Fewer trains, plenty of tickets: Harry Styles opens 10-show Amsterdam residency at ArenA
Harry Styles opens his record 10-show “Together, Together” residency at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday, the first of a series that runs through June 5. But the initial hype has cooled, with tickets for nearly all sections of most shows—especially later dates—still available on Ticketmaster. Standing places, originally costing at least 140 euros, are now offered on the resale market for as little as 70 euros, according to RTL Nieuws and Het Laatste Nieuws.
Dutch railway operator NS is urging fans attending three of the concerts to arrange alternative transportation due to track maintenance that will reduce train service to Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station.
ProRail is working on the track between Amsterdam and Utrecht from May 18 to 25. Fewer trains will run to and from the station during the performances on Wednesday, May 20; Friday, May 22; and Saturday, May 23.
NS advises concertgoers on those evenings to seek alternatives, such as a car, bicycle, metro, or replacement bus, or to walk about 15 minutes from Duivendrecht station. Live Nation and the Johan Cruijff ArenA also recommend that fans heading to or from Schiphol, Hoofddorp, or Leiden take the train from Duivendrecht.
NS called the overlap of the concerts and the planned maintenance an “unfortunate coincidence of circumstances.” The track work was scheduled a year in advance, while the concerts were announced only two months ago. The operator has emailed travel information to all ticket holders, updated its journey planner, and is running replacement buses, though those buses cannot accommodate all concertgoers.
Tens of thousands of fans stood in the Ticketmaster queue at the end of January. MOJO, the promoter, added four extra shows after the first six sold out almost immediately, spokeswoman Shally Hurkmans told NU.nl. “The first six shows were virtually sold out immediately,” she said. The opening weekend shows are nearly sold out, but later dates still have availability. “But that can easily still happen. The last show is only in three weeks,” Hurkmans added.
Hurkmans said this is MOJO’s first residency in the Netherlands and that more tickets have already been sold than ever before for such a series. Styles is breaking the ArenA record for the most shows by a solo artist, previously held by René Froger with four performances. About one-third of sold tickets were purchased by foreign fans, meaning tens of thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of international visitors are expected in Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam dates open the residency, which continues later in London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne, and Sydney. Amsterdam is the only European mainland stop besides London.
University lecturer Simone Driessen of Media & Popular Culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam told NU.nl that the strong early demand has since faded, leaving many seats unsold. Fans bought multiple tickets amid the frenzy and stressful sales process out of fear of missing out. “You have to take into account that many fans bought multiple tickets,” she said. “Additionally, you see that many fans also have to come from far away.”
Fan Fleur Hubers, attending six concerts, told the newspaper that many friends did the same. “I’m quite involved in the scene, and many of my friends bought a lot of tickets, just to have them,” she said. “The queues are incredibly stressful. I was standing in line with more than 30,000 people. Then it just turns into grabbing whatever you can get.”
Driessen noted the residency format—multiple shows in a few cities rather than a traditional tour—drives fans to travel across Europe. Many international visitors now face total costs in the hundreds of euros for tickets, travel, and lodging, with booking sites reporting sharp price rises this week. Some ticket holders are reselling because they now consider the overall expense too high.
