Click here to read the full article.
Harry Styles record-setting 30-night residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden came to a close over the weekend, with a pair of Styles’ recurring “Harryween” concerts that saw the star, his band and much of the audience
dressed for the occasion — in his case as 1970s-era Elvis Presley on the first night and the notorious “Pizza Rat” on the second, which also included an onstage appearance from basketball star Jalen Brunson, captain of the world champion New York Knicks, presenting Styles with a banner commemorating the residency.
The themed costumes were not limited to the singer: On Friday, Styles’ band was dressed in his own iconic looks, rocking outfits based on his Coachella, Met Gala and Grammy appearances. “The theme on stage tonight was favorite sequined king,” he joked, later thanking the audience for considering him part of that group. For the encore, the arena was taken back in time as he emerged in his 2010 “X-Factor” audition outfit, singing Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” His version of the song was what clinched the then-bakery-worker a spot in One Direction over 15 years ago.
The final show on Saturday was, in its entirety, a tribute to New York City. The band took the stage first, all dressed as local icons including the Statue of Liberty, Andy Warhol and Anna Wintour, before Styles himself appeared as “Pizza Rat,” based on a notorious 2015 meme showing a large rat dragging a slice of pizza down the stairs of a New York City subway station. In another nod to the city, this time in the form of music history, the pop star delivered a compelling cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” before reverting to the standard setlist.
The capstone of the evening came as New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson took the stage to present Styles with a banner commemorating his record-breaking achievement. “I just wanted to appear and congratulate you on your 30th night,” said Brunson. “A couple weeks ago, Harry was so kind to join me and my team on our banner night, and I thought I, on behalf of MSG and the Knicks, would do the same.”
Over the course of the nine-week residency, whether it was the occasional fan encounter on the Williamsburg Bridge or one of many fan-organized events (including One Direction karaoke and a post-Harryween bar crawl), the singer’s presence could be felt across the city, thanks in part to tour sponsor AmEx, which ran pop-up shops across lower Manhattan through the full nine-week block, and, halfway through the residency, invited ten randomly selected fans to experience “Together, Together” live for the first time.
As the final show ended, Styles addressed the audience, saying: “You’ve been wonderful tonight — you’ve been wonderful every night. Thank you for showing up, for dressing up, for making us feel so loved and being so wonderful to us. Thank you so much. You’ve changed my life over and over again, and I get to remember every moment in here. I have loved it so much… Thank you for dancing with me. When I wrote this album, I wanted it to feel exactly like this.”
The “Together, Together” tour will head to Australia later this month, where Styles will perform his final shows of the year, later resuming in the U.S. in April 2027 and slated to conclude in August with three consecutive shows at Wembley Stadium.
