24 February 2022 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne – review by Harry Leithhead – pictures supplied (Lloyd Wakefield)
On Friday night the Love on Tour show arrived for the first Melbourne date, and Harry Styles, arguably the biggest pop star in the world, transformed Marvel Stadium into Harry’s House for a near sold-out show. As expected, he blew us all away with a colourful, playful, intimate yet enormous set that exceeded all expectations.
Crowds are encouraged to wear whatever they truly like, and be whoever they want to be while at a Harry Styles concert, and I’ve never seen an audience dress to impress like I did last night. There was a sea of pink, and staff will be cleaning up feathers for a long time to come.
British rock duo Wet Leg kicked off the night, with their effortlessly cool vibe matching their indie rock sound. ‘Wet Dream’ (a tune which Harry himself covered last year) got the crowd warmed up, and finishing with their hit ‘Chaise Longue’, they rocked Marvel and provided the perfect setup for the main event.
Harry arrived in full force with ‘Music for a Sushi Restaurant’, bright vibrant screens with retro effects perfectly matching the energy Harry and his band brought to the stage, before charging through hits ‘Golden’ and ‘Adore You’.
Harry works the crowd like no one else. He charges around the stage extension to get as close to his fans as he can, blowing kisses and waving. When he dances his signature moves, the crowd goes truly wild. He refuses to do another shoey however, claiming that his first over in Perth was ‘truly revolting’. He also seems truly thankful to his fans, as he encourages them to have as much fun as they can. Around halfway through the show he assists a fan in coming out, a moment he seemed genuinely moved by, before singing happy birthday to another fan. On top of all these interactions, he also waves a rainbow flag, an Australian flag, and even spends a few seconds with a Bunnings hat on his head. This man really has all the cheat codes on how to win over a crowd, it’s just second nature to him.
The music, and Harry’s voice, are in top form. The band are having a blast, especially with scene-stealing percussionist Pauli Lovejoy stepping up and doing a shoey in Harry’s place.
Every song was a hit, with an 18-song setlist including ‘Daylight’, ‘Matilda’, ‘Satellite’, ‘Late Night Talking’ and more from his newest album, ‘Harry’s House’. Surprisingly, no song got a bigger reaction from the crowd than when Styles went back to his 1D days and belted ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ (as a 25-year old guy who grew up on Green Day, Bon Jovi & Guns ‘n’ Roses, I truly never thought I’d be happily screaming ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ at a stadium show in a sea of rainbow).
Saving the best until last, the encore kicked off with ballad ‘Sign of the Times’, before charging into mega-hit ‘As It Was’ (it’s become tradition to sing ‘Leave America’ as loud as you can during the bridge), and finally screaming home with rocker ‘Kiwi’. Harry gives it all he’s got, as he thanks the fans over and over again for their support during the encore, and all too soon one of the biggest shows on Earth had ended.
It was incredible to be a part of Harry’s House; I cannot recommend this show highly enough! Love on Tour continues with a second Melbourne show before moving on to the Gold Coast for the next leg.
Personal Favourites
– Treat People With Kindness
– Late Night Talking
– Love of My Life
– Cinema
– As It Was
