Almost two years after tickets went on sale in November 2019, this past Tuesday, Oct. 12, Harry Styles finally played a sold-out show in PNC Arena, and it was electric.
PNC Arena erupted with screams when a black box appeared from backstage and wheeled under the stage. Because the stage is in the middle of the arena, fans speculate Harry climbs into the box and gets to the center of the stage that way.
This was the cue that he was really coming- people stood up and got ready to record. Shortly after, the lights turned off and the concert began with an intro featuring Charles Bukowski’s “Style” poem, and brief pauses where the iconic “da da da da” of “Golden” played.
The band walked onto the stage dressed in hot pink and got into their places as the intro finished. Then, Harry popped up from under the stage in a pink shirt, suspenders, and red pants combo singing “Golden,” ready to entertain us for the next 90 minutes.
The setlist was packed with Harry’s most popular songs- “Adore You,” “Watermelon Sugar,” “Lights Up,” “Sign of the Times” and more. Almost every song from his sophomore album Fine Line was played, but he also sprinkled in some songs from his first album like “Woman” and “Only Angel.” And as expected, the reaction when Harry started to sing his song “Carolina” was insane.
A highlight of the show was “Treat People With Kindness” followed by Harry’s rendition of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” The crowd was going crazy. At one point, Harry yelled “Give it to me Raleigh! Go go go go go!” and I could see fans across the arena jumping with him. Harry was dancing all around the stage and catwalks, prancing down the catwalks with Pride and Bisexual flags as the crowd cheered.
The Raleigh show marked the halfway point of the North American leg of the tour, but Styles was as energetic as if the tour had just begun. One of Harry’s talents is his ability to create an intimate connection in an arena of thousands of people, and this shined through during the show. His constant dancing up and down the stages compelled everyone to keep their eyes on him and dance and sing along.
During the “chat” portion, a fan had a sign saying she came alone, but Harry reassured us that “no one in this room is alone!” Although I went with two friends, I truly felt like he made PNC feel like a small, welcoming community that made everyone feel at home. It was truly a special night that many had been waiting for since before the pandemic, and Styles made sure to make up for lost time.