Zayn Malik played his first concert since his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died Saturday night in Leeds, England. While most of the show proceeded as expected, Malik ended the night with a tribute to Payne that left fans “shaking and crying.”
A person on X, formerly Twitter, shared a video from the performance and captioned it, “Zayn Malik’s tribute to Liam Payne at the end of his first concert of the tour while playing Stardust I’m shaking and crying.”
Malik had previously postponed his tour following the news of Payne’s death. “Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the U.S. leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY tour,” he wrote in an Instagram Story Oct. 19. “The dates are being rescheduled for January and I’ll post them as soon as it’s all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for your understanding.”
Payne died Oct. 16 after falling from his third-story hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Malik and his bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan released a joint statement following the news.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” the group’s surviving members said. “But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
On Nov. 7 Argentinian authorities arrested three people in connection with Payne’s death. A public prosecutor in Buenos Aires explained in a statement, “Illicit conduct was discovered and three people have been charged with the crimes of abandonment of a person following death as well as supply and facilitation of narcotics.”
