Styles Returns to the Stage: Concerts During Covid

Will we be able to return to this state of pre-Covid concerts? Source: user Vishnu R Nair via Pexels

Between velocity edits, fan-recorded performances, elaborate story times and seamless outfit transformations, social media is buzzing with clips all revolving around one man that is currently taking over the world yet again: Grammy-award winning pop star, budding actor and fashion icon Harry Styles. However, the content circling social media has begun to beg the questions of whether or not “LOVE ON TOUR” is a safe endeavor, how shows look today and if we can expect more concerts and tours from our favorite artists in the future.

Following the December 2019 release of his second studio album Fine Line, Styles was set to embark on his second world tour “LOVE ON TOUR” in the spring of 2020. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s unpredictability, the tour was postponed to 2021, the European leg set to begin in February. With the growing threat of the pandemic in the winter, the tour was rescheduled again to August 2021, Styles only set to play North America. But, this past July, Styles announced that he would be hitting the road officially in September 2021. That came with a disappointing yet necessary decision -- all shows outside of the United States were to be cancelled indefinitely for safety purposes. Though it was a hard pill to swallow for dedicated fans waiting almost two years to see Styles, it was an understanding one.. 

On the evening of September 4, Styles opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The highly anticipated event was trending on Twitter throughout the entire day. Not only were Styles fans ecstatic to see their idol back on tour, but anyone interested in concert culture was buzzing. Due to Styles’ evident popularity and “LOVE ON TOUR” being one of the few tours breaking the COVID-inflicted concert drought, patrons of the shows took to social media to document the night. Everything from live updates (most notably from Twitter user @watermelonsvgar), fashion documentation (the Twitter account @hsloutfit is dedicated to highlighting fan outfits) and concert snippets (@harry.sstyles and @kissyyharry on TikTok) have been flying around the internet. The content is feeding pop culture connoisseurs with the taste of normalcy they have been craving since the start of the pandemic.

Prior to the Las Vegas show, Styles’ team, Harry Styles HQ, put out a statement regarding COVID policy for “LOVE ON TOUR.” Regardless of individual arena protocol and state-wide mandates, ticket holders must either provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or submit a negative COVID test within 48 hours prior to the show. Additionally, fans are required to wear a mask for the entirety of the show. The majority of concert-goers on social media following the Vegas show admitted that the masks did not hinder their experience. They were simply happy to be back in the concert environment again. Various Twitter users reported that even Styles himself instructed a fan to wear their mask correctly during the September 7 show in Denver, Colorado (via @LTHSOURCE on Twitter). Despite the positivity being highlighted, the Vegas show did not go smoothly for all patrons. 

Twitter user @loversinlace was one popular Styles fan that went viral on the app as she broadcasted her Cherry Pit experience at the show. Two days later, she tweeted that she tested positive for COVID-19 after the show, despite being vaccinated. In her thread, she informed her followers of where her seat was, when she started getting symptoms, that she had worn her mask whenever not taking photos and that she would be proceeding to isolate for the next 10-12 days. Her other close contacts had supposedly tested negative, but other fans at the show had mixed feelings regarding the statement. Although most were pleased that she was attempting to caution everyone she could, many blamed her for risking her own health, claiming that concert-goers are prolonging the pandemic and that Styles is at fault in some way. 

More Twitter uproar erupted when a thread from @cisspiderman exposed the close contacts of @loversinlace for attending the Denver show only a few days after the Vegas one. They all claimed to receive negative rapid and PCR tests, but many users were dissatisfied with their approach. 

This has not been the only instance of a positive COVID test following the show. For this reason, it seems as though the vast majority of people are not nervous to get back into big crowds at arena’s like the MGM Grand Garden. Styles is currently one of the few artists performing that has required patrons to show proof of full vaccination or provide a negative COVID test and wear a mask, causing some fans to feel as though other artists are not being as cautious. 

COVID-19 protocols seem to be up to the artist and their team’s discretion, which presents a sense of uncertainty for the future of concerts and music festivals. The growing rate of both vaccinations and variants seem to cancel each other out, and despite some shows being played currently around the country, the future of live music with an audience is still unknown.