When will "Love on Tour" end?

Charlie Deitchman '23

Opinion & Sports Editor

Extremely popular artist turned actor, Harry Styles, recently ended a record breaking 15-night residency at Madison Square Garden in New York. While many praise Styles for accomplishing this impressive feat, there needs to be a larger conversation surrounding the issues that have come up due to his fans. 

Styles’ current tour, known as Love On Tour, began in September of 2021 and has already been extended into 2023. These shows are filled with swarms of Harry Styles fans— “Harries”— dressed in brightly colored clothes, camping outside of the arena for days. For three weeks, the streets outside of Madison Square Garden were covered in fans camping out in tents, sleeping bags and blankets hoping to get spots against the barricade in the pit at one of Styles’ shows.

Yes, it is true that this is not an occurrence that only happens at Harry Styles shows. Numerous other artists including Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers are known to have fans who wait in line extremely early to get good spots at their shows. However, Styles’ fans were getting in line days before his first show. There are even multiple videos of fans running to get back in line directly after the show ends to get a good spot for the next night. 

I believe that this is a general issue for many music fans, not something that only Harry Styles fans created. However, there needs to be a general consensus as a society to line up for concerts in a timely manner, maybe a couple hours in advance, not a couple days. Nonetheless, “Harries” seemed to take it to a new level, blocking the streets for 15 days straight, creating a dangerous environment for both drivers and fans. There was even one fan who peed in the pit because they had spent too many hours waiting in a line to hopefully get a front row spot. 

Besides the camping, a huge aspect surrounding Styles’ tour is the fashion of it. Love on Tour is a giant fashion show for the fans. What are you even doing there if you’re not wearing a bright pair of patterned wide-leg or flared pants with a tight shirt, go-go boots, and of course a boa? There is nothing wrong with the outfits themselves; if I'm being honest, I think a lot of them are very cute. However, the sheer number of $500 Shein and Amazon hauls I have seen in the last two years of fans putting together their outfits to go see “Love on Tour” for one night is both an economic and environmental crime. 

Of course, not all fans that were going to Styles’ show spent that much on an outfit or bought their outfit from an extremely harmful fast-fashion company like Shein. I have seen some videos of fans who DIY-ed their outfits. However, a large enough number of people were not as creative, causing a build up of waste due to the excessive use of brands like Shein, Forever 21 and Amazon. The boas alone left Madison Square Garden and the streets of New York covered in scattered feathers for weeks. 

There is nothing wrong with getting excited about seeing an artist who you care about and wanting to put together a mind-blowing outfit to wear to it. One of my favorite parts of going to concerts is choosing what I am going to wear. However, if it is an outfit that you are only going to wear for one night, please don’t drop $500 on a bunch of poorly made clothes that are going to support a company fueled by child labor and unequal wages. I guarantee that you will be able to find extremely cool and unique pieces from second-hand and more sustainable stores for around the same price. 

I don’t have a problem with Harry Styles. I think he’s a talented guy who makes pretty good music and I love what he advocates for. He has helped millions of people with their mental health, identity and so much more. However, when such a large percentage of his fan base blows up his shows, it sets a false precedent for all concerts that the surest way to create the best, most memorable two-hour experience is by waiting in line for days, creating a build up of traffic and waste in the process.