If you’ve been avoiding the firehose of bad headlines this week by strictly doomscrolling celebrity news, it might seem like the only things going on at the moment are heated discussions about the next season of viral gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry and outrage among some Harry Styles fans about the high price of tickets for the first pre-sale round of the singer’s upcoming Together, Together residency tour.
And while it’s not clear if former One Direction singer and solo star Zayn Malik is Team Hollander or Team Rozanov, it seems like he’s definitely got something to say about concert ticket prices. On Wednesday night (Jan. 28), during one of the last gigs of his seven-night residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, fans think Malik may have taken a subtle dig at his former 1D bandmate while casually commenting on the high price of concerts these days.
“Who’s from Vegas? Who’s from elsewhere,” Malik, wearing a double-breasted white coat over a black T-shirt and black pants, asked the crowd. “I just want to say a big, big thank you to each and every single one of you for being here with me tonight. You could’ve been anywhere, [but] you decided to spend your night with me.” He then tossed in a joke that some fans took as a playful tweak at Styles. “Hopefully the ticket prices weren’t too high,” Malik said with a smile. “Just staying… anyway.”
It’s unclear if Malik was taking direct aim at Styles, since he has not commented so far on speculation that that’s what he was getting at and a spokesperson for the singer had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment at press time. But you better believe the internet ramped up speculation that Malik, who famously quit 1D in March 2015 during their On the Road tour, wasn’t just idly commenting on the ticket economy but might have been taking a shot at Styles, the most successful solo member of 1D.
Fans weighed in on X, with one writing, “zayn shading harry styles i fear… i was so gagged i had to stop recording but after he goes: “just saying…” and another adding, “I AM WHEEZINGGGGGGGGGG ‘Hopefully the ticket prices weren’t too high….just saying’ ZAYN SIRRRRRR?!!!!!!!”
They also had thoughts on the disparity in ticket prices between the two, with one writing, “for the price of 2 harry tickets we were able to buy pit tickets for all 7 nights of zayns residency (in one of the best las vegas venues mind you) like at this point i might as well treat myself to a nice vacation,” and another quipping, “Harry styles really should off his upper-middle class self with those ticket prices that man needs to know financial struggle, my poor boys Louis and Zayn would never.”
For context, the eye-popping numbers for the first round of Styles tickets were for an Amex pre-sale that included merch bundles and other add-ons, with subsequent pre-sales this week coming in at lower price points. A few also noted that some of the VIP tickets for Malik’s Vegas residency were initially going for more than $1,000 in his VIP pre-sales, though SeatGeek had non-VIP seats going for as low as $58 for this weekend’s shows at press time.
While fans love to keep the drama percolating between the ex-bandmates, the comparison to a pre-sale by an artist whose last tour grossed more than $617 million and sold five million tickets in arenas and stadiums around the world versus one who launched his first-ever tour in 2024 (with grosses not available at press time) and who is now playing a 5,000-capacity limited run in Las Vegas is not exactly apples-to-apples.
Zayn’s cheeky moment came after Styles recently began his return from a nearly four-year hiatus with the release of the single “Aperture,” the lead single from his upcoming Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, and announced a 66-show, seven-city 2026 residency tour that will include a 30-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
When pre-sale tickets for those summer shows went on sale this week for New York, London and Amsterdam some fans said they were shocked at some of the pre-sale ticket prices for the shows, as well as the need to travel if they want to see Styles during this round of shows.
“Hey @Harry_Styles as someone who’s loved you for almost 14 years and went to all the tours, I’m at a loss for words over how much you/ur team seem to have lost touch with reality in terms of residency shows and ticket prices. Music should be accessible. Remember how you started,” wrote one aggrieved fan on X, with another lamenting, “@Harry_Styles how are we supposed to belong together with these ticket prices what the f–k.”
To be fair, the long lines and high prices for the Styles pre-sale are not unlike the pain points suffered by Taylor Swift and Oasis fans when the immense crush for pre-sale tickets for, respectively, the Eras Tour and the band’s 2025 reunion outing, went on sale.
The general on-sale for Styles’ tour will begin on Friday at 11 a.m. ET. Ticketmaster reported this week that demand for the MSG shows was so high it broke that all-time record for the biggest pre-sale registrations in a single market with 11.5 million sign-ups.
Malik’s Vegas residency will wrap up this weekend with a pair of shows on Friday (Jan. 30) and Saturday (Jan. 31).
This story originally appeared on Billboard
