Archive · 10 Sep 2026
Harry Styles Ticket Artwork Draws Backlash Before 9/11 Anniversary
Harry Styles is performing many concerts in New York City.
A picture on one concert ticket shows a yellow car flying over the Empire State Building.
Some fans thought the picture looked uncomfortable because the concert is close to the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Nearly 3,000 people died in those attacks.
People online argued about who approved the design.
Some wanted the artwork changed or criticized Styles.
Other people thought it was only playful concert art and was not meant to refer to September 11.
Styles has not been quoted in the article as responding to the criticism.
A ticket for Harry Styles’s September 9 Madison Square Garden concert shows a yellow car flying above the Empire State Building.
The artwork includes a trail extending from the car across the skyscraper’s spire.
Fans criticized the design because the concert falls two days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Some social media users called the imagery inappropriate, while others said it may have been intended as playful tour artwork.
Styles is scheduled to perform a 30-night Madison Square Garden residency from August 26 through October 31, 2026.
- Who
- Harry Styles and fans discussing his concert ticket artwork.
- What
- A concert ticket illustration has drawn backlash because it shows a flying yellow car above New York’s Empire State Building.
- When
- The September 9 concert is scheduled two days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks; the residency runs from August 26 through October 31, 2026.
- Where
- Madison Square Garden in New York City.
- Why
- Some fans viewed the combination of the flying vehicle, skyscraper and sensitive anniversary timing as inappropriate, while others considered it playful tour artwork.
Critics
Defenders
Sensitivity of the imagery
Critics
Some fans said the flying vehicle, prominent New York skyscraper and timing near the September 11 anniversary made the artwork inappropriate or insensitive.
Defenders
Other users suggested the design may simply be playful tour artwork and not a reference to the attacks.
Responsibility for approval
Critics
Critics questioned who approved the ticket design and called for greater sensitivity during a significant commemorative week.
Defenders
Those defending the artwork did not necessarily see a deliberate connection to September 11 and treated the image as a creative design choice.
- Artist
- Harry Styles
- Concert venue
- Madison Square Garden, New York City
- Disputed performance
- September 9
- Residency dates
- August 26 through October 31, 2026
- Residency length
- 30 nights
- Artwork
- A yellow car appears to fly above the Empire State Building, with a trail crossing the building’s spire.
- Anniversary context
- The concert is two days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.