Zayn - Live in Las Vegas
In 2015 an integral member of One Direction left the band to pursue his own solo career. Ten years later, he just finished his first ever solo tour. Zayn Malik’s Stairway To The Sky tour was long overdue for fans as they patiently waited for him to travel around the world.
Zayn has been in the public eye since 2010 when One Direction was first formed on the X Factor. His solo career has been extremely successful with popular songs like “Pillowtalk” and “Dusk Till Dawn”. In 2024 Zayn released his fourth studio album “Room Under The Stairs”, a grounded and stripped down album that was extremely personal to his life experiences. After battling anxiety for years, Zayn was back on the stage and as confident as ever.
The Stairway To The Sky tour was originally planned for late 2024. The tour was postponed until 2025 after the tragic death of Zayn’s close friend and former bandmate Liam Payne. The tour being postponed was actually the reason I was able to attend, as I wouldn’t have been able to attend the original October date.
February 1, 2025 my friends and I packed into the car and headed two hours south to Las Vegas, Nevada. Zayn only had five stops on the US leg of his tour, LA, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. It’s still hard to wrap my head around that of all the places in America he chose to play in Las Vegas. We quickly learned though, that this was a dream destination for Zayn to play in.
The show was held in The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino. The venue was small and intimate, that even though Zayn is one of the most famous male musicians today, felt perfect for this tour. The tone of Zayn’s latest album emulates peace and the outdoors, something that the stage showed. The stage was decorated with trees and lights. It made the venue feel like Zayn is giving you a private concert in his backyard. The peaceful stage was a perfect backdrop for the setlist Zayn sang.
In my opinion, the setlist was perfect. Opening the show with “My Woman”, as the whole venue screamed the lyrics to this ballad like it was a rock song. He mostly played songs from his newest album with the obvious hits sprinkled in. Songs like “Pillowtalk" were toned down to an almost acoustic version. One of my friends described it as, “Pillowtalk, gospel version”.
Zayn’s vocals are the star of the show. He doesn’t need backup dancers or to even move from his spot on the stage. He stands there and sings, and it’s perfect. Zayn’s falsetto voice is something that most male singers probably dream of. During his song “Lied To”, Zayn hits high notes that some female singers can’t even hit. When he hit those notes for the first time, I remember everyone around, including me, all looked at each other with our jaws to the floor in complete shock.
A highlight of the show was when he sang “Alienated”. This certain song practically changed my life. The song is about feeling alone and letting go of the past.
Am I home if I don't know this place?
And I've been feeling alienated
On my spaceship alone
Say goodbye to the past
Leave it all with a laugh
'Cause you always was right all along, he sang. Before the song, little cut outs of stars and aliens were passed out for the audience to hold up. When Zayn saw, he smiled and said, “the aliens are f*cking sick!”.
The show ended with the song “Gates of Hell”, a funny choice as the song lyrics sing “I don’t like you very much, but I keep putting up with your sh**”. After that song, Zayn left the stage and a tribute to Liam Payne showed as the song “Stardust” played in the back. Nobody moved until the recording of the song ended, soaking up the moment and using the time to honor Liam.
It took 10 years of waiting but I would say it was well worth it. The show was magical in every sense, from Zayn’s angelic vocals to spending the moment with friends.
Zayn has three more sold out shows in Mexico in March before the tour officially comes to a close.