EXCLUSIVE: As we look back on Harry Styles incredible Love On Tour, Wembley Stadium’s programming manager Matt Owen tells OK! what makes his “joyful” concerts so special…
Last summer, concert-goers turned out in their droves wearing flamboyant cowboy hats and funky feather boas draped around their necks.
They made their way to stadiums in cities across the UK, including London, Edinburgh and Manchester, to see the one and only Harry Styles as the Watermelon Sugar singer finally brought his Love on Tour shows to the British Isles after much delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But it was surely worth the wait.
Reflecting on the summer gigs, Matt Owen, programming manager at Wembley, hails Love On Tour as “a remarkable moment” in the stadium’s history.
Speaking to OK!, he says: “Harry Styles’s performances at Wembley were exceptional. His shows are magnetic, joyful and bring in people of all ages and backgrounds.
“What’s special about them is Harry’s ability to create a unique connection with fans. Love On Tour was a phenomenon that brought fans together to dance, sing and be authentically themselves – creating a safe space for each person, even when surrounded by 90,000 people.
“Six sold-out nights across two years show his impact, but more than numbers, it was the atmosphere he brought – genuine connection and expression.”
Meanwhile, music journalist and former editor of Melody Maker, Mark Sutherland, who also attended a Wembley gig, said Harry is “a rockstar”.
Mark said: “He’s not really playing rock music, but he’s a bit of a throwback when he comes on stage. Normally, you go and see a stadium tour these days and people are flying, there are enormous props – it’s like going to see a Marvel movie. But Harry comes on and just plays songs.
“He could hold the crowd just by doing that, and that’s the old school-style quality you would associate with someone like Mick Jagger, who Harry has been compared to a lot over the years.”
Mark explains what a coup it was for Harry, having seen so many girl or boyband members quit their groups, yet fall at the first hurdle in their bid to launch successful solo careers.
“The thing about bands is that they’re usually greater than the sum of their parts,” he says.
“When you break off from that, sometimes it can really work. You can move away and establish your own identity – if you look at Robbie Williams, perhaps – but generally it’s much harder to do that.
“Although you already have a massive platform and people will be interested in what you do, that’s all it is, really – a platform. You can’t just put out anything you like and expect you’re going to be as big as the band that you were in. You have to put the work in to establish your identity away from the group. That’s what Harry has done really well.
“Your first thought of Harry now is not, ‘He was in One Direction,’ it’s ‘He’s a solo star’ – and that’s very difficult to do.”