bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Kylie Knott

Fans of One Direction – the boy band that took the world by storm after forming in 2010 – are in shock following news that one of its founding members, Liam Payne, has died aged just 31.
Payne was found dead outside a hotel in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room, according to reports.
News of Payne’s death sparked a mass outpouring of messages on social media from fans and celebrities around the globe.
On March 18, 2015, One Direction played their first and only gig in Hong Kong as part of their On The Road Again Tour, which included stops in Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. The reception in the city was one of “mass hysteria”, according to a Post review of the show.


“Mass hysteria as Hong Kong’s One Direction fans go wild for Styles and Co”, read the headline.
“That’s the only way to describe the madness of One Direction’s Wednesday night performance at AsiaWorld-Expo. And from a frighteningly young audience too: preteens made up the majority of the smitten crowd,” the review said.
“The atmosphere at the arena was palpable from early on. As soon as Harry Styles’ voice came over the speakers, the crowd erupted, and that was just to announce a safety video. The Macarena began playing; more hysterical screaming. All this before the band even came on stage,” it read.
“Sporting ultra-tight skinny jeans, edgy haircuts, and having bulked out quite considerably since their days on television talent show The X Factor, they have definitely tried to swap the fresh-faced image of their early days for something a little more mature.”


Payne was one of the original five members of the British band, also known as 1D, that rose to global fame with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life”. Both of those songs were performed at their Hong Kong show.
Their potential was spotted by Simon Cowell, creator of music competition franchise The X Factor. The group came together at the boot-camp stage of the competition.
The Post reviewer praised the band’s enthusiasm and stage presence, “and audience interaction had the crowd engaged from the word go”.
“Styles, Niall Horan and Liam Payne in particular overflowed with charm and personality in an effort to make the crowd feel special and appreciated, reading out fan-made posters and handing out a few roses, to the audience’s delight,” it read.

Zayn Malik, however, was singled out by the reviewer for his lack of interest.
There was clearly tension in the group, and the day after the Hong Kong show it was announced that Malik would be leaving the Asian leg of the tour, citing stress as the reason.
A week later, Malik had quit 1D – the Hong Kong show was his last performance with the group. In January 2016, the band officially announced that they had gone on an indefinite hiatus.
By this time, they had achieved six top 10 hits on the US Billboard charts and built a massive global fan base – known collectively as “Directioners” – mostly made up of teen girls.


Nick Reiner’s high-profile lawyer withdraws, delaying arraignment for parents’ murder

Meet Paul W. Downs, who cosplayed Timothée Chalamet while matching with his Hacks co-star

Meet Amy Madigan, who won a Critics’ Choice Award for her role in Weapons

Scandal-hit Malaysian rapper Namewee releases Lunar New Year single as legal cases loom

Fame and celebrity

One Direction’s Hong Kong gig recalled as Liam Payne’s death shocks world

Liam Payne of One Direction performs in Hong Kong during One Direction’s “On The Road Again Tour” in at AsiaWorld-Expo on March 18, 2015. The boy band member’s death at age 31 has sent shockwaves across the world. Photo: Live Nation Lushington

A promotional flier for One Direction’s 2015 show in Hong Kong. Photo: Live Nation

RIP Liam Payne, you and One Direction were an inescapable part of my life

One Direction, pictured in 2011. Photo: AP 

Fans of One Direction singer Liam Payne react after his death, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

One Direction (from left): Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne perform on NBC’s Today show, in November 2012 in New York City. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Liam Payne performs during the first day of BBC Radio 1’s Biggest Weekend at Singleton Park, in Swansea, Wales, in May 2018. Photo: AP

Lawyer-turned-DJ Awen back in Hong Kong to headline For the Love of Hong Kong EDM festival

DJ Awen is headlining the “For the Love of Hong Kong” electronic music festival at Central’s AIA Vitality Park on October 19, 2024. Photo: Kares Le Roy

Lawyer-turned-DJ Awen will headline the For the Love of Hong Kong EDM festival, in the city where she started her musical career. Photo: Kevin Couliau

Last year, Awen (above) made 70 live appearances worldwide, including at Coachella. Photo: Kares Le Roy

Awen has put her own spin on Afro house by weaving her own songs into her sets. Photo: Kevin Couliau 

K-pop band CNBlue reflects on their 14-year career and new mini-album X

CNBlue members (from left) Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Jung-shin and Jung Yong-hwa talk about their new mini-album, X. Photo: courtesy of FNC Entertainment

From left, CNBLUE members Lee Jung-shin, Jung Yong-hwa and Kang Min-hyuk on the cover of the new mini-album X. Photo: courtesy of FNC Entertainment

What killed Bruce Lee? 4 leading theories medical and martial arts experts proposed after his shock death 50 years ago in July, 1973

Bruce Lee on the set of “The Big Boss”. Lee died two years after the movie’s 1971 release, and in the years since, competing theories have been posited as to what exactly killed the martial arts star.  Photo: Yau Leung

Bruce Lee in a still from “Fist of Fury” (1972).

Lee with Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei. The two spent time together soon before Lee’s death.

Bruce Lee in a still from “Enter the Dragon” (1973). Photo: TNS

 Lee circa 1970. He had “chronic fluid intake” by virtue of his alcohol- and juice-based diet. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese superfans of Korean musicals flock to Seoul to watch original and Western shows

A scene from the Korean production of La Rose de Versailles. Korean musicals staged in Seoul are increasingly attracting fans from China. Photo: Instagram/kim_ssohyun

Advertisements for the Korean production of La Rose de Versailles. Photo: Instagram/muko.ssong

Yu Jun-sang in a Korean version of the musical Frankenstein. Photo: Instagram/joynessyu

Advertisements for the Korean production of La Rose de Versailles. Photo: Instagram/s.sawory

Lee Hae-jun (centre) as Andre Grandier in the Korean production of La Rose de Versailles. Photo: EMK Musical Company

A scene from the Korean production of La Rose de Versailles. Photo: EMK Musical Company

A poster of Kang Hong-seok as Hermes in a Korean production of the musical Hadestown. Photo: S&Co

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Music

‘Mass hysteria’ was Hong Kong fans’ reaction during One Direction’s first and only gig in the city in 2015 on their On The Road Again Tour


‘Mass hysteria’ was Hong Kong fans’ reaction during One Direction’s first and only gig in the city in 2015 on their On The Road Again Tour.


Hong Kong

One Direction’s Hong Kong gig recalled as Liam Payne’s death shocks world

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Mass hysteria’ was Hong Kong fans’ reaction during One Direction’s first and only gig in the city in 2015 on their On The Road Again Tour

‘Mass hysteria’ was Hong Kong fans’ reaction during One Direction’s first and only gig in the city in 2015 on their On The Road Again Tour