In response to multiple complaints online from Harry Styles fans who paid for special “VIP” floor tickets on the first two nights of the singer’s “Together Together” tour, but found their views obscured by the 10-feet-tall walkways circling the stadium’s floor that the singer frequently performed upon, the tour’s official rep has issued the following statement:
“The floor concept was designed to give fans freedom of movement and the ability to experience the show from different positions, rather than being confined to one fixed viewing angle,” the statement reads. “That open, free-flowing floor experience has always been an essential part of Harry’s live shows. A small area of the staging in specific floor positions appears to have had a restricted sightline. Those areas are being reviewed carefully and adjusted where possible in compliance with all safety restrictions.”
Sources tell Variety that adjustments are expected to be made in the coming days.
Variety attended the tour’s opening night at Johan Cruijff Stadium in Amsterdam, and viewed half of the show from one of the floor areas in question. While our position was good — mid-floor, with clear views of the stage and many of the walkways — at times, Styles was slightly obscured by the height of the walkways. However, simply backing up or changing position — there was ample room on the floor — largely solved those issues, and Styles was rarely in one place for long. (The photos and video in the Instagram post below were mostly taken from the floor.)
View this post on Instagram
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
However, several posts on social media showed that some fans at the back of the stadium floor were at a disadvantage.
The concert’s setup is unusual in that the front stage, where Styles’ band is located for most of the show, is only sometimes the focus of attention. Styles takes full advantage of the walkways — three of them spanning the floor lengthwise with one crossing the middle, totalling around 350 yards in length — and spent around half the show away from the main stage, almost constantly on the move. (One highly motivated fan even mapped out his locations during the show.) His band and dancers even joined him for a mid-show segment, performing three songs on the middle walkway. The goal seemed to be to allow as many fans as possible to have a close view of the singer, and Styles easily covered several miles walking, dancing or running down the walkways.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYiB0RaSq6r
Tour representatives encouraged fans to take advantage of the space on the floor and move into a better position if they find their view obscured, rather than remaining in one spot or staying close to the barricades next to the walkways. However, sources say the tour’s production is working at improving the areas with obscured sightlines.
Exactly how those issues will be mitigated is unclear, but after Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” tour experienced a number of similar complaints, some venues apparently elevated the floor in sections, although there was no official comment from the tour on that tactic.
From Variety US