Angry fans tear up, burn One Direction concert tickets
Screengrab from Twitter
MANILA, Philippines—A leaked video apparently showing One Direction bandmates Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik smoking an “illegal substance” led some angry fans to destroy or sell tickets for upcoming concerts of the British boyband.
Fan @gagationer posted a photo on Twitter of his ticket torn to pieces with the message: “Just ripped up my One Direction ticket because Zayn and Louis smoke weed. I hate this band so much.”
Other fans simply sold their ticket while diehard “Directioners” have taken to social media to defend the band.
The video, obtained by the Daily Mail, appears to have been filmed by 22-year-old Tomlinson in the back of a car in Peru during the South America leg of the boyband’s world tour.
Tomlinson says: “So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days!”
At one point smoke is seen being blown from behind the camera.
A motorcycle police officer drives past and Tomlinson says: “He’s having a look. He’s thinking ‘I’m sure I can smell an illegal substance in there’. And he’s hit the nail on the head.”
Tomlinson and Malik are also heard joking about “illegal substances” as they smoke in the back of a vehicle.
Screengrab from Twitter
The band’s other members — frontman Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan — are believed to have been travelling in different cars and are not seen in the video.
Possession of a small amount of cannabis is not illegal in Peru.
A spokesman for the band, who start a run of shows in Britain on Wednesday, said: “This matter is in the hands of our lawyers.”
Put together for a British television singing contest in 2010, One Direction has developed a giant, fiercely loyal following of young girls worldwide.
Their third studio album, “Midnight Memories”, raced to the top of the US Billboard Top 200 chart, making the five-piece the first group in US chart history to debut at number one with their first three albums.
Their video for “Best Song Ever” has attracted nearly 250 million views on YouTube.
The band has a sold-out concert set on March 25, 2015 in Manila. With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
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