Harry Styles

Sept 7, 2021

Pandemic induced insanity, that is the only reason I can think of to explain that when my girls asked if we could buy tickets to see Harry Styles in concert, I said yes.  It was smack in the middle of virtual school depression,  October 2020, everything was canceled, and we just needed something to look forward to.  But in saying yes, it snowballed. there were no tickets available nearby, but saying no wasn't even in my head. I found tickets to the Denver show a year in the future and a concert turned into a plane trip, and missing some school. Rachael wasn't as keen on Harry and decided to sit this trip out. Emma, Megan and Bridget and I would be going on an adventure, with the hope that the pandemic would be over. Never in a non-pandemic world do I think this would have happened. It half didn't seem real. I bought tickets but half expected by January that it would get canceled. Other shows got canceled, other artists canceled whole tours but the Harry Styles Denver show survived.

Over the summer we bought the plane tickets, as the virus waned and vaccinations were available. Harry Styles sent out an update and said everyone needed to be vaccinated or show a negative COVID test to attend the concert. Summer came to an end and all of a sudden we were packing to fly. The girls picked out fabric and I sewed new masks for the concert.

PawPaw and Grandma Kate were so accommodating. PawPaw picked us up from the airport after a very early flight. We visited and napped, or at least rested. I don't think Megan slept in the preceding 24 hours and was still too keyed up to sleep. Bill made a special effort to come over right after school to join us for a dinner of burgers and a veggie burger for Bridget. After our early dinner we got ready for the concert and Pawpaw then drove us into the city to Ball Arena.

The crowd was fantastic. There were lots of fun outfits, because Harry is known as a fashion icon and his fans have followed his lead. It was easy to move through the crowd and showing our vaccine cards was pretty straight forward. Our digital tickets wouldn't scan so we had to take a few minutes getting scanned in. We made it and the reality of being at a real in person concert kept the girls' energy palpable. I had so much fun watching their excitement. This was Bridget's first concert and it was a big one.

The venue was great and the opening act was fantastic. The crowd really responded to her and made for a poignant moment when she was a little over whelmed. Our seats, despite being the cheap seats were really good. We had the front row of the top section and could see really well.

Harry Styles came out and a thrill went through the crowd. The energy filled the stadium and the music carried us along. Harry was a little hoarse, and I was concerned, but he gave a great concert. He said that he had hiked the flat irons that day and I suspect the wild fire smoke irritated his throat. But Harry was a professional and pulled back at some parts letting the crowd carry the lyric but hit the high notes that mattered. I kept looking over at the girls and they were engaged in every song. It was a high point. 

When it ended, we lingered. We pre-booked an Uber to get us home at a scheduled time, so we had a few minutes to wait, and just sat in the euphoria of an unexpected experience, one that we had been afraid to hope for and always knew it could have been taken away. In the late night summer air we watched the crowd thin out, we climbed into our Uber after making sure we had the right ride. We sat awkwardly as he had to resync his system, but as soon as we got going we were wisked back to Littleton and to the comfort of Grandma Kate and PawPaw's house. Grandma was on the couch waiting to let us in. The energy of the night was still vibrating through the girls and again I don't think Megan slept much, but I crashed solidly.

I woke up in perfect time to go to morning Mass with PawPaw and when we got back the girls started waking up. We visited and packed up and had lunch gathered around the dining room table. It was relaxed and comfortable to just visit. Grandma shared that she had wanted to rent a bigger car just so she could make the drive to and from the airport with us. She sent us off with love and prayers and PawPaw made the drive back out to DIA. and just like that the whirlwind had us heading home again.