Recently, when Harry Styles was asked what he would consider his most iconic fashion moment, the answer was definitive: a red loveheart jumpsuit paired with a plain white tee, worn at Wembley Stadium, London in June 2022. It was a surprisingly functional ‘fit for a man otherwise known for flamboyant looks, but his answer revealed much more than just what he likes to pick off the rails.
He continued, “During that show, that fear left my body and there was a sense of calm,” and that when the heavens opened during “Sign of the Times,” the opening song of the show’s encore, “I remember having a massive smile on my face. I thought, ‘How can I ask for any more joy?’ I felt so full in that moment. I felt like I was flying.”
That show was his first-ever headline performance as a solo artist in an outdoor stadium, a moment that proved to Styles, more than anyone else, that he was more than capable of hitting the biggest of leagues and staying there. He was no longer fighting for credibility in a post-boyband solo career, but now out on his own and dominating the most historic of stages.
It’ll come as no surprise, then, that Wembley Stadium was one of the few stadiums to be chosen as a stop on his Together, Together residency run. Following its kick-off in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 16, it arrives not just as a homecoming for Styles but a coronation: his 12-run show will break Wembley Stadium’s all-time record for most shows in a calendar year (Coldplay previously held the record with 10 shows in 2025).
It’s one thing to play Wembley Stadium as a headline act – a career-high for every artist – but tougher still to create an authentic, lasting connection with the stadium that extends beyond the show. The defining images of Queen’s career came during their headline gigs in 1986, while Muse’s H.A.A.R.P show in 2007 are certainly in the hall of fame. Oasis played some of the best shows of their Live ‘25 reunion tour at the stadium just last summer. It proves rarer than one would imagine.
But Styles is fast becoming Wembley’s most bankable and beloved star. He played three shows with One Direction in 2014, and during the Love On Tour run from 2021-2023, Styles played the Stadium a further six times. The latter provided Harries (and the casuals that were swept up in the madness) a moment of post-pandemic release. There were cowboy hats, pink feather boas and reconnection. Missing out on tickets felt like being robbed of some kind of fundamental human emotion: pure joy.
Together, Together is a different proposition, however. Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally is knottier by design, favouring moodier electronics and oblique lyrics as opposed to the pop-powered Harry’s House (2022) soft-rock stylings of Fine Line (2019). The tour’s opening run in Amsterdam featured rave-influenced production and nods to Underworld and Orchestral Maneuvers in The Dark. Quite the switch-up.
As he returns home to his stomping ground, these were the best moments from the residency’s opening night.
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Creating a community
The Together, Together run kicked off in Amsterdam on somewhat uncertain ground: What would he play? What should we wear? On the latter, fans are split down the middle, with some favouring sequin dresses that shimmered in the setting sun on Wembley’s southern terrace, and the rest opting for the playful business-casual attire of open-collared shirts and oversized ties.
The show’s grid-like production – subtly tweaked after fan feedback – provides excellent sightlines from the seats and a genuinely intimate and thrilling experience for those lucky enough to land in the four sections closest to the stage. Together, Together is fast solidifying its rhythm and identity.
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Back to the beginning
Though he’s lived in London for 16 years, coming back to Wembley still gives him goosebumps. He reminds the crowd that barely a hundred meters away from the Stadium, his dreams began at the nearby Wembley Arena for auditions for The X Factor in 2010 where he became a member of One Direction. How far he’s come and traveled, he’s mused, and ended back at the same place. This time with a few more fans.
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All over the world
The show’s second act leans more heavily in the sonics of Kiss All The Time…, favoring the LP’s ravier stylings instead of brash pop maximalism of his earlier work. It kicks off with unreleased song “Italian Girls,” the performance’s most intense and dance-heavy segment, accompanied by technicolor visuals and a driving beat. It segues nicely into “American Girls,” an ambitious song that sounds perfectly home in the biggest of stadiums.
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In the mix
There’s a fascinating battle at the heart of Styles’ latest album campaign: how to create intimacy and anonymity in your music when you’re one of music’s biggest and most recognisable stars?
He does so smartly in that second act, moving his band to the centre of the stadium and having them play in a circle, facing each other rather than its audience. “Ready, Steady, Go,” “Pop” and “Carla’s Song,” which Styles tells the crowd really unlocked his new album, sound beefier than on record and benefit from heavier arrangements. The latter came as a result of “saying yes” to his friends and finding inspiration and joy on the dancefloor, a feeling that has been undeniably received by tonight’s audience.
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A tribute to David Hockney
On Friday morning, news broke that David Hockney, a giant of post-war British visual art, had passed away, aged 88. Three years ago, Styles sat for a Hockney portrait which captured the latter’s formidable style even into his latter period. Prior to “Aperture,” Styles returned the favour and beamed one of Hockney’s quotes on the two large screens: “What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing. You wouldn’t be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.”
The Together, Together run, which Styles reminds the crowd often, is about the fan’s bond between him and them, but mainly with each other. “It’s so much bigger than you,” he reminds them in one of his many soliloquies. That kind of unfiltered, radical expression, you sense, is exactly what Hockney meant.
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Letting the light in
While not an “As It Was”-sized commercial smash (yet), “Aperture” is one of Styles’ most complete songs – and goes off like a rocket in a live setting. As he dashes between runways and whips up the crowd, the Kiss All The Time…’s opening track evokes a rush of euphoria and will be a setlist staple for years to come. Its repeated refrain (“We belong together”) is chanted by fans like a mantra during the set and on the walk back down Wembley Way to the tube.
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“Little Freaks” is Back
Throughout the Amsterdam run, the encore’s opening track featured a rotation of fan favorites and deep cuts. “Little Freaks” from Harry’s House gets the honor tonight for its tour debut which, if you’re anything of a casual, might surprise you the levels screams and mania this decision brings. It goes down just as well as any of the big hitters, despite its subtlety. Might be hard to drop this one, mate…
