It’s been more than two years since Harry Styles ended his massive Love on Tour run, and he must’ve sensed fans have missed him. On Saturday, he released a nearly nine-minute video titled “Forever, Forever,” potentially the name of the beautiful piano ballad in the clip that closed his final performance from the tour at RCF Arena Campovolo in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy, on July 23, 2023.
The tender video opens with girls and women getting ready for the show during the daytime and discussing their excitement for what’s to come. “I found the tickets,” one says, another declares it’s the “final show” and “final performance.”
A group of fans shows off their friendship bracelets and concert wristbands. “We are committed!” Others practice their dance moves in a field as a delicate piano melody soundtracks their grooves. While the visual showcases a lot of excitement and celebration, it is also bittersweet. “Some sadness because it is the last show … then he will disappear,” a fan says. “We won’t see him dancing on stages anymore,” says another.
Other fans discuss what Styles might wear, from dungarees to an elegant jacket. A fan says that him being shirtless would be better. “I’m really dreaming,” another fan exclaims in anticipation of the concert. Later in the day, a large crowd sing and jump around to “Satellite,” from Harry’s House. There are scenes of water spraying down the crowd in the July heat and fans lounging around in anticipation.
As day turns into night, the crowd grows exponentially. An overhead view of the stage shows the crew setting up instruments before showtime. And then finally, the man of the hour arrives onscreen to deliver his final performance of the night.
Dressed in a sparkly open vest (shirtless, as a fan hoped for earlier in the day) and matching pants, he takes a seat at the piano, his hands adorned with gold rings. “L’ho escrito per lei” (I wrote this for you), he says in Italian before playing the reflective piano-led song, buoyed by horn and string. The stirring ballad draws tears from the audience. “Grazie,” he says, waving to fans as he exits the stage, while the crowd chants his name.
While the new video captures Styles’ final song of his last tour in 2023, he has performed since then, making a surprise appearance in July 2024 at British Summer Time when he joined Stevie Nicks to perform “Landslide” in tribute to the late Christine McVie and “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” Recently, he’s been on a major running kick: In September he ran the Berlin marathon, which followed him running the Tokyo marathon in March. He’s also been seen in St. Peter’s Square for the election of the new pope, among other scant sightings.
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Still, fans are ready for his return to music, and his new video might signal he’s ready, too. It ends with the hopeful message: We Belong Together.
From Rolling Stone US
