On July 22, I got to go to Lo Spettacolo Finale!, the final show of Harry Styles’ Love on Tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy. After two months I can finally say that I have processed it and can talk about it without bursting into tears — which I believe means I have left the post-concert depression stage and moved on to the acceptance stage.
As the self-proclaimed ultimate Styles stan that I am — one who’s been faithfully following his work since his One Direction days — I had been waiting for the day when I could say I was in the same room as him. But for one reason or another (namely, the fact that his concert tickets sell out too fast and the ones left are always grotesquely out of budget), it never seemed like that day would come — until one fateful September day last year.
Shortly after Styles released his summer 2023 tour dates and I had just come to terms with the fact that I would never see him live, my Italian host family called me and told me they had just bought tickets for his concert on July 22. They asked if I wanted to come. Miraculously, these tickets were within budget, and I already had plans to be in the country on that date, so of course I said yes!
With that, it was official. I was about to watch Styles close out his two-year tour with my host sisters and best friend.
Fast forward 10 months, the concert had arrived. Looking back at it now, I don’t think my mind ever really registered that I was going to see Styles in the flesh until the moment he stepped out on stage. Up until that very moment, I had been relatively composed and chill about the whole ordeal.
First, my host sisters, best friend, and I walked to the concert about an hour and a half away from our Airbnb through the rural Italian countryside. We walked along highways, over bridges, and under tunnels. Every taxi was taken, Uber hadn’t reached the city, and we missed the only available bus. Needless to say, it was a hot, sticky, borderline treacherous walk (done in cowboy-heeled boots no less). However, our oasis in the form of feather-boa-clad people eventually came into view, confirming our arrival.
As we settled into our corner of the arena and took in the 100,000-person crowd before us, the magnitude of what was about to take place began to settle in. That’s when an opening video began playing in the arena, signaling the start of the concert. The first notes of “Daydreaming” were heard, and that’s when I lost it. Out Styles came in an outfit that can only be described as disco ball cosplay that looked glorious on him, filling up the enormous stage with his energetic dancing, running, and enthusiastic crowd interactions.
I sobbed. I sang. I screamed. I danced. I laughed. I squeezed my best friend and host sisters tight. I sobbed some more.
When we arrived at the halfway point of the show, we hurried off to the bathroom and decided to make a quick pit stop at the merch table on our way back. But then, we heard the opening guitar riff of “Medicine,” an unreleased song that Styles performed in St. Paul during his first tour in 2018. I stopped dead in my tracks and physically felt my stomach drop to my boots. We ran back. I was about to hear “Medicine” live!
The rest of it only got better if you can believe it. “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Best Song Ever,” “She,” “Grapejuice,” and “Fine Line!” All songs he hadn’t performed in months or years. I felt spoiled.
Then there was “Sign of the Times” and “Kiwi,” accompanied by fireworks, giving me whiplash as I went from wiping my tears to screaming at the top of my lungs.
As if the music wasn’t enough, the crowd interactions Styles is known for were incredible too. He thanked us with speeches in Italian, told jokes, and even sang “Happy Birthday” to one lucky girl in the pit. The crowd reciprocated the energy, chanting “Sei bellissimo,” which means “You’re beautiful,” at the end of each speech. It’s an ongoing tradition at his shows in Italy.
After nearly two and a half hours, Styles sang the last note of what we all thought would be his last song, and I could feel my throat tighten at the fact that the night I had been waiting months for was ending. But this night was consistent in being full of surprises, and what happened next was no different. He sat at a piano brought onstage and told us he had written a song specifically for his last night of the tour, which encapsulated how grateful and content he was to be ending the tour in Italy with us.
The audience was quiet for the first time all night, everyone entranced by his siren song.
It. Was. Perfect.
Finally, after the icing on the cake that was the entire day, we were walking home when an unexpected thing happened. Our walk mysteriously took us on a route that wrapped behind the stage towards an empty area, except for one giant white tent that was toward the back and had music coming from it. As we reached the mysterious tent and passed the gate that was separating us from it, my curiosity piqued, and I moseyed on over to find out what was happening.
You’ll never believe what was happening a mere 15 feet away from me, or you probably do at this point.
It was Styles’ after-party. Where he was. Now, if this were a Wattpad story, we all know what would have happened. He would’ve noticed me through the gate, decided I’m “not like other girls” and therefore he had to be with me, and you’d be hearing about me through the tabloids. But alas, this is real life. So all I did was sneak a quick peek, catch a glimpse of him behind his security guards, and stand in awe.
So here’s to the next time I get to be in the same vicinity as Harry Styles. Until then, I’ll be here just “Daydreaming” of this moment.
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