There is nothing that signifies the return to live performances quite like Harry Styles in pastel purple pants, a matching unbuttoned dress shirt and a bright hot pink spotlight shining down on him. The British singer finally returned to the stage in early September, after suspending his tour for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Billboard.
Some of the university’s students have driven to Washington, D.C., Hershey Park, PA and even New York City to see their favorite artists perform live. Although mask restrictions and other COVID-19 protocols have changed the concert experience for many fans, most Maryland students are happy to abide by the rules if it means getting to see their idols in person.
Meghan Shaffer, a freshman psychology major, has already attended three Styles concerts in D.C., New York City and Tampa, FL since the singer resumed his Love On Tour this year. The tour was originally set for 2019, but was paused after the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., according to Billboard. Now, during the pandemic recovery era, Styles has returned to the stage under strict COVID-19 precautions.
“Harry mandated [that] everyone has to wear masks, and you have to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test,” said Shaffer. “[But] in New York City, they only let vaccinated people in.”
COVID-19 restrictions vary from state to state. New York requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. But at Styles’ concert in Tampa, FL, Shaffer said fewer people wore masks than at the concerts in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
At the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., almost everyone in the pit - the area on the floor in front of the stage -wore masks, according to Margaret Dailer, a senior kinesiology and psychology major.
On-site COVID-19 testing was also available, Dailer added.
After waiting almost two years to attend the concert, the mask requirement did not prevent attendees from enjoying the performance.
“[The concert] meant so much that we didn't care,” Shaffer said. “We'd been waiting for it for so long.”
Most fans were just happy to be back in the concert atmosphere, Dailer noted.
“[Styles is] so interactive with the crowd and he's so energetic,” she said. “It just creates such a positive atmosphere, especially after COVID. It was just a really nice relief [and] stress-free environment.”
Playing hits from 2019, Styles fans were transported to easier times before the pandemic. Similarly, at the Kesha and Jones Brothers concerts, fans were swept up in childhood nostalgia as the artists played songs that reminded fans of pre-COVID life.
Sarah Lombardo, a junior special education major, said Kesha’s concert was a friendly, chaotic and glitter-infused mosh-pit. Making up for lost time since her last tour in 2019, Kesha transported fans back to 2010.
“[Kesha] played every song that was released 10 to 15 years ago,” Lombardo said. “[It was also] ultra-trendy, to the point where you probably wouldn't wear [your outfits] anywhere else.”
But Kesha was not the only artist who came out of the shadows this year. The Jonas Brothers also made their long-awaited return to the concert stage.
Kayla Gerhardt, a freshman criminology and criminal justice major, saw the Jonas Brothers in concert in late September. The band played a handful of new songs along with a lot of earlier hits, including a few tributes to Camp Rock.
“A lot of their older stuff are the fan favorites,” Gerhardt said. “When they started pulling up old Disney stuff, it's just like, that's our childhood, [that’s] the stuff we know so well.”
Getting swept up in the post-concert fever, some of the university’s students are already searching for tickets to their next live performance.
Dailer scored tickets with a couple of friends to a Maude Latour concert in December. However, after standing in the pit at Styles’ concert, she expects it may be hard to top his performance.
“The experience, in general, was unmatched in my opinion,” Dailer said. “I've been to a lot of concerts and that was definitely one of my favorites.”
Flashlights from the balcony surrounded Styles like stars as fans sang along to hits they had waited over a year to sing with the famed songwriter. Swept up in the high energy and upbeat performance, fans got a taste of the post-COVID concert season to come.