A decade ago, the UAE was swept up in boyband fever. At the heart of it was none other than One Direction – arguably the biggest band in the world at the time. On April 4, 2015, they brought their stadium–conquering world tour to Dubai’s Sevens Stadium, for their first and only performance in the region.
With the announcement coming no less than 11 months before the gig, it set the scene for a global scramble for tickets – much of it involving the cajoling of parents to cough up the dirhams for what their children would come to see as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Not that the adults minded. In a 2015 article published by The National before the concert, we interviewed Dubai families using the prospect of One Direction tickets as a handy bargaining tool to get home chores done. The only problem, as Firdaus Sukhi wryly noted, was whether she would lose all her influence over her two daughters the moment the band stepped on to that Dubai stage.
“I’m worried about what I will do from now on because this was my best way to blackmail my daughters,” she said. “I’ve been saying, ‘If you don’t study, you can’t go for One Direction. If you don’t clear your cupboard, I won’t let you go for One Direction'.”
Then again, Ms Sukhi deserved kudos simply for getting the tickets in the first place. With all 30,000 selling out in 22 days, The National also reported how some were being resold online for up to four times their face value – with prices reaching Dh3,000.
Some of those who may have felt justifiably smug for landing tickets early weren’t spared the expenses that followed. In February – two months before the show – fans flocked to Dubai Mall, where the band’s exclusive pop–up merchandise shop had opened. On offer were 36 items, ranging from hoodies and tote bags to phone covers and key rings – the kind of gear that reportedly netted One Direction an estimated $67.5 million (Dh248 million) in annual merchandise sales.
With tickets sold out and the pop-up store doing brisk business, all that was left was for One Direction to bring the show home. But their On the Road Again tour hit a career–defining bump when Zayn Malik left the tour after their Hong Kong show on March 18 – just over two weeks before their scheduled appearance in Dubai. What fans initially hoped was a temporary break turned into heartbreak when the band announced – a week later – that Malik had left the group permanently. The remaining members vowed that the show would go on, with Dubai becoming the third performance on the tour without Malik.
The UAE fanbase – like many others – was devastated, with The National reporting about a teenager in Dubai who planned to launch a “1D Day” in solidarity with the band. As part of the initiative, fans attending the concert were encouraged to wear neon colours and use different coloured torch lights to beam during specific songs in the set.
Meanwhile, concert promoter Thomas Ovesen from Done Events sought to ease any anxiety surrounding the show, stating that Malik’s omission would be only a temporary setback to what would ultimately unfold on stage.
“I am still putting on a One Direction show,” he said. “The only difference is that they are now a four-piece rather than a five-piece. The biggest challenge for that show would be for the fans – particularly those who are very emotionally invested in the band – to adjust to the fact there are now four members. That is a big thing for some, but for me it makes no difference.”
And in many ways, he was right. One Direction’s Dubai show was a study in professionalism – delivering a nearly two-hour set spanning 23 songs beginning with new tracks Clouds and Steal My Girl, and ending with the mega-hit Best Song Ever.
After the show, the band members' have returned to the UAE separately, to mixed receptions. The late Liam Payne returned to Dubai for his largest solo show at Global Village in 2018. Niall Horan’s comeback was limited to rounds of golf at the Dubai Desert Classic, while Malik cancelled his planned solo show in 2016 as part of continuing efforts to focus on his health.
Despite the setbacks and personal challenges, One Direction’s UAE concert fulfilled the dreams of many fans – and offered a warm, welcoming stage as the band began the next phase of their careers.
