Zayn Malik thanks fans for ‘waiting for him’ as he returns to London for first sold out show and pays sweet tribute to Liam Payne

Zayn Malik thanked fans for their patience with him as he performed his first sold-out show in London on Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old singer looked back on stage at the Eventim Apollo at home as he admitted: “Thanks for waiting, I know it’s taken a while but we’re here.”

The dates kick off his Stairway To The Sky tour after Zayn postponed the first two dates of the tour in the wake of Liam Payne’s tragic death.

In tribute to his late bandmate, Zayn wore one of Liam’s diamond necklaces during the performance, having previously been seen wearing the jewelery at the star’s funeral last week.

As he greeted the crowd on Tuesday, Zayn exclaimed, “Yooooo! What’s happening! What’s going on in London.

“It feels fucking amazing not to be lying here. Thanks for waiting, I know it’s been a while, but we’re here, so tonight I want you to have a great night, really enjoy it, sing along, scream.

As he embarks on his Stairway To The Sky tour, the dates come after Zayn postponed the first two dates of the tour in the wake of his bandmate’s tragic death

“If people have told you to be quiet online, don’t worry, we’re here tonight and we’re having a good time.

‘Have a drink, have a laugh, let’s enjoy, yes.’

Meanwhile, the show ended with a backdrop that read: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you bro,” and a red heart.

Later in the set, Zayn asked the crowd to be considerate of other attendees as fans in the front were crushed by those in the back.

He said: ‘If you’re in the back, don’t try to push because the people in the front get a bit crushed.

‘We’re all here to have a good time, I’m not going anywhere. Just try not to hurt anyone. Let’s have a good time tonight.’

The Pillowtalk singer has more dates in Wolverhampton, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle before moving to the US. All of his announced shows so far have sold out.

Zayn is on his first ever solo tour after previously performing his first show in nine years at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in May.

As he greeted the crowd on Tuesday, Zayn exclaimed, “It feels fucking amazing to be here and not lie.” Thanks for waiting, I know it took a while but we’ll be here tonight’

Later in the set, Zayn asked the crowd to be considerate of others in attendance, as fans in the front were crushed by those in the back.

Meanwhile, the show ended with a backdrop that read: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you bro,’ and a red heart’ (pictured at the Leeds show on Saturday)

On Saturday, Zayn paid tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam as he returned to the stage for the first time since his death.

At the opening of his performance at Leeds 02 Academy this weekend, Zayn wore Liam’s necklace as he touched the chain as he looked up at the sky in an emotional moment.

Liam died on October 16 after falling from the third floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina, while his One Direction bandmates were seen together in public for the first time in nine years as they paid their respects at his funeral on Wednesday.

Zayn’s first-ever solo tour was due to kick off in San Francisco on October 23, the US dates have now been postponed until January, and an Edinburgh show, which was due to take place on the same day as Liam’s funeral, has been moved to December 8. .

Former bandmates Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Louis Tomlinson, 32, and Zayn arrived separately at the church for a poignant final farewell.

Harry was dressed in black and pulled up to the funeral in a BMW, while Niall attended with his girlfriend Amelia Woolley, while Zayn Malik arrived shortly after Louis.

Zayn was the first to leave One Direction in August 2015 due to ‘stress’ after pulling out of the group’s world tour. The band officially announced their split in January 2016, breaking the hearts of millions of fans around the world.

Last week he revealed that his performances due to take place in Edinburgh next week had been rescheduled due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

In tribute to his bandmate, Zayn wore one of Liam’s diamond necklaces during the performance, having previously been seen wearing the jewelery at the star’s funeral last week.

Zayn paid tribute to his ‘brother’ Liam on Saturday as he returned to the stage for the first time since his death

Following Liam’s unexpected death at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last month, Zayn announced he was postponing the US dates of his tour (One Direction pictured in 2013)

Sharing a poster of the new dates via his tour management’s socials, an accompanying statement read: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, Zayn’s original Stairway To The Sky Edinburgh show, scheduled for November 20, has been rescheduled to December 8.

‘A new date on November 21st at the same O2 Academy Edinburgh location has been moved to December 9th. All tickets for the original show dates will be honored on the rescheduled dates.”

Despite fans being disappointed with the news, many took to social media to express their concerns for Zayn’s well-being and sent him supportive messages telling him to ‘prioritize his mental health’, assuming the delay was related he was still grieving the loss of Liam. .

They wrote, “We love you @zaynmalik. Take all the time you need, we will support you no matter what.”