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Apart from the special show he performed with an orchestra in London, Harry Styles has played basically the same set since his “Together, Together” tour opened in Amsterdam 33 shows and nearly three months ago. But
for the opening night of his unprecedented 30-show stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, he completely overhauled the set, drastically re-ordering the songs, rearranging several older ones, and performing one song publicly for the first time.
He also took a moment to pay brief but loving tribute to Dolly Parton, whose death was announced on Tuesday, pausing for a moment late in the show to say, “I just wanna give a proper thank you to all the musicians who have inspired me over the years — Dolly, we love you. Thank you so much.” Then her recording of “I Will Always Love You” — of course, her best-known song and one of the biggest hits in history when covered by Whitney Houston — played over the P.A. for a minute before he carried on the show.
It was clear from the show’s opening notes that this one would be different: Styles took the stage to “Dance No More,” replacing the previous opener “Are You Listening Yet?,” and then launched into “Carolina,” a deep from his solo debut, which he hadn’t performed live since that first solo tour. From there, songs that were previously played late in the set were performed early (and vice versa), and mid-set, “The Waiting Game” from his latest album, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.,” got its live debut.
Early in the show, Styles took a moment to acknowledge a full-circle moment on this opening night. “I was told a story when I got here today,” he said. “I had the great privilege of playing this building for the first time when I was 18 years old,” he said, referencing One Direction’s debut at the venue in 2012. “There’s a gentleman who’s working here who hwas working here then, who shared with me that when I got out of the car that day, I kissed the floor and said, ‘I’ve made it to Madison Square Garden!’” The crowd erupted in cheers.
Variety will have more from the opening night of Harry Styles’ Madison Square Garden residency soon.
Additional reporting by Jem Aswad.
Setlist:
Dance No More
Carolina
Music for a Sushi Restaurant
Cinema
Adore You
Watermelon Sugar
Taste Back
Sweet Creature
The Waiting Game
Satellite
Are You Listening Yet?
Ready, Steady, Go!
Pop
Season 2 Weight Loss
Kiwi
American Girls
As It Was
Carla’s Song
Coming Up Roses
Encore:
(Dolly Parton tribute)
Sign of the Times
Aperture
