Concerts coming back in Style
Returning to live music post-pandemic
If you were in class at 6 pm on Wednesday the 22nd of September, you might have noticed a few students missing. Nothing dramatic happened, don’t worry, but Mr. Harry Styles was playing just a few miles away at the Xcel Energy Center, and a fair portion of the student bodyㅡincluding myselfㅡwas there, singing and screaming.
Since we as a society find ourselves at the tail end of a pandemic, I can safely say that it’s been a while since anyone has been to a concert. I myself was supposed to see the Lumineers in Milwaukee, but the show was canceled, like many others. Harry Styles, accompanied by Jenny Lewis, was supposed to come to Saint Paul in July of 2020, but his “Love On Tour” tour was rescheduled to fall of 2021 due to COVID restrictions. Seeing as most of us here on campus have gotten our vaccines, the tour has gone on as scheduled, and the day of the 22nd, I and many other Katies couldn’t stay in our seats, bouncing up and down with excitement.
I interviewed Hannah Bladow ‘23 (Psychology) and Grace Huft ‘34 (Social Work) about their experiences leading up to the concert. “It’s been at least a year and a half since I saw Hippo Campus play live in February of 2020,” Bladow says. “Before that, I saw One Direction, Ed Sheeran, and Fall Out Boy. No one knew the pandemic was coming, and I’m glad I got to have one last live event before the shutdown, but I miss concerts so much.”
For Huft, it had been even longer. “I saw Luke Combs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday the 18th, but before that, it had been since 2019, when I saw Carrie Underwood. I’ve been to see Demi Lovato and I saw Harry Styles in 2018, it’s safe to say that I missed concerts a lot.”
As far as their relationship to concerts, both Huft and Bladow feel that seeing shows is a pivotal part of being a fan. “Every concert has a different vibe,” says Bladow. “I really enjoy being in a space where everyone is sharing the same energy. One Direction put on a great show, I was on the floor and had so much space to dance.”
The line out the door was full of excitement and fantastic outfits!
Huft’s favorite part of the concert experience is the people. “I’m a screamer, a crier, a dancer, and a singer,” she says. “I go to concerts for the vibe.”
I can personally say that walking into the arena was surreal. The Xcel Energy Center has a vaccine or negative test mandate, as well as a mask request for everyone who comes to see a show. However, this didn’t marr the experience in the slightest. The group was buzzing from the moment that we stepped in line.
“It was a really different experience from the Luke Combs concert,” Huft remarked. “There in Sioux Falls, it was more of a party and less of a socially distanced gathering. My friend and I were one of the only people to be wearing masks, and I was worried about the differing political views affecting our experience.” She laughed, saying, “I don’t think anyone at the Harry Styles concert that minded wearing a mask, we were all just so excited to be there again.”
The concert itself was absolutely amazing. Harry is a wonderful performer and kept the crowd laughing, singing, and feeling free. “Before the concert, I kind of shut down emotionally, I just knew that I was about to experience something fantastic,” Bladow remembered. “As soon as Harry came on stage, I was able to jump and dance and let myself go emotionally. It was really cathartic.”
Fans all put on their flashlights at multiple points during the concert
The thing that made the difference for Huft was the dress code. “Everyone dressed up!” Huft says. “I actually felt underdressed. People showed up in cool pants, awesome shirts, and there was many a statement shoe.”
After the concert, all of us have been able to reflect on what music and concerts mean to us. “Pre-pandemic, I felt entitled to concerts. I definitely took them for granted,” Bladow remarked. “Now, knowing what I was missing while we were all quarantining, I’m able to appreciate them fully again. The Harry concert was like the first concert for me.”
Huft felt similarly and reflected on the added element of anxiety returning to large gatherings. “I was worried about the security at the event and how they’d handle the mandates.” However, Huft acknowledged that this mandate is the new normal in our society, and security handled it with grace.
All in all, Harry Styles, while it was a fantastic show, represented much more than just a group of people supporting an artist. It held a sense of returning to normalcy. Being in a space with that many people was incredible. The energy was palpable, and the crowd was rowdy with excitement and pride. As we’re coming slowly out of this pandemic, we’re reminded that vaccination is crucial to these fantastic gatherings becoming commonplace again. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and many artists are doing shows online as well. Instagram live streams have become extremely popular, and many of them are free. If you’re a music lover, like Bladow, Huft, or I, we’d all say to put concerts onto your bucket list.
