Harry Styles ticket artwork draws 9/11 timing backlash

Harry Styles is facing online backlash over the artwork on commemorative tickets for his September 9 concert at Madison Square Garden, which some fans said evoked imagery associated with the September 11 attacks just two days before their 25th anniversary. The ticket, distributed for the seventh night of Styles' 30-night residency at the New York venue, depicts a yellow car, apparently carrying the singer, flying above the Empire State Building and leaving a trail across the landmark's spire. After images circulated on social media, some fans criticized the timing of the design during a week when New York was preparing memorial events for the 2001 attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. Reactions were divided. Critics questioned who approved the design, with one user calling it a bold choice given it was 9/11 week in New York, and another writing that handing out those tickets that week was not a good idea. Others defended the artwork, with fans describing it as beautiful and a sweet nod to New York City. The artwork does not explicitly reference the 9/11 attacks, and there is no confirmed evidence that Styles or his team intended it as a reference to them.