On Friday night, the Swedish pop visionary Robyn brought her “Honey” tour to Madison Square Garden. It was her biggest stateside show to date, and for fans who have waited since her 2010 “Body Talk” tour, a long overdue reunion. The show could have gone in any direction: Her 2018 album Honey is far more sparse and experimental than the jumbo-sized pop fantasy Body Talk. Who knew what kind of crowd Madison Square Garden would attract. But screw the cynicism: The show was a miracle, the kind of night that could only happen in New York.

Madison Square Garden was sold out, flushed with queens—hordes of us, coming out of the bathrooms, stunting on the escalators, cruising by the Chicken & Things stand. There were teens, just starting to play with their gender expression, and endless groups of women who had been dancing alone to “Show Me Love” since it came out on cassette.