From Page Six · · 1m 20s
Harry Styles stops the Garden for 9/11
On the 25th anniversary, Styles asked 20,000 people to put their phones down and close their eyes.
In brief
On the 25th anniversary, Styles asked 20,000 people to put their phones down and close their eyes. The most powerful thing a performer can do with a crowd that size is ask it to go quiet. Originally reported by Page Six.
A pause at the Garden
During his Friday night show, Styles stopped to honor New York's "incredible resilience" as the city marked 25 years since Sept. 11.
“I want us to take a moment to think about the incredible resilience of this city.”
He named the weight
Styles told the crowd he knew being at a concert that day was hard for many of them, then asked them to think about events that shaped both the city and the century.
Remembering the lost
He paid tribute to the New Yorkers and first responders who died that day, and to people around the world who died in the aftermath.
Seven years old, still vivid
Styles, now 32, said he remembers it clearly despite his age at the time. He described walking home from school into a world that had changed.
“I remember walking home from school and my world becoming completely different.”
Phones away, eyes closed
With no words left, he turned to Bill Evans' "Peace Piece" and had bandmate Yaffra play it on piano while the audience sat in the dark.
“It's brought me a lot of peace, and I listen to it in moments of reflection.”
Two days after the backlash
On Wednesday, fans slammed his ticket artwork showing a yellow car flying over the Empire State Building. "Who approved this?" one wrote. The tribute landed differently.
“bro, that's wild”
The bottom line
The most powerful thing a performer can do with a crowd that size is ask it to go quiet.
