Harry Styles and his band rocked ‘Wizard of Oz’ costumes for the first of his two ‘Harryween’ concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden.<\/b>
\nHalloween came a day early to the blocks around New York\u2019s Madison Square Garden, as thousands of angels, devils, cowboys, ghosts, animals, astronauts, unicorns, Britneys and princesses and queens of all stripes descended upon the sold-out venue for the first of Harry Styles\u2019 two \u201cHarryween\u201d concerts. Even with a heavy percentage of accompanying parents, at least 65% of the attendees were decked out to the nines, and Styles and his band did not disappoint either, as all of the musicians wore elaborate \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d costumes \u2014 with Harry as Dorothy, of course. He performed the entire show in a blue-checked dress with a bow in his hair, heavy rouged makeup, a basket containing a stuffed Toto, and sparkly red shoes. \u201cGrowing up in England, we like Halloween,\u201d he said early in the show. \u201cBut we definitely didn\u2019t get into it like you do.\u201d He pranced around the stage in his costume. \u201cI look cute!\u201d The group\u2019s well-oiled set contrasted hilariously with their \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d get-ups. Sometimes Styles camped it up, skipping, curtsying, hiking up his dress to do a shuffle step. But he mostly was in arena mode, boogying around his mic stand, raising his heavily tattooed arms skyward in Elton John-ish \u201cCome on!\u201d exhortations \u2014 in a Dorothy costume. As if to amplify that point, during \u201cCherry,\u201d his false eyelashes and heavy mascara began getting into his eyes. He gamely carried on, blinking and rubbing them while trying not to laugh. Meanwhile, guitarist Mitch Rowland played emotive solos and roaring power chords as the Cowardly Lion, bassist Elin Sandberg was dazzling as the Glenda the Good Witch, keyboardist Niji Adeleye was the Tin Man, drummer Sarah Jones was the Wicked Witch of the West, etc. The set drew heavily from Styles\u2019 latest album, \u201cFine Line,\u201d and included a handful of songs from his self-titled debut and the Harry showcase from his One Direction days, \u201cWhat Makes You Beautiful\u201d \u2014 and one notable addition: a soaring cover of \u201cSomewhere Over the Rainbow.\u201d It\u2019s not an easy song to sing but Styles nailed it, easily hitting the octave leaps and riding through a tricky key change as Madison Square Garden\u2019s iconic ceiling lit up in rainbow colors. After a closing double-punch of \u201cWatermelon Sugar\u201d and \u201cKiwi,\u201d Styles clicked his heels three times, picked up his basket and exited stage left. Yet for all of Styles\u2019 gracious comments and good-natured quips to the crowd, the best one-liner of the evening belonged to my companion, my 15-year-old niece. From our seats, it was difficult to see what was inside Harry-as-Dorothy\u2019s basket. \u201cWhat do you think he\u2019s got in there?,\u201d I asked Setlist:. Carolina. Adore You. Only Angel. To Be So Lonely. Cherry. She. Two Ghosts \/ Falling. Lights Up. Canyon Moon. Treat People With Kindness. What Makes You Beautiful. Encore:. Sign of the Times. Over the Rainbow. Watermelon Sugar. Kiwi<\/p>\n