October 7, 2021, aka the best day of my life. As someone who has been a fan of Harry Styles since my One Direction phase, when I bought my Love on Tour tickets in 2019 I couldn’t help but cry. No actually, I cried. I had bought four tickets for my high school friends and I in the upper section, and it had hit me that I would see my hero in person for the first time since I never went to a One Direction Concert. But then — COVID hit. Harry postponed his 2020 tour and I was forced to refund my tickets since my high school friends were going to colleges out of state and would most likely not be able to make it the year later (if it was even going to happen). I was devastated, to say the least, it seemed like this tour would never happen because COVID progressed rapidly, and I had zero tickets even if it did.
But then, Harry announced that Love on Tour would happen in 2020, and I knew I had to get my hands on tickets. The new dates were released and tickets were starting to re-sell like crazy once people realized they were unable to make the new dates due to work, school, or whatever reason. After weeks of searching, I found Cherry pit tickets for a decent price. Not great, but decent. I took the chance and bought two of them. Once they were in my possession, all I had to do was wait. Wait for the day until I see Harry Styles.
Now, I had never been in a pit for any concert. I’ve seen Justin Bieber, Maroon V and Ariana Grande, but I’d never experienced general admission. Basically, I had no idea what to expect. How early do I get there? How do I get ready? Will there be wristbands? I was clueless.
I was lucky enough to have my best friend, Kendall, with me through it all — we’re on the same wavelength of Harry obsessed. We planned our outfits together, watched live streams on Instagram for the shows before us and our friendship grew so much stronger because of him. Kendall and I were going to be in the pit at Amway Center, but what we didn’t know was how to get the ultimate experience.
We came to an agreement to get to the venue early. The day before we went to Walmart and got lawn chairs, gallons of water and snacks for when we waited in line. We had packed our outfits and makeup since we knew that we were probably going to wait there all day and needed to get ready somehow. The night before I could not sleep due to excitement. I didn’t fall asleep until 1:00 a.m. and I woke up at 4:00 a.m. Kendall picked me up and we drove to the Amway Center and arrived there at 5:30 in the morning. It was already crazy when we got there — the pit line was wrapped around the building, and it turns out people were sleeping on the sidewalks. We got in line and someone was writing numbers on our hands and we were given numbers 139 and 140, which wasn’t bad at all considering there were supposed to be around 2000 people in the pit. We had made friends with the people in front of us and just talked about our love for Harry and had a great time. We waited and waited and, at 6:30 a.m., an employee had told us that at 7:00 a.m. we will be given numbered wristbands and we were able to go home and keep our place in line with the bands, which was fantastic news. It was a relief that we didn’t have to sit outside until the doors opened at 6:00 p.m. But, at 7:00 a.m., the head security guard said there was a miscommunication and we would actually have to sit here all day. It was such a letdown considering I was running on three hours of sleep. I was drenched in sweat and had so many bags to carry with me — but we decided to make the most of it.
At 7:00 a.m., we were given our wristbands and put into a big field of grass. The sun was starting to rise and the heat was getting brutal. Kendall and I set up our lawn chairs, opened our umbrellas to try and stay cool and just hung out with the friends we made in line. We had nothing to do but to wait from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. when the doors opened, which is actual madness, but we were committed. A couple of hours in, the heat was brutal. People were passing out left and right and the Amway Center didn’t treat us very well. We were stuck in a field outside all day with no shade, no fans — nothing. My best advice to you is to make friends in line. We held each other’s spots in line while we alternated getting water, using the bathroom, etc., harries are also the nicest people you’ll ever meet. At around 2:00 p.m., I was on the verge of passing out. Kendall and I decided to head back to her apartment to cool off, have lunch, and get ready, and we were only able to do that because of our lovely friends in line. We left and did our makeup, got dressed, ate some Wendy’s and headed back to the venue so our friends could go do the same.
At 6:00 p.m., the doors opened, and we scanned our tickets, got our vaccine cards checked and ran inside the venue. My adrenaline was pumping, we wanted a good spot after all we had gone through outside. We found a corner and ended up being the second row from the barricade. All the lack of sleep, the waiting and sun exposure was worth it. He was going to be right there.
It was 6:30 p.m. and he wasn’t set to come out until 9:00 p.m. We had more waiting to do, but at least it was indoors. We talked to the people around us, took pictures and hung out until it was time.
Then. The lights went out, his pre-show song came on and we knew it was time. Everyone stood there screaming with their phones out until we heard the famous speech. “Style is the answer to everything…” the flashing lights with the bunnies came on, then “duh duh duh,” the intro to “Golden.” The speech continued. I remember shaking and being so nervous. “To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art, duh duh duh duh,” and he rose out from the middle of the stage. It was the first time I ever saw Harry Styles in person. A person who I have looked up to since I was thirteen years old, was right in front of me. He was wearing a sparkly blue shirt and blue pants, and he started singing my favorite song: “Golden.”
I could not put into words how invigorating this concert was. Everyone had amazing outfits, everyone was so kind and everyone was there to watch the person who changed their life. We all sang, cheered and cried. A lot. The moment I was waiting over a year for was finally here — and I got to do it with my best friend right there next to me. He was five feet in front of us and it was surreal. I had never experienced a euphoric rush like this. But then… it was over. He was saying his goodbyes and it was emotional. I had been looking forward to this night for a long time, and it was finally ending. We left the venue in tears of happiness and sadness from what we just experienced. We were so lucky enough to be able to experience this and I wouldn’t have changed anything.
Love on Tour Orlando was hands down the best night of my life. Waking up early and sitting outside the venue waiting was all worth it. And I would do it all over again. I had never felt more at home than at this concert, he made everyone feel safe and loved. If you ever have the chance to experience a Harry Styles concert, I highly recommend it. My biggest advice to you if you would like to be in the pit is to get there early, stay hydrated, wear comfy clothes and change later, and most importantly, make friends in line. They will help you tremendously and you will make lifelong friends. Love on Tour is over — but the memories will last a lifetime.