Zayn isn't quite ready to leave the mystery behind at his first solo show

Zayn's Mind of Mine album release show was, well, a paradise and a war zone. 

It was technically Zayn's first solo show -- so far, he's only performed a handful of late night performances since leaving One Direction. The Zquad waited for hours, some overnight, to celebrate at the iHeartRadio Theater in New York City. A group of girls who couldn't score wristbands gleefully listened to Zayn soundcheck through metal doors. 

And there's plenty to celebrate -- Mind of Mine is currently #1 on iTunes and is likely to debut at #1 on the charts, which is no small feat for a solo debut. One Direction's most recent album, Made in the A.M., didn't take the top slot, but they also made the confounding choice to share a release date with Justin Bieber. 

Fans zoomed to the closest spots they could find in what was already a small venue -- there is no such thing as close enough -- and ferociously held their ground while they waited for the man of the hour.

Finally, Zayn's mostly-female band took the stage decked out in black sequins and Zayn took an unassuming stroll to the microphone while the crowd was screaming his name. The word "faith" was scrawled on his leather jacket. 

Zayn is a great singer, and the songs work well in such an intimate venue, especially the moody, "It's You." He stayed focused on the songs, often closing his eyes while his falsetto filled the room, occasionally cracking a smile at the crowd and taking it all in.

"I'm proud of you Zayn!" was the overwhelming favorite cheer in the crowd. "I love you!" came in second with, "Fuck me daddy!" in a distant but persistent third. Zayn's fans are growing up with him. 

After performing three songs, Zayn thanked the fans between sips of water and headed off stage during what was billed as a Q&A. 

In his time as a member of One Direction, Zayn had the identity of The Quiet, Mysterious One, because there has to be one of those in every boy band. But it seems that it wasn't just a role he was happy to play while Harry Styles soaked up the spotlight. He just seems like a soft spoken dude. 

Audience members were confused when the evening abruptly turned into a listening party. 

"This is bullshit! I could just be listening to this in my car!" a fan who had made the trek from New Jersey complained. 

Zayn was not on stage while his hit song, "Pillowtalk," played, but you would not be able to tell from this video of the crowd singing to an empty stage.

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Zayn was not on stage while "Drunk" played. It was a great time to catch up on texts. 

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He never made it back to the stage and the whole thing ended anticlimactically, and Zayn made his way to another album release party. 

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