Playing to a packed stadium, Harry Style’s One Night Only show was enjoyed live in Manchester and filmed for Netflix. It was a high-octane spectacle for the history books.
It may have only been for one night, but for 90 minutes Harry Styles was at his electrifying best. The former One Direction star had a message for the 23,500 fans who packed Manchester’s Co-op Live stadium for the one-off concert, which was being filmed for Netflix: “You have a simple job: to have so much fun! Please sing, dance and, by some miracle, if you know the words, join in. If you can’t have fun, pretend. And you might end up on Netflix.”
Available to view on the screening platform from 7pm on Sunday 8 March, tickets for the show cost just £20. Fans took part in a more competitive vote than the Glastonbury ticket scrum to win a place, which attracted 670,000 applications.
With no mobile filming allowed and phones placed in sealed bags, the disposable cameras handed out to ticket holders clicked wildly as Harry opened at 9pm with Aperture, his new single and third UK number one, immediately transfixing the audience.
They continued spinning a set of DJ decks, American Girls, Ready Steady Go and Are You Listening. It was his first live broadcast, as he tried them out on the hungry crowd. Dressed in a blue sweatshirt and yellow pants, with a daisy-print shirt peeking out, he said: “This album means a lot to me, I’ve taken a little time away from it all and now, coming back to this room with you, I know why I’m here.”
After a three-year hiatus, Harry’s new album, Kiss All the Time Disco Occasionally, was released this week. And Friday night’s One Night Only concert was his first stadium show since July 2023, at the new £350m Manchester venue he has invested in, a 50-minute drive from his childhood home of Holmes Chapel. He said: “It feels like coming home.”
Fans clearly thought it was worth the wait, as the energy in the room was insane. The dancing continued long after Harry, 32, left the stage. You could feel the joy, the sweat, the moment.
Cheering him on were his mother Anne and sister Gemma, both smiling from a box. And before the show, a childhood friend of Harry’s told me that the singer had given away 100 tickets to his old school, Holmes Chapel Comprehensive.
Backstage, waiting in anticipation before the concert, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan said: “I’m so excited. It’s a last minute thing to be here, but I love Harry, who doesn’t? I’m excited for Aperture.”
Also sitting in the audience was Harry’s old friend, actor James Corden. But fans were too busy drinking in Harry’s performance to continue watching celebrities.
Swiveling his hips, shaking his butt and shaking his hands, Harry’s energy knew no bounds, dominating the stage like the best clubber on the dance floor. Some fans already knew all the lyrics to the new album, while others were simply screaming, relishing the opportunity to be within reach of their idol.
Also on the set list were Season 2’s Taste Back, The Waiting Game and Weight Loss, all from the new album and all brilliant dance tracks that benefited greatly from the live performance. Harry told his fans: “This album is out in the world now and it means a lot to me. I hope one day it helps you through something difficult.”
Recently speaking about her struggle with the death of former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, who died aged 31 in 2024 after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, she continued: “I rediscovered what it means to be in people’s lives through music these last few years. You’ve changed my life. Thank you so much.”
Before singing Coming Up Roses, a ballad he wrote, he told fans: “The songs I write alone at home are the ones I assume won’t make it on the album. I’ve had a hard time believing in myself sometimes.”
Harry finished his review of the new album with Pop, Dance No More, Paint By Numbers and Carla’s Song, a great gospel choir that adds heart and soul. Ending with a 15-minute encore of “golden oldies”, starting with From the Dining Table, Harry said: “We haven’t played that one in a while. To tell you the truth, I haven’t played anything in a while.”
Then came Golden, Watermelon Sugar, As It Was and Sign of the Times…finally closing with a reprise of Aperture.
Harry, who will perform a record-breaking 12-show tour at Wembley Stadium this summer as part of his seven-city billion-dollar residency-style tour, told his fans: “In a world like the one we have today, which seems so chaotic, it’s very easy to lose hope.
“I encourage you to continue to be the change in the world you want to see… There are so many dangerous things that feel so powerful. But love is powerful, kindness is powerful. Be the light you want to see in the world. Go out and spread the word. We could use a little more peace in the world.”
It was a triumphant return for one of pop’s greatest artists.
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