One Word That Describes a Harry Styles Concert — Beth Collier Communication, Creativity & Leadership Strategist

I did not have ‘Become a Harry Styles Fan’ on my 2022 Bingo card.

But here we are.

If you had told me a few months ago that I would be in the crowd with 90,000 other screaming fans at a Harry Styles concert at London’s Wembley Stadium, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Harry Styles?

The guy from One Direction?

I couldn’t have named three of his songs. I probably knew three of his songs – though I hadn’t connected the songs with him.

But after meeting a couple of die-hard ‘Harries’ (the moniker for a Harry Styles fan) in a writing group, I was intrigued.

They raved about Harry’s concerts, and even described them with words like ‘amazing’ and ‘magical.’

Naturally, I was skeptical.

But curiosity got the better of me – and I booked a ticket in the standing front pitch for 19 June – Harry’s second show at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Me, before the concert began (and before I was officially a ‘Harry’)

Standing?! For the whole concert? I haven’t stood at a concert in nearly 10 years. Was this a crazy idea?

And then I wondered if I would stick out at a Harry Styles concert.

I couldn’t imagine the crowd would be full of a lot of Gen Xers. Well, at least not those who weren’t chaperoning their superfan kids…

I was a little nervous, but prepared to fly solo at the concert – something I’ve never done – when I got a text from Abby, another Gen X pop culture enthusiast I met in the writing group.

Abby introduced me to the Harry Styles fandom a few months earlier.

Her stories about Harry inspired me to write a piece about the creative marketing campaign for Harry’s new album – and how creativity helped them make millions.

I interviewed Abby for the piece and was impressed with how much she knew about Harry — and her enthusiasm for his music and community.

She’s seen him in concert many times, and was even traveling from the US to London in June specifically to see Harry’s show at Wembley.

She had attended the first concert at Wembley on Saturday and messaged me the following morning:

“I think I might just buy a ticket for tonight too,” she wrote.

“Come join me in the front pitch!”

And seven hours later, I was meeting Abby in person for the first time – and we were off to the concert together.

Maybe in our 20s Abby and I would have shown up at the venue hours before the concert in the hopes of getting close to the stage.

But as two women in our 40s, we’re more practical.

Figuring the worst case scenario was that we’d be at the back of the front pitch, we turned up at the stadium just before 8pm, and found our spots on the pitch minutes before the concert kicked off with the beats of Music For a Sushi Restaurant.

So what’s a Harry Styles concert like?

Are you ready, friends?

In a word, it’s kind of … magical.

We were surrounded by a crowd of mostly women, probably in their early twenties, who looked like they were living their best lives.

Harry set the scene at the start by reminding the audience that his job was to entertain us – and our job was to have as much fun as possible.

He encouraged people to ‘do whatever they wanted to do’ and ‘be whoever they wanted to be’ – a feeling that was cemented later in the show when Harry celebrated a young gay man who wanted to come out.

And as I looked around, I noticed how happy people looked to be there. They enthusiastically danced with their colorful feather boas and heart-shaped sunglasses on (two things Harry has made popular).

Harry set the scene for fun and love – and created a space that felt safe.

People danced, they sang, they joined together in a conga line.

Fans in a conga line during Harry’s “Love on Tour” concert, Wembley Stadium - 19 June 2022

I have been to so many concerts that were marred by people being aggressive – pushing, shoving, even groping – but this concert had a spirit of joy, fun and love.

I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but never one that felt so safe and welcoming.

And after a two-year absence of concerts and large gatherings, it was so fun to sing and dance and see so many other people happy.

So yeah, it was magical.

The time flew, and as the fireworks lit up the sky during Harry’s encore, I had one thought:

When can I do this again?

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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and live music (now including Harry Styles).

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm – and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com