Zayn Malik pays tribute to Liam Payne at the first concert of his tour

Zayn Malik paid tribute to the late Liam Payne on the first night of his tour on Saturday (Nov 23).

The Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker played the first of his Stairway to the Sky Tour shows at the O2 Academy in Leeds, north England, over the weekend and though he didn't speak about his former One Direction bandmate — who died last month after falling from his hotel balcony — during the show, towards the end of the gig, a tribute was displayed on the screens behind him.

Fan footage shared to social media showed as Zayn's song Stardust played, a blue background was displayed on the screen with a red heart and the words: "Liam Payne 1993 - 2024. Love you bro."

Zayn — who quit One Direction in March 2015 during their world tour — reunited with his former bandmates earlier this week at Liam's funeral.

The Strip That Down hitmaker was laid to rest at St Mary's Church in Amersham, south-east England, and Zayn, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson were all in attendance to pay their respects, along with their former mentor Simon Cowell, close friend James Corden, and Liam's former partner Cheryl.

Zayn had been due to kick off the tour in the US last month, but postponed the shows to next year following Liam's death.

He announced on Instagram at the time: "Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week,

"I've made the decision to postpone the US leg of the Stairway To The Sky Tour. 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."

And a few weeks later, he rescheduled his gigs at the O2 Academy Edinburgh which had been due to take place on Nov 20 — the day of Liam's funeral — and the day after. The shows will now take place on Dec 8 and 9.

In the wake of Liam's death, Zayn paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend.

He wrote on Instagram: "Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me. I can't help but think selfishly that there were so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.

"I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.

"When I was missing home as a 17 year old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.

"Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and gave no f**** about telling people when they were wrong.

"Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.

"When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense.

"I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional.

"I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next. (sic)"

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne at his concert in Leeds tonight. 🤍🕊️ pic.twitter.com/6M2ft26rsx

— Remembering Liam Payne (@updatingljp) November 23, 2024

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