If I could have one musical wish, it would be to have seen Freddie Mercury perform in his peak. Watching Harry Styles light up Accor Stadium in front of a 70,000 strong capacity crowd was probably the closest I will ever get to experiencing that. 

Like other ex-boyband heartthrobs such as Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake, Styles oozed charisma and had the crowd screaming from the minute he hit the stage. But there’s something about Styles that elevates him above even those two excellent performers. As he bounced around the stage, strutting as if he had every audience member in the palm of his hand, it was clear that he had transcended charisma and entered ‘music deity’ territory. He owned the stage in the same way that Freddie did, Whitney did and Bowie did. He just has that star presence that only a handful of greats do. 

Styles’ vocals were strong from the outset. “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” was a very pleasant and fun opener before he moved into crowd favourites “Golden” and “Adore You” which showed his power and range off a little more. He didn’t always attempt all the notes he usually goes for (I wondered if he had a slight cold) but he more than made up for it with highly energetic and affable dancing all around the stage, to which his adoring fans eagerly responded. 

In amongst the vocals was the standard banter that we come to expect from the best artists. Styles apologised for the lengthy delay in returning to Australia since his previous show and promised a good time tonight in return. There were also cat photos, cascading signs and a birthday song for members of his band. Perhaps nothing more than the standard concert chat, but with Styles’ delivery, it was showmanship at its finest. 

The encore was really where the show kicked up to its incredible peak. I feel that when critics look back on the best songs of this century “Sign of the Times” is going to be near the very top. It is the perfectly constructed pop song, from start to finish. With phone lights glittering across the stadium as Styles belted the soaring high notes at the end of the song, it felt as if time stopped for a brief second with the whole crowd entirely present and living in the moment. While scores of camera phones recorded the performance as they typically do, they felt but only a mere distraction in this song with the wonder of the audience focussed solely on the ethereal Styles. 

There was no come-down after the song ended though, with Styles launching straight into “Medicine”, which I understand was highly requested by the Styles fandom. Avid Styles Tiktok followers would have heard the various chants of ‘Leave America’ bellowing around various Australian stadiums over the past few months during “As It Was” and with a 20,000+ advantage over the other Aussie stadiums, I think Sydney took this one. To conclude, Styles finished with the upbeat “Kiwi” to leave the crowd on the highest of high notes. To put it simply, this was a born-to-be showman at work and wow, did he deliver. 

Harry Styles – Accor Stadium – 3rd March, 2023

Rating: ★★★★★