Together Triumphant: A Review of Harry Styles’s Tour Opener in Amsterdam

At the Eurostar terminal at London’s St. Pancras International station in the early morning, Harry Styles fanaticism is already on display: a group of young women waving iced matcha in feathered hats emblazoned with lyrics from Styles’ latest album, Keep kissing. Disco, occasionally. In the lounge, I could hear the trills of “Watermelon Sugar” playing on repeat through nearby earbuds, and Pleasing Merch (Styles’ lifestyle brand) walked by in primary colors. Once in the car, I sped towards Amsterdam Central Station, where I met more women making plans for the night ahead through a WhatsApp group chat called Harry’s Housewives.

This month, the British pop phenom embarks on a massive multi-city residency tour titled “Together, Together.” After 10 shows at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, he will travel to London, New York, Mexico City, São Paulo, Melbourne and Sydney for a total of 67 shows. Styles’ 30-day takeover of Madison Square Garden has proven to be history-making; 11.5 million ticket registrations were registered during the presale period, the highest number ever for the artist, according to Ticketmaster. About 585,000 of them (about 5%) are lucky.

Three years after Styles last toured, I was one of about 56,000 people who attended the first night of Together, Together. “Aperture,” which he performed at the BRIT Awards in February, was a welcome first taste of the human mayhem of jazz musicians. In March, Styles gave UK fans a one-night preview in Manchester. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to luxuriate in the hits Keep kissing…, Refining fan favorites to create a visual world for live streaming. With longtime stylist Harry Lambert and creative director Molly Hawkins on board, Styles has all the right ingredients to create an electro-modern pop experience. And, according to Styles, the album was inspired by dancing with strangers (and possibly a few jaunts to Berlin superclub Berghain), which all started in one of Europe’s best party cities.

In Amsterdam, the “Harris” family became famous. The PleasingLand pop-up shop in the heart of the city had lines stretching around the block, and every time the doors opened to reveal another crazed fan, the so-called “smell arcade” filled with notes of vanilla and citrus. At my hotel, the trendy Pulitzer Hotel Amsterdam, “Aperture” played on rotation in the main bar, and fans gathered in the lobby to apply more layers of glitter to their faces.

I arrived at the Johan Cruyff Arena around mid-afternoon, around the time Styles was doing his sound check. Fan fashion encompasses all kinds of gorgeous outfits with a touch of Alessandro Michele’s Harry Styles: Feathers! Sequins! tie! Trendy jumpsuit!