After a three-year hiatus, the former One Directioner has announced a record-breaking tour. But this week he’s facing a backlash. Will his big comeback go to plan?
G
od save Harry Styles! Thus far in his career, the former One Direction frontman and unproblematic fave has been the golden boy of British music, one of our few stars to successfully crack America and not embarrass us in the attempt. Amid ever-dwindling sources of national pride, Styles has been a constant, the UK’s preferred Prince Harry and even less controversial than Paddington. But is his charmed run about to come to an end?
As Styles gears up for his big comeback, after a three-year hiatus from music and in large part public life, there are signs he may have set his sights too close to the sun, with controversy over ticket prices and a backlash brewing. Can Harry style it out?
Styles announced his plans for a “seven-city global residency” last month along with his new album, the irritatingly titled: Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. But fans’ enthusiasm for his return was quickly tempered when they saw the ticket prices, with standing tickets at Wembley starting at £144.65 (the 65p is important) and VIP packages stretching to £725.45. Even nosebleed seats cost £92. Meanwhile the most expensive package available, for Styles’ month-long stint at Madison Square Garden in New York, is quoted at $1,667 (£1,208). Fans’ outrage caused the presale to be a trending topic on X this week, with many pointing out the irony of the tour’s title – Together, Together – given the prices and limited stops. “Nobody can afford to go,” said one user. Someone else challenged Styles to front up and collect the cash himself: “I want you to stand in the pit … look every fan in the eye and ask them for $1,200.” Of course, many fans would pay double for that.
