Los Angeles, Aug 22 (IANS): English singer-songwriter Harry Styles, who has been ruling the Instagram reels of late with his 'As It Was' track, recently performed first of his 15 shows at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, etching the moment forever in the hearts of a crowd of roughly 20,000 fans.
The former One Direction member made a single request of his fans during his time on stage: "I ask only one very, very simple thing -- I need you to have as much fun as you can possibly have," he said, quoted by Billboard.
Then with a grin smiling as he looked at the throngs of screaming admirers packed into Madison Square Garden, he pumped the excitement further "I challenge you to have as much fun as I'm gonna have."
According to Billboard, the fans at the venue didn't need this reminder -- even before Styles took to the stage, the attendees were operating on a good-vibes-only basis.
Those vibes started with a set from alternative R&B star Blood Orange, which saw the performer break out hits like 'You're Not Good Enough' and 'Time Will Tell' throughout a chilled-out set.
Billboard added that they continued as the crowd sang along to hits from One Direction, Queen and even Frank Sinatra as they waited for Styles to take to the stage.
Once he did, though, that energy was turned up to an 11. Wailing along with Styles as he pulled out recent favourites like 'Daydreaming' and 'Adore You', every word of the star's performance was being echoed by a crowd of attentive devotees.
The space, meanwhile, remained relatively spartan for a tour of this magnitude — a few sets of drums and keyboards set on either side, Styles' stage sat smack-dab in the middle of the iconic venue, with catwalks extending to either side where the star could rush out and sing directly to the crowd.
It was a set up Styles made sure he mentioned early-on in his set of bangers.
"Quick disclaimer -- this show is in 360 degrees, we're in the round," he said. "Sometimes we're gonna be face-to-face, eye-to-eye, window to soul-to-window to soul. That means that some of the time I'll be facing away from you, and you'll be face-to-ass. If you find yourself discovering a preference, let me know and I will deliver face and ass evenly."