One Direction cancel Belfast gig: Eammon Holmes criticises band for not apologising to fans in person

Presenter rebukes band members for not having 'decency and maturity' to apologise to fans on stage

Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction perform on ABC's 'Good Morning America' at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on August 4, 2015 in New York City. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Hysterical fans were reduced to floods of tears after One Direction cancelled a performance at the last minute, but no-one, it seemed, was more angry than Eamonn Holmes.

The Sky News presenter criticised the group for not apologising in person to their fans after cancelling their Belfast gig when band member Liam Payne was taken ill.

A spokesperson for One Direction said that while Payne's illness was not serious, he was unable to perform and told fans to hold onto their tickets until a statement is released on Thursday morning.

Fellow bandmate Harry Styles sent his “deepest apologies’ in a tweet to fans overnight, while Louis Tomlinson said the situation was out of their control on his Twitter page. “Lots of love to Liam and thank you for being so understanding,” he added.

The decision to cancel the concert was announced by promoter Aiken PR at 9pm, when most of the audience members were already inside the venue. Payne’s bandmates did not appear on stage and witnesses reported seeing “hundreds and hundreds” of sobbing girls as staff instructed fans to leave the auditorium.

In a slightly more unexpected reaction, Holmes rebuked Payne’s bandmates for not “having the decency and maturity” to come on stage and explain the incident.

Michael Green, who took his six-year-old daughter, told the BBC he was “disgusted” at the band’s behaviour.

Many Directioners shared their upset on Twitter and videos from inside the stadium showed fans screaming and shouting as the show was cancelled. However, their distress was assuaged slightly when One Direction released their new video just two hours later.