Back in June 2017, when Harry first announced that his world tour schedule would include a stopover in Sacramento, CA, who would have thought that so many incredible moments would be saved up for the historic capital city. My head is still reeling, in fact, from the sensory overload and the incredible reception he received from a packed arena. For someone about to end his tour in Los Angeles just four days from now, it was a thrill to be part of something that was hardly loosing steam. On the contrary, instead of winding down, Harry appears to be just getting started.
So many moments stand out from last night, but there was a particular one, above all others, that is destined to live on in fandom lore for those who were there. About halfway through the concert, a romantic happy sappy Styles started interacting with a recently engaged young couple who were watching the show from a less than desirable vantage point, still wrapped in a contented embrace, stage left. But, what was most extraordinary was how Harry added something brand new to his repertoire about falling in love. Something personal. Something identifiable.
Let's start with one-half of the couple's tweet to Harry Styles that was sent out at 2:18 a.m. this morning, just a few hours after the concert. A tweet quickly 'liked' by Harry.
Loving the blue and green lights *wink*@Harry_Styles Thank you very much Harry we love your concert! And you just make our night amazing! Our best wishes for you! And hopefully we can give you a slice of our wedding cake 😂 –Paulina and Luis pic.twitter.com/FNCbNgo0ko— Luis (@Luyzing) July 10, 2018
Harry had noticed the couple in the audience and began his signature repartee, teasing the affectionate pair about their PDA.
“I’ve never seen two people stand so close together! It’s impossible to get any closer!”
At that point, Luis confesses that he and his fiancée fell in love listening to Harry's song, "Meet Me in the Hallway," which of course inspires mushy Harry to pursue the exchange to humorous effect, hand over heart, moved by the sentimentality being conveyed.
Harry, in fact, is so enamored with the loving happy couple that he invites them to come down into the General Admission area for a better experience. At one point he even coaxed the audience to sing "Congratulations!" to the tune of "Happy Birthday". A bit later, he personally gifted the two with a single pair of drumsticks from the stage as a souvenir of the event. The audience was enjoying the back and forth throughout, familiar with Harry's magnetic ability to interact with the public in between his set list. The boy was definitely in his element, talking about one of his favorite subjects. A person in love with love.
In many ways, Harry's playful exchange about the newfound happiness of this young couple who had fallen in love to one of his songs was memorable on its own. But, what really stood out, above all else, was an unexpected, romantic confession of a different kind. A fond memory Harry revealed about himself as part of the night's introduction to "What Makes You Beautiful."
Oh, reeeally, Mr. Styles. Do tell us more.
What was even more stunning was after Harry announced that, "I fell in love to this song," a hushed silence suddenly took hold in that jam-packed arena, almost like everyone heard the significance of what Harry had just shared and wanted to make sure they didn't miss what might follow. It was incredibly wild. For those who think that people aren't fully aware of Larry rumors, that E.F. Hutton hush among nearly 15,000 people, truly spoke volumes. In fact, let's revisit it again,
Okay, who exactly might that special person be that a 16/17 year-old Harry Styles fell in love with? We know, for instance, that Harry and a certain Louis Tomlinson were in each other's back pocket throughout 2010-early 2012, right before, during and immediately after..."What Makes You Beautiful" was released in the US on February 14, 2012. Prior to the record's American debut, the music video had been shot the previous summer by John Urbano in Malibu, and was uploaded to YouTube on August 19, 2011. The song already had been played a little over a week before on the BBC Radio, August 10, 2011. Later that same month, Harry and Louis shared their iconic Leeds Music Festival "sleepover," during the last weekend in August. The communal experience was memorable for many reasons, including inspiring Harry to wear his Festival wristband for seven months, until March 2012 when One Direction traveled to Australia, interestingly enough the first region outside of Great Britain the group toured.
It also was the event that inspired Louis to comment on someone's Facebook that,
"I'm hot I know, and so is Harry, my boyfriend."
https://narniadispatches.blogspot.com/2018/05/renoir-vs-replica-spot-difference.html
After Leeds, the single of "What Makes You Beautiful" was released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, on September 11, 2011. How kind of Harry to admit that during the entire time WMYB was being packaged and introduced to the public (April 2011-September 2011), Harry was falling in love. And, just who was Harry melded to at the hip during this time frame? Performing on stage with; eating out with; vacationing with; flirting with; moving in with; just being with? That's right. A special someone he met during the X-Factor auditions the previous year: Mr. Louis William Tomlinson.
