HARRY STYLES: TOGETHER, TOGETHER

GNP Stadium, Mexico City.

August 10th, 2026

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First of all, I need to clarify two things: One, this isn't exactly a concert review. And two, I’m not a Harry Styles fan. The two points go hand in hand, since I don't intend to write a Harry Styles Intro or review his albums. So why go to the trouble of writing an editorial about him? Well, the third point is that I hadn't planned on doing it, but his August 10th concert at the Foro Sol -or rather, the GNP Stadium- was truly impressive; to my surprise, I enjoyed it immensely, and I simply can't let it go unmentioned.

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But let’s take this step by step. Corvan, if you aren't a Harry Styles fan, what the heck were you doing at his concert? Well, to explain that, I have to get personal again. Almost three years ago -back in November 2023- I took my son Risp to Mexico City to see Paul McCartney on the “Got Back” tour. I had already seen him in 2012, and frankly, I preferred the Guadalajara show, but that trip was about letting my son enjoy the experience, and boy, sure he did. Well, my daughter Janis, the one I proudly introduced to you all as a newborn back in 2012, has grown up. She’s 14 now. She’s learning to play the guitar, and we share a love for music like the Beatles, Hombres G, and Vetusta Morla. But she also has her own musical tastes, music she is truly passionate about, not just what’s typical for her generation. It’s not that she’s a teenage K-Pop or boy band fangirl (though there’d be nothing wrong with that); she specifically likes Harry Styles. Not One Direction, Harry, his solo work. I really realized this when I figured out the guitar chords, that simple F – Dm – C progression, and saw the excitement on her face when I showed her how to play "Sign of the Times." A few months ago, during lunch, she told me shyly, almost as if resigned to a flat "no" beforehand: "Dad, Harry Styles just added a new date in Mexico City." My God, I didn't even know there were dates scheduled. It’s not my kind of music. It wasn't in our city, so it meant planning a trip... I didn't say yes. But I didn't say no, either. Later that day, I checked the prices and realized she was worth it. The look on her face when I told her we had tickets was everything.

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So off we went to Mexico City; we took an early-morning flight on Monday and stayed in an Airbnb near Foro Sol, I mean, Estadio GNP (old habits die hard!). There was a sea of ​​people, mostly girls around Janis's age, ALL wearing Harry t-shirts and accompanied mostly by their moms. Getting in was a bit chaotic, with street vendors selling bootleg merch; we picked up a shirt for her there and later regretted not buying more. Our seats were in the stands, on the right-hand side when facing the stage (almost the exact spot where I saw Paul with my son three years ago). I’m past the age where I can handle standing through a whole concert in the general admission area, and besides, the seats had their advantages, as you'll see.

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We arrived a little over an hour early, and from our vantage point, we watched the massive venue fill up while listening to the final tracks from Jorja Smith, the opening act for Harry’s tour, who performed some very pleasant R&B. The first surprise for me came even before the concert began. I’ve experienced great pre-show atmospheres before, especially at Paul McCartney concerts, where the PA system plays Beatles songs (not on the setlist) or music by associated artists, and the crowd sings along. But this pre-show vibe was simply spectacular: it wasn't just Harry or One Direction songs, but tracks like Maná’s “Oye Mi Amor”, which the whole stadium sang in unison, as well as Juan Gabriel’s “Hasta Que Te Conocí” and Alejandro Fernández’s “El Rey.” The crowd’s singing was actually louder than the stadium’s sound system. It felt like a party. I was an outsider, but I was thoroughly enjoying it.

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Harry Styles took the stage with British punctuality at 9:00 sharp. The lights went down, and the stadium roared, with the crowd rising to their feet, never to sit down again. Harry appeared wearing loose-fitting gray pants, a light brown shirt with blue accents, and his signature darker brown tie. He kicked things off with “Are You Listening Yet?”, though that’s about all I can say, given I only know two or three of his songs. That’s why this isn’t a typical concert review like the others I’ve written; I won’t go into detail about every song he performed, but rather focus on what caught my eye and deserves mention on a rock-focused page. Harry has an incredibly commanding presence. He isn’t a diva; instead, he shares a genuine connection with his fans. He spent the entire time running all over the massive stage setup, not the standard arrangement with the musicians at the back, but a design featuring rectangular platforms and a central walkway that allowed him to get close to and interact with the audience filling the front third of the stadium. As he did this, well-hidden cameras (drones?) broadcast the action onto the two giant screens, enhanced by dazzling sparkles and TikTok-style video effects. The walkways featured lights and effects that activated as the singer moved along them. The production was extraordinary to me, accustomed as I am to rock concerts, and it even eclipsed the shows by Metallica and Roger Waters, which had previously blown me away in that regard.

