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One Direction cancel Belfast concert as Liam Payne falls ill | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
One Direction have cancelled a Belfast concert at the last minute after band member Liam Payne became sick and could not go on stage. | |
They had been due to play the first of three gigs at the SSE Arena on Tuesday. | |
The cancellation announcement was made at about 21:00 BST, when most of the audience was already inside the venue. | The cancellation announcement was made at about 21:00 BST, when most of the audience was already inside the venue. |
Disappointed fans booed as staff instructed them to leave the venue and one witness said "hundreds" of girls and women had been left weeping. | |
Concert promoter Aiken PR said: "The show tonight has been cancelled as Liam has taken ill, and whilst not serious, he is unable to perform tonight." | |
Fans have been asked to hold on to their tickets and wait for further information, with a statement expected on Wednesday morning. | |
In a statement, the band apologised to their fans. | In a statement, the band apologised to their fans. |
And on his Twitter account, Harry Styles wrote: "Deepest apologies to everyone at the show tonight in Belfast. Very disappointed, but unfortunately these things happen. We're very sorry." | |
Band mate Louis Tomlinson tweeted: "We're so so sorry for what happened tonight, it was out of our control! Lots of love to Liam and thank you for being so understanding!" | |
Audience members had already gathered inside the concert venue, and had listened to the band's support act, before the cancellation announcement was made. | |
Some expressed anger at the timing. | |
Michael Green, who took his six-year-old daughter to the show, told the BBC he was "disgusted" at how fans had been treated. | Michael Green, who took his six-year-old daughter to the show, told the BBC he was "disgusted" at how fans had been treated. |
He described how he had to make his way out of the arena past "hundreds and hundreds" of weeping young girls and women. | He described how he had to make his way out of the arena past "hundreds and hundreds" of weeping young girls and women. |
Mr Green, who lives in Coleraine, County Londonderry, said he had spent £140 on two tickets and more on merchandise and food inside the venue. | |
Sarah Stevenson, from Dundonald, outside Belfast, attended the concert with her sister and they had also spent £140 on the "most expensive" tickets. | |
She posted a video of the cancellation announcement on her YouTube account, during which fans can been heard booing and heckling. | She posted a video of the cancellation announcement on her YouTube account, during which fans can been heard booing and heckling. |
Ms Stevenson said that at first she had thought the cancellation was "a joke" and was very disappointed and surprised that the show was called off "at such short notice". | |
She expressed sympathy for younger fans, saying many had queued at the venue from early morning. | She expressed sympathy for younger fans, saying many had queued at the venue from early morning. |
She said she would have liked to have seen the other three band members address the crowd in person to explain what was going on. | She said she would have liked to have seen the other three band members address the crowd in person to explain what was going on. |
The cancelled show was the first of three sold out One Direction concerts booked at the Belfast venue over consecutive nights. | The cancelled show was the first of three sold out One Direction concerts booked at the Belfast venue over consecutive nights. |