The Tamesis
On the first day of Harry Styles’ Together, Together tour in Amsterdam, the Dutch city felt fizzy. About to become popular. I didn’t have to look far to see some of the 50,000 fans who later descended on the Johan Cruyff Arena – one of 10 shows in Amsterdam that Styles will play in a total of 67 shows in seven cities around the world to promote Keep kissing. Disco, occasionally: After Amsterdam, there are London, New York, Mexico City, São Paulo, Melbourne and Sydney.
For me, it started at St. Pancras station in London, waiting in line for the Eurostar: backpacks with era-style faces stitched onto them, cheery hoodies and sweatshirts in baby blues and lilacs. A group of people in sequined cowboy hats walked by, each carrying their own talisman, an ancient artifact—a different version of a One Direction tote bag. In train station lounges you’ll see the so-called “era effect” in action – music tourism data shows that one in four music fans will travel abroad to see their favorite artists. The last time I went to Paris for Taylor Swift’s first European date, it was much the same: sundresses and glitter, herringbone fringe, cowboy boots. Later this year, Celine Dion’s flamboyantly dressed fans will take the same fast train to her Paris residence, and in 2027, Olivia Rodrigo’s fans will be decked out in their Y2K style.
After arriving at Amsterdam Central Station, many people headed directly to Styles’ PleasingLand pop-up store. A long line snaked through the neighborhood, with people chattering in English, Dutch, French and Italian with American and British accents. People are already snapping up what they’ve got: raw T-shirts with slogans like “Respect your mother!” and cinnamon buns on the chest. Styles’ stylist Harry Lambert stopped by, sparking a (gentle, polite) photo frenzy. Even my hotel – the chic Pulitzer Hotel Amsterdam, with its charming Golden Age canal houses and trendy Jansz restaurant – is fanatical about Harry. I heard young women planning omelets before the show as to where to get more facial flash, while “Aperture” seemed to be on rotation at the main bar – or heavily Require.
Despite the drizzle, people began gathering at the stadium in the early afternoon, eager to hear the pop star soundcheck. Among those lining up to buy more merchandise and hot dogs were more people wearing cowboy hats and ties, the latter a reference to Styles’ penchant for statement neckwear. Fashion is expressive: colorful and textural, fans gravitate towards the sartorial sensibility Styles co-founded with Lambert, as well as anything coded by Alessandro Michele. Feathers and fringes are abundant.
Styles’ first tour supporting Swedish pop icon Robyn is truly exciting. (On the train to the arena, fans started singing a ragtag song called “Dancing On My Own.”) When Robyn took the stage shortly after her entrance, the crowd cheered to new songs like “Dopamine” and the classic “Call Your Girlfriend.” As the sun filtered through the stadium’s roof, Robyn slid down the massive stage in a shimmering Dries Van Noten gown, captivating die-hard pop fans and the young and curious alike. (Fans old and new will have the chance to see more of her return to the pop music scene during her European and US headlines sexism Tour later this year. )
Styles hit the stage on time, wearing a custom Celine outfit and her own floral tie, to the sound of piercing screams. He joked as he welcomed the audience to the tour that the first show gave him the feeling of being young and not sure if anyone was going to come to your birthday party. He heard screams again. Midway through the show, Styles did more crowd work, asking the audience where they were from: Are they residents of Amsterdam or from somewhere else? The cheers drew a very international crowd. Upon further investigation, Styles summoned fans from Switzerland and Scotland and led the stadium in chanting happy birthday to a “cute” couple. He puts on one of the many (many, many) cowboy hats tossed at his feet, lifts the white-feathered brim, and tosses it back into the sea of limbs. Dancing around the stage on a loop of new album hits and fan favorites, he expressed emotional gratitude to the strangers he’d danced with over the past few years and encouraged everyone in the room to do the same.
