Harry Styles Dresses Up as Dorothy for Wizard of Oz-Themed Harryween Show on Halloween Eve
Thousands of angels, demons, cowboys, ghosts, animals, astronauts, unicorns, Cruella de Vil, Britney Spears, and princesses and queens of all stripes gathered on the sold-out Madison Square Garden for the first of Harry Styles’ two “Harryween” concerts a day early.
Despite the presence of a large number of accompanying parents, at least 65 percent of the audience was dressed to the nines, and Styles and his band did not disappoint, as all of the musicians wore elaborate “Wizard of Oz” costumes, with Harry dressed as Dorothy. He wore a blue-checked frock with a bow in his hair, thick rouged makeup, a basket with a stuffed Toto, and sparkly red shoes during the entire presentation.
“Growing up in England, we like Halloween,” he said early in the show. “But we definitely didn’t get into it as you do.” He pranced around the stage in his costume. “I look cute!”
The group’s well-kept set was a comical contrast to their “Wizard of Oz” costumes. Styles would occasionally camp it up, skipping, curtsying, and raising his dress-up to execute a shuffle step. In a Dorothy costume, he was largely in arena mode, boogying around his mic stand and thrusting his highly tattooed arms skyward in Elton John-esque “Come on!” exhortations. His artificial eyelashes and heavy mascara began getting into his eyes during “Cherry,” as if to emphasize the point. He kept going, blinking and rubbing his eyes and trying not to chuckle.
Meanwhile, guitarist Mitch Rowland portrayed the Cowardly Lion, bassist Elin Sandberg portrayed Glenda the Good Witch, keyboardist Niji Adeleye portrayed the Tin Man, drummer Sarah Jones portrayed the Wicked Witch of the West, and so on.
Styles’ set featured songs from his latest album, “Fine Line,” as well as tracks from his self-titled debut and “What Makes You Beautiful,” a Harry showcase from his One Direction days — and one significant addition: a soaring cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It’s not an easy song to sing, but Styles nailed it, easily navigating octave leaps and a challenging key change while the legendary Madison Square Garden ceiling lighted up in rainbow colors.
Styles clicked his heels three times, grabbed up his basket, and fled stage left after a closing double-punch of “Watermelon Sugar” and “Kiwi.”