On the morning of Jan. 15, 2026, Harry Styles broke the internet after returning to Instagram to announce his new album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” Styles had been away from the music scene after his famous “Love On Tour” ended in July of 2023, after nearly two years of touring.
Fans erupted, media forums surged with excitement and a single was set to be released only five days after the album announcement. The following Thursday, “Aperture” was released, and fans went crazy. This prompted Styles to announce the “Together Together” tour the same day.
In the years leading up to this album announcement, fans called “Harries” developed a saying: “HS4 at midnight!” This refers to fan speculation of Styles’ fourth studio album (HS4). Midnight is a common time for major music to drop, and the saying is often fueled by projects fans notice Styles working on, paparazzi images, his personal life and rumors of new music.
Shalom Keshet, a loyal fan and junior at Ida B. Wells, shared her excitement for his return. “I am so excited that he’s back! I’ve been a fan since 1D [One Direction], so I always love it when any of them put out music, and it’s been 3 years without Harry..”
However, fans have called Styles “greedy” because of the prices of his tickets for the tour. The “Love On Tour” tickets were around $172 to $205 before tax. Now, for “Together Together,” tickets are around $650 for nosebleed seats, $1000 for lower bowl and $2000 to $3000 for general admission. Many assume these prices are raised due to his two-year break from music and a demand to see him back on stage in New York, London, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Melbourne and Sydney. “I don’t think he’s being greedy, but it is disappointing seeing artists do this because it just makes concerts not accessible for people,” said Keshet.
Ticketmaster has been yet another reason for controversy. The “Ticketmaster War” commonly references the struggle and stress of trying to secure a ticket to one of his shows. This goes for many other artists as well.
In Styles’ short appreciation video posted on YouTube, posted on July 24, 2023, remembering the infamous tour, he acknowledged the effect that the tour had on himself and fans. In the video, “Love On Tour, Forever,” a fan said, “I skipped my last anthropology class to try to get tickets.” Ticketmaster dominates sales, being the largest ticket seller in the world. Getting tickets seems like a luxury these days.
Many fans recognize the irony of the tour name being “Together Together,” as many cannot afford the rise in ticket pricing. Though artists don’t control every detail of the ticket prices, they still have an influence. In 2018, the band “Greta Van Fleet” spoke on social media against ticket resellers raising the prices. “…Bands today are told to raise ticket prices to fight scalpers. This is unacceptable.” They have since lowered their general admissions tickets to $50.
But there have been efforts to lower ticket prices for fans. For his Manchester show, Styles and his team say there are tickets available for $20 through a request system to ensure they go to fans instead of resellers. Many say raising the prices and profiting off of others is morally wrong to fans and a rip-off, which is what “Greta Van Fleet” preached. “We want all our fans to be able to see us at a fair price,” she said.
This shows that more can be done to make these tickets more affordable and could likely be used for the rest of the tour, which has yet to be done. The “Ticketmaster war” references the struggle and stress of trying to secure a ticket to one of his shows. This goes for many other artists as well. “I don’t think the prices are fair, but I know there are other factors besides him in the ticket prices, so I think it’s complicated,” said Keshet.
In that same appreciation video, a fan spoke on the family dynamic Styles brings to the shows, “It’s such a different atmosphere, and you can feel it when you walk in.” This is also a reason why fans have been so vocal about these prices. It seems like Styles is prioritizing profit rather than connection. Fans who’ve attended a past show have stated how much of a community Styles builds in the arena. A fan in the video said, “In a room full of strangers, you can feel like you’re really in a family.”
