Harry Styles successfully entertains during his first show in Seoul

Music & Performance

Published: 21 Mar. 2023, 10:29 Updated: 22 Mar. 2023, 09:55

Harry Styles successfully entertains during his first show in Seoul

British singer Harry Styles performs at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Monday. [LLOYD WAKEFIELD]

Most people want just one thing from a concert — to get their money’s worth of entertainment. That was what British musician Harry Styles came to Seoul to deliver, and deliver he did.

During his first solo concert held in Korea at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul Monday night, the former One Direction boy band member and perhaps one of the most in-the-limelight celebrities in Hollywood these days put on an hour-and-a-half performance that delighted and crazed the audience.

“Our job tonight is to entertain you,” Styles shouted happily at the beginning of the concert. “Your job is to have the most fun.”

Numerous Korean celebrities were among those who had come out to have the most fun, including members V and RM of boy band BTS, Rosé and Jennie of girl group Blackpink, actor Ryu Jun-yeol, Hyungwon of boy band Monsta X and more. Perhaps as an homage to all the K-pop stars in attendance, Styles' team blasted “Dynamite” by BTS and “OMG” by girl group NewJeans before the concert began.

The KSPO Dome was packed full of fans, many carrying signs that read “Harry You Are the Love of Our Lives” or other handwritten slogans and banners. There were more than 15,000 people in attendance, according to Live Nation Korea, the domestic organizer of the event.

The crowd was hooked the moment Styles appeared on stage in a green-and-silver zebra-striped jumpsuit and began dancing while singing one of the hit tracks from his latest album “Harry’s House” (2022), “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.” The audience appeared delighted by Styles' buoyant energy, and the crowd often shouted out his name and sang along to the choruses of songs as Styles moved on to “Golden” and “Adore You,” both tracks from his second full-length album, “Fine Line” (2019).

After three songs, Styles made conversation with the crowd.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” the singer said in Korean, meaning 'hello,' before introducing himself in English. “My name is Harry. It is an absolute pleasure to be here with you in Korea. This is my first time here. Thank you for such a warm welcome — please have fun tonight, and please be whoever you wanted to be. Let’s go.”

Styles really seemed to mean it when he said he was in Seoul to entertain his fans, as the set list continued on to his most well-known and acclaimed tracks, including “Day Light,” “Woman,” “Matilda” and “Cinema.” During “Matilda,” the audience all turned on the flashlights on their smartphones and waved them to the beat of the music. Styles seemed delighted by the event the fans had organized.

British singer Harry Styles performs at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Monday. [LLOYD WAKEFIELD]

“Stop being so good,” the singer shouted as the crowd continuously sang along in unison to the songs as the concert went on. Styles seemed to have heard beforehand of the fan chant culture of Korean concerts — where crowds sing along to songs word-by-word as the performer sings — as he was unfazed and rather delighted by the constant buzz of singing.

After slowing down to more mellow songs in the second half of the act, Styles led the crowd into another craze reminiscent of the opening of the concert by choosing the massive hits “Late Night Talking,” “Watermelon Sugar,” “Love of My Life” and “Sign of the Times” in a row, before bringing the atmosphere to a peak with the Billboard-topping song “As It Was.”

“Saranghaeyo,” Styles shouted in Korean during the songs, saying 'I love you,' as the crowd sang along to “As It Was” in perfect chorus. In between, the singer picked up items that fans had thrown on stage — a bunny headband, a gat (traditional Korean hat), and even a Korean national flag that Styles waved above his head before hanging on his standing mic for the remainder of the event.

“I am so happy I came out here tonight,” said Lee Hyun-jin, a university student who was in attendance at the concert Monday night. “Harry’s tour name is ‘Love On Tour,’ and I felt loved and excited by his performance. And I cannot believe how many people are here tonight.”

Styles debuted as a singer after appearing on the seventh season of the British music competition series “The X Factor” (2010). He joined the British boy band One Direction, becoming a member of one of the best-selling boy groups of all time. His third full-length album “Harry’s House” broke many records and was critically acclaimed, garnering the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2023. Monday was Styles’ first solo concert held in Korea.

“I do hope he comes back,” said Lee. “I really haven’t been to a concert for a long time during the pandemic, and tonight reminded me of what it feels like to be in a crowd enjoying good music with people you love.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]