One of the world’s biggest pop stars at Ireland’s most iconic venue, Harry Styles treated Irish fans on Saturday to a whopper two-hour performance that earned a five-star review by this newspaper.
But the former One Directioner wasn’t the only one at Slane Castle with talent on display. Among the 80,000-strong, feather boa- and sequin-filled crowd were amateur videographers sharing festival highlights through their phones.
It is a growing trend at pop concerts: the lucky few who make it to the barricade, up close with their favourite artists, will record snippets of the show to share for those who didn’t quite get that view. If you’ve an interest in pop music and have been scrolling through TikTok you’ve probably already seen videos of nearly every moment of Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour and Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour – despite the fact that neither has arrived in Ireland yet.
As post-concert blues hit home, Styles’s Irish fans were at least able to spend the aftermath of Saturday’s event rewatching their favourite moments. Here are our top 10 posts.
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I like Harry Styles, One Day and dogs. I hate the algorithm that spoon-feeds them to me
1. Satellite at sunset
The rain at Slane stayed away for Styles’s set, creating a beautiful sunset background as the singer performed Satellite, from his album Harry’s House, to the sound of cheering fans.
2. Go n-éirí an bóthar leat
As fans prepared for the harrowing journey that is leaving Slane Castle, Styles wished them well as Gaeilge, saying “Slán leat agus go n-éirí an bóthar leat” – “Goodbye and may the road rise to meet you.”
3. Admiring the fireworks
During his performance of Sign of the Times, his debut single, which shot his solo career to success, the Slane audience were treated to a spectacle of fireworks. This eagle-eyed fan caught Styles taking a moment to admire them.
Here’s a view of the fireworks from the back.
4. ‘How does one move on?’
This concertgoer got bang for their buck as Styles looked directly into their camera for a little dance during his song Treat People with Kindness, from his second album, Fine Line.
5. Those lights
In a beautiful moment, the crowd at Slane shone their lights during Fine Line – another song from Style’s second album, of the same name.
6. Sneak peak
Before Styles came on stage, this fan caught a glimpse of him in his green-and-silver sequinned jacket, having a kind-of-secret photo shoot with who looks like his photographer Lloyd Wakefield.
7. ‘Play Medicine’
A much-anticipated part of Love on Tour is when Styles reads some signs from the crowd. Rachel took what the singer described as an “unorthodox approach” to requesting Medicine, an unreleased song that fans have learned through his sporadic performances of it. Styles later obliged to the request, naming Rachel at the beginning of the song.
8. Matilda
Styles performs Matilda, one of his more emotional songs and a fan favourite, from his third album, Harry’s House. What a view.
9. A cult?
We couldn’t resist this hilarious edit of the crowd at Slane waving their hands in the air. All hail Harry Styles. The same scene at regular speed can be viewed underneath.
10. The whale
We couldn’t finish our top 10 moments without the “whale”. Donned in the Tricolour, Styles finishes his performance with his traditional stunt of what we can only describe as spitting, but in a cool way. You’ll have to see for yourself.
