Good things can come to those who wait, and after seeing Harry Styles channel Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz” and a harlequin at last year’s two “Harryween” concerts in New York, the singer brought the event to Los Angeles for the first time as part of his 15-concert joyride at the Kia Forum.
Fans had been waiting in tents around the circular arena since Sunday night in the hopes of landing a spot near the pit’s barricade where it’s easier to catch the English singer’s eyes during his famed on-stage fan interactions. Vendors lined the arena’s entrance with feather boas and light-up cowboy hats as thousands of concert-goers appeared as ballerinas, princesses and fairies — some even dressed as Styles himself, even in imitations of his Dorothy and clown costumes from last year’s Harryween.
Outside of the arena, a carnival scene complete with a multi-colored Ferris wheel, men on stilts and tarot card readers hinted at the evening ahead.
It’s become a tradition (and somewhat of a conspiracy) that before a Styles show, a large black box, believed to be containing the man of the hour himself, gets rolled through the crowd and pushed beneath the stage as the muffled screams of eager concert-goers grow louder. It’s a sign that the show is about to begin.
Like clockwork, Styles’ band strutted their way to the stage from the back of the arena shortly after, as a recording of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s duet “You Better Shape Up” from the 1978 film “Grease” began to play. Guitarist Mitch Rowland showed up in gym clothes reading “Styles High School,” and drummer Sarah Jones was the night’s Sandy, while several Pink Ladies and one beauty school dropout flooded the stage. A single beam of white light identified Styles, who was dressed as Danny Zuko, Travolta’s character in the film, wearing a black wig and sideburns, a leather jacket and a black muscle tee with the word “Harryween” emblazoned on the back in red glittery letters.
“This wig is very warm, so if at any point during the show, I fall to the ground, don’t be alarmed,” he forewarned early into the show. “We’ll be back with an interlude, and then more music. So don’t fret.”
Even though Styles joyously spun across the stage like an out-of-control dreidel throughout the show, no such mishap occurred. Every so often, he would play into the Greaser getup with a hand jive, and induce shrieks of joy when his hips hit the “four corners” move seen at the very end of the film, but as he did at last year’s show, he often seemed to forget he was in costume.
Later in the show, he paid tribute to the film and the late Newton-John — who died earlier this year at the age of 73 after a decades-long battle with cancer — with a captivating cover of her showcase, “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” while a photo slideshow of the singer appeared on the screen. Styles skillfully replicated the song’s delicate beginning and rattled out robust high notes as a ferocious singalong erupted throughout the arena.
Nearly every Styles concert is an interactive event, with a dedicated time slot for conversations between the singer and his fans that usually start with the same question: “What’s your name?” This time, Styles helped three — yes, three — people come out at the same time, and answered a sign reading “Daddy?” with the simple response, “Yes?” During “Keep Driving,” the singer bounced back and forth with concert-goers in the front row who howled through the song’s most memorable string of lyrics: “Cocaine, side boob, choke her with a sea view.”
The rest of the set was an even blend of Styles’ latest chart-topping latest album, “Harry’s House,” and his 2019 set “Fine Line,” with the exception of the time-honored “What Makes You Beautiful,” an ode to the 28-year-old’s One Direction roots. And it’s more than evident that practice — combined with a touring schedule that hasn’t slowed down since September of last year — has made perfect. Styles appears fully in the moment on stage, closing his eyes and stomping the bottom of his feet to each and every drum beat and rhythmic pattern that plays.
And although the evening did not feature “Medicine,” the still-unreleased fan favorite, Styles did give a characteristically gracious send-off during the encore, thanking the fans who had been with him “five, seven, or even eight years.”
“This is my favorite thing to do,” he said, “and I get to do this solely because of you.”
Harryween ended with the history-making “As It Was,” which Styles dedicated to co-writers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson. The duo appeared side-stage (dressed as a twin from “The Shining” and Beetlejuice) as Styles introduced them: “These two wonderful people are supporters, collaborators and friends…I just want to thank you both for being unbelievable friends and the perfect, perfect collaborators and being so supportive…I would not be able to make this music without those two men right there. I will remember the day we wrote this song for the rest of my life.”
