#hs philly

So, I guess it’s fair to say that my emotions were all over the place, and no, I didn’t get a flag, because I had to work so I couldn’t wait in line early, and also because I bought my ticket like, super last minute. I’m talking like, 3 p.m. and the concert started at 8, haha. 

I couldn’t get tickets back in May, so I kept checking StubHub and hoping something would turn up, and nothing did. So, I got into the mindset of ‘If I go, then I go, but if I can’t, at least I’ll be seeing him in June at Wells Fargo.’ But luckily! There were GA tickets posted and I got one immediately. Never bought a ticket so fast! But I remember hearing stories of StubHub tickets turning out to not be valid or were already scanned, so literally, I’m still not getting my hopes up because I’ve never had a problem with StubHub tickets, but it would be just my luck that the first time I do, it’s for Harry’s show. So the only person I told was one person in one of my GCs who had been trying to get tickets for the same show. That was it. I didn’t want anyone else to know just in case my ticket didn’t work and then I would have to explain what happened. 

So I got home from work and got ready and then headed out. I’m still not getting my hopes up. When I got to the area, the line was like, I don’t even know. I thought I was used to crowds from 1D shows and other concerts, but this was no joke. This line wrapped around the building and went back like, three blocks, and then turned a corner for another two blocks and then went down that street. I was... I don’t even know. ‘Shocked’ is an understatement. Anyway, I got in line and was talking to this mom and her teenage daughter behind me (who actually live like, 20 minutes from me. Small world) for a little while, and the girl behind them. 

The line finally starts moving at like, 7:10, and I’m starting to get nervous now, because obviously, I really wanted my ticket to work. So I got up toward the front and went toward the door for GA and held out my ticket. I’m surprised I wasn’t shaking. But then the girl scanned it and was like, ‘have a nice time’ and I wanted to kiss her so bad because thank GOD my ticket worked. I didn’t have to cry or angrily call StubHub or go home without seeing Harry. I walked in and didn’t know what to do at first but I was in! 

Went to the bathroom, and as I walked out, Muna went on. So I missed half their set because I was still in the lobby or whatever trying to get to the section. Which, I just gotta say, was confusing as fuck to figure out, because I’m pretty sure there was only one door to go in, but there should’ve been three. But anyway...

The crowd I was in was really nice. I sat in the last few rows of the second GA section, so not the pit with the rainbows. Which was probably better for me anyway, since I was alone and have work today, so I was closer to the exit and would be able to get to my car sooner. After Muna finished, I was still wrapping my head around the fact that I was there. So I was on my phone and not really paying attention. 

And then the fucking pink flower curtain dropped and covered the stage and everyone started screaming and I was like, ‘Shit, he’s really here. I’m really going to see him.’ In one of my GCs, I was like, ‘fuck, I’m gonna throw up.’ My heart’s starting to race now, because he’s ACTUALLY IN THE BUILDING and it’s starting to feel so much more real now. 

He wound up starting like, right at 9, and when he started singing the opening chords to Ever Since New York, I was like, near tears. I mean, I held it together, but it was close. Then it went down and there he was! In all of his beautiful dragon suit glory. 

But Harry is very much real. And he’s just as happy and loving and soothing and goofy and wonderful as we’ve been seeing. He did all of the speeches that he usually does, like the ‘Be whoever you want to be’ and ‘treat people with kindness’ and ‘love one another,’ but it didn’t feel any less genuine even though I’ve heard them all before. Like, I wasn’t like, ‘wow, what a line. That’s great.’ I was like, he genuinely wants us to feel accepted and loved and cared for and God, I’m tearing up just writing this, but it’s true! When he did the ‘embrace someone you don’t know,’ my anxiety started kicking in, because I’m like, well shit, what do I do? But then this mom next to me gave me a hug and when she found out I was alone, she gave me a fist bump and was like, ‘good for you!’ Hahaha. Thanks random mom. 

The crowd was great, as great as they could be, I suppose, since a lot of Harry’s songs are slower, but everyone was loud and singing along to everything and it was just such a nice environment to be in. And of course we all went nuts when he played Kiwi! Like, my throat is still a little sore from how loudly I screamed. And someone had a trans flag and he literally went up and asked for it, so of course they gave it to him, and he pranced around with that. People lost it for that, too. (He definitely asked for a rainbow flag at some point in the show, but I forget what song it was during.) But I was in the middle of typing something in a GC and then the music started again and I swear, I almost dropped my phone, hahaha. I was like, ‘oh God, this is really happening. It’s happening!’ So he sang it again and it was awesome because that’s my favorite song and I was jumping all around and it was great. 

So he ‘finished’ the set with Kiwi, but then came on for the encore, and during SOTT the place was fucking lit up. He told us to put on the flash on our phones and all you could see were the rainbow flags. It was awesome, honestly, and I’m so happy that @hilarryduff was kind enough to bring the flags because you could tell Harry was really touched by it. And of course it was a really strong message and just a wonderful thing to do.