Even with the support act Wolf Alice, the atmosphere in the hall was exuberant. Credit is due to whoever came up with the idea of inviting the London alternative rock band on Styles’ “Love On Tour”. The double feature of indie and mainstream pop worked well. Wolf Alice, previously at home in the Flex and the Arena, didn’t hold back and immediately confronted the audience with guitar rock (“Smile”) and later also with punk (“Play The Greatest Hits”). Last but not least, Ellie Rowsell underlined what a great singer she is with the goose bumps ballad “The Last Man On Earth”.
Harry Styles may draw a predominantly young, female audience like a magnet conditioned to deafening singing and screeching, but alongside the singer’s attitude, it’s the songs that speak to their hearts—feather boas, pink cowboys— Hats on (both obligatory accessories at a Styles gig like black t‑shirts and beer at AC/DC). The music matters and Styles delivered. The “Music For A Sushi Restaurant”, which continued as a Prince tribute, opened the colorful dance.
Ten songs from his current, highly acclaimed album “Harry’s House” were offered, their live performance underpinned the quality of the compositions. The easy-going “Daylight”, the soul and funk fueled “Cinema” or the irresistible catchy tune “Late Night Talking” also worked in earthier arrangements compared to the glossy studio versions. Styles saved the hypnotic dance track “As It Was”, also number one in the Austrian single charts, for the encore part.
Why the parquet floor in the Stadthalle was furnished is a matter of puzzlement. No one remained seated, not even in the stands, where fans had equipped themselves with colored lights in uniform colors depending on the sector in order to create the right disco ambience for “Lights Up”, in line with the title and style of the song. The 11,000 made the mega-chorus to “Treat People With Kindness”, the leitmotif of the 28-year-old.
From “Adore You” onwards, Styles sought closeness to the fans via the catwalk (on which “Matilda” and “Boyfried” were later acoustically intoned) and issued the motto: “Feel free to be what you always wanted to be.” Asking them to hold hands and say “I love you” to the person on the left may seem fake. But as an alternative to the empathetic elbow-jerk society, Style’s “We should all respect and appreciate each other” message is justified. Harry’s support when a fan comes out has now become a show ritual (also in Vienna), but is probably a blessing for those affected.
Speaking of the show: Styles, often dressed in flashy clothes, completed the program throughout the program in black and white checked trousers and a T-shirt with a kiwi motif. There were no gimmicks, just pure music. Instead of pyros, the hits: “Sign Of The Times”, “Watermelon Sugar”, “As It Was” and “Kiwi” ignited together to a furious conclusion. With “Medicine” the flawless entertainer also packed a previously unreleased track in between. The next stop in Vienna will probably be the stadium – rightly so.
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