Zayn Malik honored his former One Direction bandmate during the opening night of his “Stairway to the Sky” tour.
The tribute to the late Liam Payne came at the show’s conclusion, held at the O2 Academy Leeds in West Yorkshire, England Nov. 23.
“Love you bro,” read the words projected onto a blue-toned stage amid light-adorned trees, alongside a heart emoji, Payne’s name and the dates of his birth and death. According to fans in attendance, the message popped up as speakers began playing Malik’s “Stardust,” which includes lyrics like “Feels like stardust / Falling all around us / Funny how it found us.”
In videos posted online, some concertgoers can be heard crying while singing along to the track. “Thank you to the crowd for being respectful and singing all the lyrics. You made Zayn happy tonight. Thank you Zayn for honoring Liam. I am so beyond proud and in tears,” one fan wrote on X.
See an image of the tribute below:
Malik’s headlining tour, produced by AEG and SJM, includes 11 dates in the U.K. and the U.S. Previously scheduled to begin last month in San Francisco, it was postponed following Payne’s death on Oct. 16. The tour will wrap up in the U.K. Dec. 9, before making its way to the U.S. in 2025 through Feb. 3.
The opening night for “Stairway to the Sky” comes days after Payne’s funeral service, held at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, which was attended by former One Direction members Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell and James Corden were also in attendance.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Argentinian prosecutors had ruled out suicide as cause of death, charging three people in connection with the incident that led to Payne’s fatal fall from a Buenos Aires hotel room.
