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Last September, Harry Styles kicked off his first-ever solo tour at the Masonic in San Francisco.
Ten months later, the British heartthrob returned to the Bay Area to perform at a much larger venue — the SAP Center in San Jose — on July 11.
The difference between those two outings was pretty remarkable.
While Styles came across as a bit timid, unsure and definitely lacking in stage presence and charisma on the first visit, he was confident, poised and bursting with energy in his return.
The biggest surprise this time around? He was able to compensate for his still-rather-thin songbook, which draws mainly from his one solo set, last year’s eponymous 10-song debut. He definitely wasn’t able to do that in September and it basically sunk the show.
Overall,Styles — who came to international fame as a member of One Direction at the start of this decade — looked lost onstage during that 2017 show. Now, it’s like Styles has found — dare we say it? — direction again.
The concert was an appealing doubleheader, given that acclaimed singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves was the opening act. The East Texas native did a fine job warming up the full house of die-hard Styles fans with a 35-minute set that consisted mainly of tunes from her critically adored new album, “Golden Hour.”
"Crazy" cover by @KaceyMusgraves at @SAPCenter pic.twitter.com/8kNril99os
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
Having come to fame as an Americana/roots/country music troubadour, Musgraves is now championing a more mainstream/pop direction that is more John Travolta than John Prine. But it definitely worked for her on this night and she received a nice reception from the thousands of fans wearing Styles T-shirts.
Speaking of T-shirts — Styles must have made a mint on merchandise in San Jose. The lines were as impressive as they were intimidating at each of the merchandise stands, as thousands of young fans vied for position to buy $65 Harry Styles hoodies, $35 Harry Styles vinyl records and $10 button sets. There were also Harry Styles hair ties on sale for $10, with the profits from the sales going to local charities.
Check out the merch lines at @Harry_Styles at @SAPCenter in lovely San Jose, pic.twitter.com/xvSu19XNXZ
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
Styles opened his set with a dramatic run through “Only Angel,” drawing a huge roar from the audience the moment he took the stage with his four-piece backing band. His voice — never the strongest of the One Direction crew — sounded better than average throughout the night. But what he lacked in vocal strength, Styles made up for with his warm, friendly interaction with the audience.
“Good evening, San Jose, California,” he said early in the night.”We have one job tonight and that’s to entertain you.”
And this is how the @Harry_Styles concert starts at @SAPCenter pic.twitter.com/Lr8WB6rFf1
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
Styles would accomplish that mission without having to rely on a lot of extra bells and whistles. He just put on a pretty straightforward pop-rock show, leaving the special effects and laser light shows for those who need such things.
Highlights from the first half of the roughly 100-minute show included a convincing “Ever Since New York,” with Styles improving upon the original version as he fixed the lyrics to “Ever Since San Jose,” as well as a great take on One Direction’s “Stockholm Syndrome.”
"Ever Since San Jose" @Harry_Styles improves his song at @SAPCenter pic.twitter.com/33xZOfeASO
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
It wasn’t surprising to hear the favorable crowd reaction every time that Styles ventured into the songbook of One Direction, the multiplatinum act that went on hiatus in 2016 after delivering such popular outings as 2013’s “Midnight Memories” and 2014’s “Four.” That “boy band,” also featuring Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and, for a time, Zayn Malik, had some memorable pop hits and I’d recommend that Styles lean even deeper into its catalog — at least until he has a few more solo records under his belt.
It's @onedirection time as @Harry_Styles does "Stockholm Syndrome" at @SAPCenter pic.twitter.com/ZP9pUjkrOP
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
Following “Meet Me in the Hallway,” which is the opening track on Styles’ debut, the pop star moved through the audience to a smaller stage erected at the back of the arena floor. Then, accompanied solely by acoustic guitar, he’d croon through the folksy throwaway “Sweet Creature” as well as another One Direction offering, “If I Could Fly.”
More @onedirection … @Harry_Styles does "if I could fly" in beautiful San Jose. pic.twitter.com/kRPhLr5zRy
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
He’d then return to the main stage for a three-song set that proved to be the strongest segment of the night. It kicked off with the nice new song “Anna,” giving one hope that Style will likely avoid the dreaded sophomore slump with his next album, as well as the upbeat One Direction favorite “What Makes You Beautiful” and, by far the star’s best solo song, “Sign of the Times.”
Mr. @Harry_Styles explains "what makes you beautiful" pic.twitter.com/AdZcIR3F0V
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
Bringing main set to close with "sign of the times" @Harry_Styles pic.twitter.com/h3HMISMavi
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
The segment also included some really engaging interaction with the crowd. as Styles played messenger and informed a pregnant woman that she was having a boy and then helped another fan come out.
Styles then left the stage, only to quickly return for a triumphant encore that included a rocking fun cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
. @Harry_Styles covers @fleetwoodmac pic.twitter.com/FbCSke7PUJ
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 12, 2018
