Harry Styles had fans on the edge of their seats on Oct. 31 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, waiting to see what costume he would be wearing that night. Last year, Styles nearly broke the internet with his two-night Halloween-themed shows where he sported a classic blue and white gingham dress as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz for night one, and a billowing clown costume on night two. Supporters of the 28-year-old star spent weeks speculating his costume and guesses ranged from Beetlejuice to Snow White. So, imagine the surprise when Styles was seen doing the hand jive dressed as Danny Zuko from the 1978 classic, Grease.
He came out wearing an all-black ensemble. Black dress shoes, jeans, a sleek leather jacket, a muscle tank with “Harryween” bedazzled across the shoulder blades in red glitter, and a black wig slicked back with just the right amount of gel and sideburn action. He was electric. Seeing Styles perform is a cultural reset by itself (I still melt over dancing in the nosebleeds on the last night of his Austin residency in early October), so I can imagine how fans felt watching the musician in his element, dressed as Zuko.
After obsessively watching the videos online, Styles looks like the perfect greaser. His dance moves are sharp, his hips moving strategically. He had the look down. But, it’s the vocals that stuck out to me. He did a special rendition of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from Grease, belting it out like it was his job, because well, it is. During the performance, he had a beautiful tribute to the late actress Olivia Newton-John who played Sandy, opposite Danny, in the film. The beloved actress passed earlier this year in August, so I’m sure there were many teary-eyed fans in the crowd as pictures of Newton-John were played on the big screen behind Styles as he sang.
During the performance, fans compared Styles’ vocals to his time in his former band, One Direction, and they were eating it up. His facial expressions, body language, and sound combined to give viewers a blast from the past in more ways than one. The nostalgia was strong.
One thing I love about the Harryween performances is that Styles’ whole band dresses up to fit the theme. This year, drummer Sarah Jones was dressed as Sandy, while guitarist Mitch Rowland wore a matching gym uniform with the words “Harry Styles High” printed on the front. Percussionist Pauli Lovejoy was seen in a replica of a Pink Ladies outfit, amongst other band members wearing beauty school dropout costumes and era-accurate academia outfits. It was a whole scene and I thank his stylist, Harry Lambert, for putting this masterpiece together.
My only complaint is that there was only one night of Halloween-themed looks. Last year we were spoiled with two nights of chaos and content, and while this year didn’t disappoint, I wish we had more. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait for next year to see another Harryween production. Until then, everyone will stay hopelessly devoted to Harry.