Pop star Harry Styles overhauled his concert setlist and paused his Madison Square Garden opening night on August 26, 2026, to honor the late Dolly Parton, playing her signature song I Will Always Love You for a sold-out New York crowd.
Together, Together Tour at Madison Square Garden
Harry Styles kicked off an unprecedented 30-show run of his Together, Together tour at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, completely reshaping his standard concert format apart from the special show he performed with an orchestra in London. For the opening night of his unprecedented 30-show stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, he completely overhauled the set, drastically re-ordering the songs, rearranging several older ones, and performing one song publicly for the first time. International pop star Harry Styles is in New York City for his concert residency at Madison Square Garden (MSG), taking over the Midtown venue for his Together Together tour, showcasing his latest album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally with a whopping 30 shows. These are also Styles’s only U.S. tour dates, which means fans from across the country and world are coming to New York just for him.
Bryan Seaver Announces Dolly Parton Passed Away on Tuesday
Midway through the evening, Styles shifted tone to acknowledge the death of country music icon Dolly Parton, who passed away on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. On Tuesday, one of Parton’s nephews, Bryan Seaver, recorded a video at her request to announce that the country music icon died peacefully in Nashville on Tuesday at the age of 80, her rep confirmed, with her cause of death later revealed to be cancer. While Styles and Parton never worked together professionally, he joined many celebrities paying tribute to Parton. The singer briefly paused his sold-out show to pay tribute to the country superstar during opening night of his 30-show run at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, taking a moment to honor country icon Dolly Parton following her death on Tuesday.
I just wanna give a proper thank you to all the musicians who have inspired me over the years — Dolly, we love you. Thank you so much.
Harry Styles, musician
Drew Barrymore and Gayle King Spotted in the Audience
As Parton’s recording of I Will Always Love You
played over the P.A. for a minute before he carried on the show, the arena filled with the light from thousands of cell phones as attendees swayed to the music and sang along to the classic hit. The British pop artist gave the best possible salute to Dolly by playing her recording of I Will Always Love You
on the MSG speakers, going on to play two verses and choruses of the song originally released in 1974, and telling the crowd to sing along on the first chorus. The audio then faded out, according to people who were in the arena, and segued to his solo hit Sign Of The Times.
Celebrity audience members including actress Drew Barrymore and CBS Mornings host Gayle King were among the familiar faces spotted in the audience singing along to the ballad, alongside Styles’s fiancée Zoë Kravitz.
Porter Wagoner and The Bodyguard Soundtracks
The 30-show run beats his previous MSG record of 15 shows in 2022. The rest of the shows are spread out until Sunday, October 31, aka Halloween — or more aptly, Harryween. Parton, who died at 80, was remembered by stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for her music and philanthropy, alongside the 32-year-old “As It Was” singer who honored her during his Madison Square Garden show, calling her an inspiration to his career. The song itself was famously written by Parton as an emotional farewell to her mentor Porter Wagoner and his show, topping the country chart in 1974, before Whitney Houston recorded I Will Always Love You
in 1992 for the soundtrack of her film The Bodyguard, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record 14 weeks and remaining one of Parton’s signature songs.
New York City Welcomes the Tour With Themed Pop-Ups and Menus
New York City went all out with themed food and drinks and dancing with friends for fans traveling from across the country and the world. Before and after the shows, fans could check out Eater’s full map for the best restaurants and bars around MSG. Before the encore at his concert, Harry Styles spoke to the packed house, thanking his band and giving a special thanks to all the musicians who have inspired him over the years, with Dolly sitting high on that list of legends that also includes an inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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