Since August 2026, Harry Styles has been performing a residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City. New York is just one of the stops on Styles’ 2026-2027 Together, Together Tour. On October 16th I was fortunate enough to go to the tour.
It was night 23 of his 30-day residency, and it did not disappoint. Styles is one of my all-time favorite artists, so this was somewhat of a lifechanging experience.
I’m not new to concerts, however, the friend that I went with was. This was her first concert, and she was over the moon that it was to see her favorite singer ever.
But before the concert, Styles had taken over the city of New York, so I was planning what to do before the show started.
He had three pop-up shops. Both Together, Together shops were located in the East Village, and the Pleasing Land shop was in SoHo. The original plan was to go to Pleasing but due to time we ended up at a smaller fan-made shop, Soul Look, about ten minutes from the venue.
The doors opened at 7pm, and we lined up at around 6:30pm, so we were let in quickly. Our first stop was merch and we both got hoodies. Then, we had some time to kill, so we took pictures, walked around, and just hung out before the show started.
Our seats were in the lower bowl in section 113 and let me just say there were no bad seats in the house. It’s a mix of the stage being a giant oval, and Harry constantly making sure everyone is included.
At 8 on the hour the opener took the floor, Jamie XX from London. He’s a DJ that mainly plays house music. Along with the music, his set also included some very colorful and bright lights.
Jamie and Harry are in different genres of music and most people that listen to pop music don’t listen to house music. Consequently, this set may be overwhelming depending on the person. The best way that I explain the vibe of the music is as if you were at a rave or frat party.
For that reason, some people brought earplugs, because it was so loud. Some people that didn’t come prepared with earplugs bought Pleasing Loop Earplugs at the venue.
At 8:55pm, while Jamie was still on stage, the band started entering. Then, Harry entered. When Jamie left, the show officially began.
Harry opened with “Dance No More” from the newest album Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally. The song that followed that was “Carolina”, which is iconic and from his first album. This tour was the first time it’s been heard live in years.
“Taste Back” was the next song he played, and that is my favorite song on the album so to say I was excited would be an understatement.
And then I was hit with some whiplash. On the setlist, it said he was going to play “Sweet Creature”, also from his first album and also very iconic. But he didn’t. Instead, he played “From the Dining Table.” His band sang it rather than him. It was beautiful and I handled it very well.
Later on, there was a moment of silence. Then, the ground literally started shaking because he played “Kiwi.” Harry Styles played Kiwi in 2026 in New York City. Any normal person would’ve had a heart attack if they walked in during this song, and that’s all I’m going to say on that matter.
My friend and I chose this night of tour very strategically. October 16th, 2024, was the date that Liam Payne passed away. Besides just being Harry Styles fans, we are also massive One Direction fans.
So, we figured that he would play “Paint by Numbers.” It’s a song about Liam that is not on the setlist. But he didn’t. He played the most heartbreakingly beautiful, unreleased tribute to his best friend.
Following this song, I called my best friend because I knew that “Sign of the Times” was coming up on the setlist, and that song means the world to her. Let’s just say she definitely handled hearing that song very well and definitely did not leave that phone call crying.
He closed the show by playing “Aperture.” the lead single of the album.
And then I was just supposed to go home, as if this hasn’t been something I’ve been dreaming of since 2010. I have been to a few concerts over the years, but this one changed my perspective on concerts and just life in general, in ways I cannot find the words to explain.
In my opinion, everyone should be fortunate enough to see their childhood favorite artist live.