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At one point, the rain started pouring. It wasn't just a light drizzle, but a downpour that made it feel as though the sky was collapsing onto the city. Spectacular lights swept across the stage and the crowd, adding a dramatic flair to the rain. While many artists suspend or cancel shows due to the weather, Harry kept running all over the place. He slipped at one point but didn't fall. What struck me most was that he kept his musicians sheltered under a sort of dome, safe from the water. If there’s one thing I know, it’s how uncomfortable it is to get shocked when completing a circuit - touching bass or guitar strings while leaning in toward the microphone. Harry performed several songs on guitar right in the middle of the downpour, nearly blinded by the rain, and brought out only two of his backing vocalists/dancers to join him on a choreographed tour of the stage in the rain. After almost every song, he paused to thank the audience; acknowledging that this was the final show of his Mexico residency, he expressed a touch of nostalgia about leaving the country and spoke of how wonderful his time there had been. Our seating in the stands kept us completely dry, thanks to the overhead roofing.

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When the rain stopped, he went offstage to change (he returned in the same outfit, though dry, maintaining visual continuity, a detail few consider), while the band kept playing a One Direction song; apparently, he can't sing it live himself, but nothing stops a stadium of 60,000 souls from doing so. Once again, the crowd's roar drowned out the GNP’s powerful sound system. I had never understood how the Beatles couldn't be heard in stadiums; well, sixty years after the Fab Four's final concert in San Francisco, I finally got it. Had the audience wanted to, the entire concert could have been one continuous scream from start to finish, despite today's powerful sound systems, but Harry knows how to pace the show and when to pause. He performed a ballad accompanied solely by strings, another highlight being that all the arrangements were live, played on real instruments. The violin and cello section returned for several songs, and there were only a couple of tracks featuring a DJ with pre-recorded beats.

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The musicians were incredible. Before the encore, he introduced each of them; the biggest ovation went to Sarah Jones, the drummer. Not only was she stunning, but she also shone on the drums, nailing intricate disco beats for the dance tracks and maintaining a steadier, more measured rhythm for the ballads.

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Towards the end, he engaged in some playful banter with his guitarist, the Colombian musician Juan Ariza. Harry expressed his gratitude for the wonderful time spent in Mexico, while Ariza jokingly "translated" into Spanish, claiming Harry exploited the musicians, denying them food and sleep, or didn't even know their names, which made the crowd laugh. Finally, Juan clarified the joke, thanking Harry for the band he had assembled and expressing gratitude for the solidarity shown toward Colombia, which had suffered a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake that very morning. Harry ran across the stage shouting in Spanish, "Viva México, Viva Colombia, Viva Latinoamerica," and ended by improvising a song right there on the spot.

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He wrapped things up with his two most iconic songs. You might or might not like Harry Styles, but any true rocker should be able to recognize Good Pop. And within the realm of Good Pop, there are songs that transcend genres and eras- tracks like Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” Robbie Williams’ “Angel,” Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” Well, you get the idea. “Sign of the Times” falls into that category. My daughter had already lost her voice by that point, but seeing the look on her face as the song began was truly magical. The track is simple yet powerful; the vocals slowly build to a climax before dropping back into those subtle, falsetto pre-choruses. It’s a great song. The final closer was “As It Was,” featuring that catchy electric piano riff, Harry running all over the place, and the entire stadium turning into one big party. At the end, Harry and his band took a bow while fireworks lit up the sky. If I had one wish, it would have been to hear “Kiwi”, one of the three songs of his I actually know, and the most rock-oriented track in his repertoire.

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It’s not that I was predisposed to suffer or have a bad time. The thing is, I simply didn't expect to enjoy that much a concert by an artist I wasn't very familiar with quite so much. Yet, I left not only happy but filled with immense respect. This guy really knows what he’s doing: he writes his own songs, plays guitar and piano, oversees the arrangement details, has a great voice, dances, and is a true showman. He’s also a very down-to-earth, professional guy who respects his musicians and his audience, qualities you can’t just fake or put on an act for.

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In the end, I think everyone left happy. For me, seeing the look of satisfaction on Janis’s face was more than enough. It was one of those unforgettable father-daughter moments, right along with the days we spent exploring the city afterward. But yes, this old rocker, who walked in wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt, thoroughly enjoyed the concert. I finally understood why Harry Styles can sell out the GNP Stadium for six nights, and could have added one or two more dates if he’d wanted to. And that is incredibly hard to pull off...

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Even for popstars.

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By Corvan

Aug/15/2026

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