One Direction's last concert threatened to turn to disaster after eager fans toppled a safety barrier and fainted in the crush.
The band had to put a halt to their sold out Dubai gig halfway through and refused to go back on stage until they were convinced the fans were not in danger.
It left Directioners who had paid up to £180 a ticket leaving in their droves amid fears they would not go back on stage.
Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson - who have continued as a four piece after Zayn Malik's shock departure - abandoned the stage an hour into the concert and did not come back until half an hour later.
The alarm was raised after fans in the silver section - who had paid £55 to stand near the back of the 32,500-capacity Sevens stadium - pushed forward against the safety barrier separating them from £90-a-head gold ticket holders.
The band was told the barrier was 'unsafe' and immediately left the stage at 10pm while security guards handed out bottles of free water to the crowd, some of whom had fainted.
Officials let some silver ticket holders filter through to the gold section to ease the crush.
A teenage fan was injured when the barricade she was sitting on collapsed.
Harry told the crowd to be patient during the break, adding: 'A girl has been injured at the back.'
A paramedic who treated the girl told 7 Days newspaper: 'She fell backwards but she’s okay now. I think she was about 14 or 15 years old. Luckily it was a minor injury.'
The barrier gave way after fans clambered on top to get a better view of the singers. They were thrown backwards as it collapsed under their weight.
One eyewitness said: 'She just fell backwards onto the ground. Everyone was trying to sit on the barrier or jump to the other section.'
Some in the gold section complained they had paid full price but were joined by holders of cheaper tickets.
As the band had gone on stage an hour later than promised at 9pm, hundreds of parents with exhausted children left in their masses during the impromptu interval, fearing they would not come back on.
When the boys finally reappeared at 10.30pm, they were apologetic about the blip in the running of the show, the last in their On The Road Again tour before the summer, when they will perform in Europe.
Louis joked as they came back on: 'Okay, so that wasn't awkward at all.' Harry added: 'We're very sorry about the delay' and went on to thank parents, grandparents and family members who had brought their young fans to the concert.
Liam said: 'I'm really sorry about the minor fault we had tonight.'
Earlier in the evening, he had responded to a fan who held up a sign asking: 'Are you and Zaynie okay?' by saying: 'We are. We're good, I can promise you that.'
And he recovered form enough to joke with the crowd, throwing his hat and sunglasses into the fanpit and even taking a bite out of a cheeseburger someone had thrown on stage.
The gig ended with a rendition of Best Song Ever as fireworks lit up the sky.
Niall said as the concert finally came to an end at 11.20pm: 'Sorry about the minor thing. Either way you had a good time so no one really cares.
'We really appreciate you being there for the last five years. Let’s keep it going, we’re having a laugh.'
Thomas Ovesen, chief operating officer of concert organiser Done Events, said in a statement: 'The safety of their fans is of the utmost importance to One Direction so when a breach in a barrier was discovered during the show, the decision was made to stop the show temporarily to avoid any injuries.
'The issue was rectified with no injuries reported, after which the show was resumed. We admire and share the concern of the band members for their fans and their safety. Rather safe than sorry.'
On stage, the band revealed they had been stuck on a plane for 18 hours when they landed in Dubai, thanks to a sandstorm.
The boys are thought to be staying at the Atlantis hotel on the Palm Jumeirah, where some rooms look directly into the aquarium.
Fans from the United Arab Emirates took advantage of their first visit to the region to mock up images of what the band would look like dressed in traditional clothing.
