“We belong together”: Harry Styles at Wembley Stadium
Written by Emily Gibbs
Harry Styles is back on stage once again for a record-breaking twelve nights at Wembley Stadium as part of his Together, Together tour. I was lucky enough to catch the second show, and it did not disappoint.
Harry Styles performing at Wembley Stadium, London | Credit: Emily Gibbs
Shania Twain invigorated the crowd with her support act set. It is strange to see such an established artist opening for a newer star. Twain addressed this in a brief monologue, explaining that Styles’ mum is a big fan of her music and so Styles was introduced to Twain from an early age.
The Together, Together tour opens with ‘Are You Listening Yet?’ from Styles’ recent album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. This song got the crowd hyped, with the loud drumbeats showcasing the live band’s talents.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much from Styles’ second album, Fine Line, was included in the set. He played three consecutive tracks from the album in the opening, with fan favourite ‘Golden’ causing the entirety of the stadium to jump up and down.
I appreciated the inclusion of a string section for this tour, as it elevated the slower songs on the setlist. ‘Coming Up Roses’ was a beautiful moment as many in the standing section danced around with friends or strangers. Surprisingly, the six minute long ‘Fine Line’ was on the setlist, again accompanied by strings. To round off this segment, the string section played an instrumental comprising of ‘Night Changes’, ‘Falling’, and ‘History’. The One Direction songs were crowd-pleasers, with many singing along.
The atmosphere of the Together, Together tour is wonderful, as the fans have created a beautiful space where people are free to be themselves. The outfits are incredible, ranging from suits and ties to colourful, sparkly numbers. The crowd gets involved by dancing and singing along. From where I was sat in level five, I had a great view of the standing sections, and I could see dance circles and conga lines throughout the night.
Later on in the night, Styles brought disco to Wembley with an extended rave-like beat and his now iconic chant of “put a bell on your bicycle”. What was assumed to be an element of the Amsterdam shows only has seemingly become a staple of the Together, Together tour. This transitions into the upbeat ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’.
‘Aperture’ was an excellent song to hear live, with the crowd chanting the repeated “we belong together”. This is the message behind the whole Together, Together tour, and you could feel this in the atmosphere of Wembley Stadium.
This togetherness with the crowd is reflected in the stage design, which is large to allow more people in standing to be close to Styles. This design has faced a lot of criticism and was altered after fans complained of restricted views at the Amsterdam shows. From my view, I could see the whole stage, but I did lose track of Styles at certain points due to its sheer scale.
The encore featured a ‘surprise song’ that rotates throughout the dates. Wembley night two’s was the heart-wrenching ‘Matilda’. Styles then took us back to his solo career debut with ‘Sign of the Times’, a phenomenal moment that was punctuated with fireworks.
The Together, Together tour closes with ‘As It Was’. The crowd (and Styles) were energetic, dancing and shouting the lyrics one final time. Styles ran the whole outside of the excessively huge stage, making sure to interact with and take in the crowd before leaving the stage. It was a moment that cemented the message of the Together, Together tour.