The oncoming lovefest became apparent well before British singer-songwriter Harry Styles took the stage Saturday for a concert at filled-to-the-brim MGM Grand Garden Arena.
While stagehands were setting up for Styles after Las Vegas-born singer Jenny Lewis finished her opening set, Styles’ song “Don’t Let Me Go” started playing on the loudspeakers overhead. The high-pitched screams of fans soon turned into a sing-along: throughout the arena.
Don’t let me
Don’t let me
Don’t let me go
Cause I’m tired of feeling alone.
Minutes later, the screams returned when a message from the former One Direction member was played in the arena, thanking those in attendance for being vaccinated or tested against COVID-19 and for wearing a mask — preconditions the artist set for fans attending his “Love on Tour” tour.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the 27-year-old made his way onto the four-cornered stage with extended arms running nearly the length of the arena.
It was an impressive entrance. With the house lights dimmed and his bandmates already at their stations, Styles — wearing a pink-sequined open-front vest (Vogue reports it was a Gucci), magenta bell-bottomed pants and light ankle boots — emerged on a platform from beneath the stage singing his top-100 hit “Golden.”
“Hi. My name’s Harry,” the British-born Styles told the audience — now in full-throated adoration mode — in a break after his second song, “Carolina.”
“Love on Tour” in support of his second studio album, “Fine Line,” originally was supposed to kick off in the summer of 2020 in Philadelphia with a stop in Las Vegas on Sept. 5, 2020. The scheduling, of course, all had taken place before the onset of the worldwide pandemic in early 2020. Noting that Saturday’s show was the kickoff concert of the once-postponed tour and his first appearance in front of an audience since, Styles told his Las Vegas audience, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for this day.” Later, he added, “There can’t be another first show back … this one will be special.”
And apparently, it was for those who had waited nearly a year longer than expected to see Styles. Throughout the night, they sang, they danced, they cried, and they adored Styles.
The nearly 20-month layoff from performing live didn’t seem to affect the high-energy artist. He used the entire stage from one end to the other, prancing, blowing kisses, posing. A Pride flag made its way into Styles’ hands during “Treat People with Kindness,” and he waved it throughout the song to the delight of the crowd. The sole One Direction hit of the night that Styles performed, “What Makes You Beautiful,” was among the audience favorites. His rendition of “Adore You,” the 2019 hit that reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, may have jolted listeners when Styles dropped into a low, muddled pitch for the lyrics, “Walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you.” Otherwise, his voice was on point.
Throughout the nearly 90-minute, 17-song set, Styles commented frequently about how much he missed being able to perform — “my favorite thing in the world to do” — because of the pandemic. Finally, though, he was able to be back singing in front of his fans. “This feels absolutely crazy. I can’t believe I’m up here now,” he said.
He thanked the audience for embracing the COVID-19 hoops they had to jump through to be admitted into the venue (“If you don’t come, it’s just me in an empty room, and that’s no fun”), and he reminded them that in the dark days of being unable to perform live, “the thought of this night got me through.”
Setlist
“Golden”
“Carolina”
“Adore You”
“Only Angel”
“She”
“Two Ghosts” / “Falling”
“Sunflower Vol. 6”
“Woman”
“Cherry”
“Lights Up”
“Canyon Moon”
“Treat People with Kindness”
“What Makes You Beautiful”
“Fine Line”
Encore
“Sign of the Times”
“Watermelon Sugar”
“Kiwi”