We hung out with fans outside Harry's House in Austin. We can still feel the joy.

Sitting outside the Moody Center's box office on Thursday afternoon, Emilie Rader, Taylor Cano and Caitlin Reeves stuck out like sore thumbs in their tank top, T-shirt and sweater.

Sequins, feathers and pleather covered the arena's concourse as Harry Styles fans lined up for the pop star's fourth show in his six-show residency in Austin. Globs of feathers, fallen from hundreds of boas, sat like algae mats along sidewalks leading to the Moody Center. Glitter came to the arena on eyelids, cheekbones, lips and nails. Rhinestones stuck to pants and tops covered in various fruits — strawberries, kiwis and, of course, watermelons.

Rader, Reeves and Cano looked like regular civilians because they had been at the venue since 11 a.m. waiting to see if tickets would become available for the show.

"I would do anything for that man," Cano, 25, said, even waiting for five hours in the sun.

If you couldn't feel the bright energy booming out of the Moody Center this week, let us help you out: Attendees arrived hours before the 8 p.m. showtime to stand in line for Styles-specific photo ops — 3D versions of an album cover and a music video scene — to buy Styles merch and to line up for the general admission pit. The outfits and the joy were something to behold. Every corner had a girl posing, with her friends behind the camera telling her to move her hair this way or pop out her leg. Nearby you could find someone waiting politely to cross the line of the shot.

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Reeves, 22, and Rader, 23, met Cano while they waited for tickets. What did the new friends talk about all day? Waiting for tickets.

"I'm praying," Rader said.

"We're so close. We can taste the victory," Cano said.

Up a cement hill to the right of the box office, concert-goers with pit tickets were lining up. Those who woke up early Thursday morning to get one of 1,000 numbered wristbands were let into the pit in numerical order. The rest of the pit ticketholders followed. As the afternoon stretched past 4 p.m., the wristband lines grew more full and colorful. Moody employees stood at the front of multiple lines, directing traffic.

"You made it!" one employee shouted as excited fans walked up.

Abigail Marsiglia, 17, and her dad, David Marsiglia, 50, were in the line for people with wristbands in the 200s. The pair drove down from Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday's show was their first Styles concert. They got up at 6 a.m. to secure a numbered wristband.

"My daughter is crazy about Harry," David Marsiglia said.

Abigail Marsiglia, who had an impeccable purple eyeshadow situation going on, held a sign that read: "Tell your mom I said hi." David Marsiglia wore a bright green, short-sleeved button-down covered in images of sliced and full watermelons.

"I let her dress me," he said.

Before leaving for the concert, like many of the kids with "Harry dads" before them, the Marsiglias made an outfit transition TikTok video, starting in regular clothes before flipping into their show outfits.

Back at the box office, Cano, Rader and Reeves still waited for tickets. All three had gone to Wednesday night's show, but couldn't resist coming back for more. Rader and Reeves drove to Austin from New Orleans and moved hotels to stay and try their hand at securing more tickets.

They endured a lot during their wait: Rader was nearly pooped on by a bird and she brought only sunflower seeds and Tums for sustenance. Cano left to get a wrap at Chick-fil-A around 12:30 p.m. When she returned, she learned a pit ticket had been sold.

Kyle, 50, and Callie Smith, 13, were another father-daughter pair we found waiting in the pit line. They were sitting on a curb. Callie Smith wore an all pink outfit, which included sequins, heart-shaped sunglasses and a pink cowboy hat. Kyle Smith wore jeans, a white T-shirt and a tan blazer with pink boa feathers tucked into the front pocket.

"This is my birthday present from her," Kyle Smith joked.

He was not a dad who had to be dragged to the show. A few years back, Callie Smith was surprised with tickets to Taylor Swift. Her mom took her to the show and Kyle Smith still regrets not going.

More:Harry Styles takes over Austin's Moody Center

"Our thing is music," Callie Smith said of her relationship with her dad. (Quick note: Callie Smith's first concert was a Willie Nelson one, making her maybe the coolest 13-year-old we've met. Also, the family dog is named "Millie Nelson.")

The anticipation for the show increased as more piles of friends and family filtered in. "Grandmas (heart) Harry," one bedazzled shirt read.

"Your shirt is so cute! Did you make it?" we overheard a stranger ask another. People walked by with their arms full of Harry merchandise.

Kendall Beller, 23, and Trinity Bilow, 21 were standing in line for the photo op where you could pose on a life-size "Harry's House" album cover. Get this: They saw the show two nights in a row on Wednesday and Thursday and were new friends. Bilow works at a coffee shop in Washington and Beller is a regular there. Beller was going to see Styles and Bilow has been a fan since she was 10 years old. A mutual friend set them up and soon they were on a plane to Texas.

"It's a dream come true," Bilow said.

For the four tickets between them, Beller and Bilow spent roughly $2,000 to see Styles. Their trip came with some drama. The flight from Washington was delayed and they didn't get to the Moody Center until 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, about 10 minutes before Styles came on.

But don't worry, everything was amazing, they said.

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We left the Moody Center around 5:30 p.m., with no update on the trio waiting for pit tickets. But at 6:32 p.m., Rader sent a text: "Caitlin and I got tickets!!!" They were getting ready in their car and then heading inside.

Cano texted at 7:08 p.m.: "I got the tickets!!!" Cano ended up with four tickets.

So, the dads and daughters, the trio from the box office, and the freshly minted friends were all inside the arena and we slept happy knowing they were among the blood-curdling screams from Styles' packed crowd.

Harry Styles' last two Austin shows during this residency are Sunday and Monday.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Harry Styles Austin tickets: Fans outside the Moody Center radiate joy