Zayn Malik announced his highly anticipated, first-ever solo tour, “Stairway To The Sky,” on Sept. 17.
Malik made waves in March when he announced the release of his recent album “Room Under the Stairs,” his first release in three years. Malik has not had much of a social media presence since the beginning of his solo career, until earlier this year during the promotion and release of his new album.
The artist has not toured since he was in the band One Direction in 2015. Now, almost a decade later, Malik is set to tour and perform his own music after battling stage fright and anxiety.
The tour was announced in the same way Malik announced the release of his album, in an episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Malik made a surprise guest appearance where his song “Stardust” played as he replaced Fallon’s mug with his own white one and handed a note to Fallon before waving to the audience and walking away.
Fans noticed that Malik was sporting a look resembling that of his 2014 self. Fallon proceeded to read the note, which announced “Stairway To The Sky,” an 11-stop tour starting on Oct. 23 in the U.S., with the U.K. leg ending in Newcastle on Dec. 3.
“Appreciate your patience, love, and support,” Malik wrote in the tour announcement on Instagram. “Can’t wait to enjoy great music together.”
Fans were surprised that the tour will not feature any arenas or stadiums. Instead, he will be performing at relatively smaller venues, such as the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York and the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, which are standing-room auditoriums.
Tickets went on sale on Ticketmaster on Sept. 21; however, presale tickets were available as early as 9 a.m. on Sept. 19. Ticketmaster experienced a high demand for tickets, so Malik responded by including second dates for the Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh performances, and even added a show in Leeds, England.
Supporters reported being in the Ticketmaster queue with over 30,000 others during the fan presale and VIP Key presale. Fans also reported queues with more than 50,000 others during the general onsale.
Tour tickets were sold out in minutes, upsetting many fans. Fans had expected a difficult time purchasing tickets as this was the first tour that the singer announced in his seven-year solo career. However, many were ultimately left disappointed and blamed the platform, Ticketmaster.
