The release of Midnight Memories, One Direction’s third album, was celebrated in a unique way with an eccentric seven hour live stream on November 23, 2013. The event consisted of the videos of “directioners” from all over the world, attempts at breaking world records, celebrity guests, the exuberant personalities of the Irish-British boy band, and much more.

     Scott Mills, a famous British radio presenter, hosted the overall event; with the boys taking turns presenting in pairs during each one hour segment. Special guests like David Beckham, Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell, the cast of Dr. Who, Dynamo, Cindy Crawford, and James Corden all participated in the extravaganza. 

     The quirky personalities of Harry, Louis, Niall, Zayn, and Liam were in full swing.  Louis was the sassiest; constantly making sarcastic remarks to fans, interviewers, and about the technical difficulties that plagued the show. Harry showed off his sweet, dorky self; cracking awkward knock-knock jokes and seemed genuinely excited to interact with “directioners.” Zayn was calm; going with the flow and occasionally showing off his special accent.  Niall exhibited his usual eagerness; participating in the activities and interactions with glee.  Liam took charge as the unofficial leader; transitioning between segments easily and keeping the other boys on track.

     Liam Payne tweeted, “7 hours of us ha ha they were mad to let us do this…”

     A seven hour event, which ended up being eight hours, may seem excessive but there was never a dull moment. Jasmine Mann, a sophomore, happily stated, “I didn’t get up once.”

     Louis and Zayn participated in a spirited shuriken battle and unsuccessfully danced Bollywood style. Liam “the pain train” Payne took part in a fight with a famous wrestler and surprisingly won. Suspiciously he was seen jumping over the edge of the arena and someone, that may or may not have been Liam, emerged in the same outfit. Harry and Niall reenacted a scene from Ghost, complete with inappropriate touching, while Harry was making pottery.

     Some odd happenings also occurred during the event. Harry randomly left the studio to buy frozen yogurt, and then came back an hour later. Louis was utterly devastated when he was not able to break the world record for the most toilet rolls stacked in one minute, as was Liam when he failed to break the record for most balloons popped by sitting on them. There was a segment where Zayn and Liam had to feel the bodies of their crew and guess who they were. But the oddest happening by far was a video of One Direction dancing, to Jason Derulo’s Talk Dirty to Me, in various states of undress.

     The best moments by far were the moments that One Direction interacted with their fans. They were invited to listen to the album in a phone booth and participated in activities with the boys.  Fans that were not physically there were surprised by the boys on Skype. The boys seemed genuinely happy to interact with “directioners” and the fans were elated at the chance.

     Zayn Malik tweeted, “Having a wicked day doing 1D day stuff hope you guys are having as much fun as we are!”

     The seven hour live steam was an eccentric way to kick off the release of Midnight Memories but it truly made fans happy. It was a way for Harry, Louis, Niall, Zayn, and Liam to express the gratitude they feel for their fans, their way of saying, “a massive thank you.”

     The event was eloquently summed up by Harry Styles the next day when he stated, “I ate a grasshopper yesterday.”