laughing as he pointed it out. “Who are you texting?” Then he waited a few seconds. “YOU’RE STILL TEXTING!” The fan eventually stopped and he shook his head, jokingly, before starting the next song. It was these little moments that made the show so special.
Styles sang 18 songs, for a total of an hour and a half. He made sure to thank everyone involved in the show from the crew, the band and the fans. “I would not be up here doing this if it wasn’t for each and everyone of you, so thank you,” he said.
The encore consisted of three of his biggest hits, “Sign of the Times,” “Watermelon Sugar” and “Kiwi.” He had you crying one minute and dancing and laughing the next.
Being one of the first shows back after shut down, this is one that will always be remembered. He doesn’t need a bunch of dancers and theatrics, he has his band and his own dance moves and that is definitely enough. If we could give a rating to this show, it would be 1000/10. Our only complaint was that it was too short and went WAY too fast.
But the show is definitely worth it. If you can still snag tickets to the show, do it. You will not regret it.
Thank you so much Harry Styles. Philly loves you. Please come back soon!