Sweet Creature
Louis jumping into Harry's arms when the band was put together, X-Factor July 23, 2010
More proof needed? Well, let's look at some random examples of Louis and Harry's social media activity at the time:
@Harry_Styles bad news @Louis_Tomlinson is breaking up with you :'( x— Lucy Davis (@LucyJDavis) April 1, 2011
@LucyJDavis that better be a joke.. Haha— Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles) April 1, 2011
Louis and Harry inseparable even after X-Factor Show ended in December 2010, and prior to the start of One Direction's X-Factor Tour performances, beginning on February 19, 2011.
And, of course, mothers always know,
"What Makes You Beautiful" music video - Behind the Scenes, July 2011
"The boys" obviously referring to Louis and Harry who would soon be moving in together less than two months later, July 2011.
@ellie_smith16 it's currently at Anne's - the boys are going to put it in their flat xx— Johannah Deakin (@JohannahDarling) April 3, 2011
And here's a
Louis' shared exuberance with another fan,
And, of course, the iconic,
Always in my heart @Harry_Styles . Yours sincerely, Louis— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) October 2, 2011
Radio Manchester, August 16, 2011
Hmm. Seems like the Luis of 2018, was named Louis in 2011. Everyone else in the room can see it. No wonder Harry repeatedly waves the rainbow flag during his performance of THAT particular song, every single night.
"Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know, oh oh, you don't know you're beautiful
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know, you don't know your beautiful
That's what makes you beautiful"
X-Factor House, November 2010
Harry and Louis in Malibu, July 2011 striking the Titanic pose.
Milan, October 2011
If you have never had the opportunity to be a part of a Harry Styles show, I highly recommend it. He is an entertainer who truly embraces the joy of performance and connects to his audience in both big and small ways. One moment he is an open book, the next a masterful tap dancer, facetiously grinning and winking about this or that like during his teasing rendition of the song, "Medicine." Often, playful and evocative, regularly drawing on his own personal experiences to connect with his audience, a fandom who, in all kinds of ways, have grown up with Mr. Styles; sometimes he is an enigma, and sometimes someone who painfully exposes himself for all the world to see. One thing is for sure, he is a talented young man who believes in holding on to love. And, despite all odds who wouldn't root for that? Thank you, Harry. I had the time of my life. And, thank you Louis for putting and keeping that smile on Harry's face for some 8 years now. Despite the adversities and challenges, you two are still the ones...made for each other.
pic sources: Twitter, Tumblr
our playlist: What Makes You Beautiful- One Direction
Meet Me in the Hallway - Harry Styles
Medicine - Harry Styles
2 comments:
Sounds like it was a great time, M&M. I had to give some razzing earlier today on Twitter that I was going to get a post out of you on your experience by hook or by crook, but voila! Not necessary! You were already on it and put together quite a dandy account of your experience.
;-)
Glad you had such a great time and dinner looked wonderful from last night!! I know fans are worried they won't see Harry for awhile after the tour ends, but give the guy a break. He will deserve a break after the tour.
Fans cry for more J2 - well, welcome to our world. We haven't had a photo of Jake and Austin together since March 2016 and it wasn't even a professional photo op! It was a haphazard view of them at an SUV. And before that, we didn't have a photo of them together since 2012, so I don't want to hear anyone whining about no pictures of their OTP, lol.
The great thing is there are countless pics of 1D and they all have their solo efforts. They're all over their social media or at radio interviews and television and personal appearances. There is always something to be thankful for.
Just think - Jake isn't even on any social media (FB doesn't count, especially when that isn't even him posting). Austin rarely uses his unless he needs to fake GPS himself somewhere. And they don't do talk shows, Austin has no television show, Jake won't even let himself be seen on a film set anymore. They're both the kings of green screen and old vintage photos.
Aaaah. But yet we've built a blog around them. It's an awesome challenge.
Bona fide rant! See above. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
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