Harry Styles paid tribute to New York City’s “incredible resilience” during his Friday night concert, as the city observed the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The singer recognized that attending a concert on such a painful anniversary could be “incredibly difficult” for many in the audience.
“I want us to take a moment to think about the incredible resilience of this city,” Styles, 32, told the crowd, according to a video posted on X. “I want us to take a second to think about the events that not only shaped this city but [also] shaped the century that we live in.”
Styles also honored the New Yorkers and first responders who died on Sept. 11, along with people around the world who lost their lives in the aftermath of the attacks.
He said there were not “really any words [he] could say” to capture the scale of the tragedy. Styles added that he “remember[s] it so well,” even though he was only 7 when it occurred.
“I remember walking home from school and my world becoming completely different,” he said. “There aren’t really words to describe something like that, but there’s a song that I’ve always loved by a legendary New Yorker, Bill Evans, called ‘Peace Piece.’”
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“It’s always been an incredibly important song for me. It’s brought me a lot of peace, and I listen to it in moments of reflection.”
Styles asked concertgoers to put away their phones and close their eyes while his bandmate, Yaffra, played a piano rendition of “Peace Piece.”
The tribute took place on the eighth night of Styles’ 30-show Madison Square Garden residency, announced in January as part of his “Together, Together” tour.
Earlier in the week, Styles faced criticism over artwork printed on physical tickets for Wednesday’s concert. The image appeared to show a yellow car carrying the singer as it flew above the Empire State Building.
The imagery appeared just two days before the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, prompting some social media users to call the choice “a little bold” and “f–king insane.”
“bro, that’s wild,” one social media user wrote, with another chiming in, “literally, who approved this? 😭”
Styles has made headlines throughout the residency, from a cheeky comment about ex Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce to a surprise tribute to Dolly Parton on opening night, just one day after the country music legend died.