LOWER MANHATTAN — Hundreds of screaming girls lined Broadway Monday afternoon in the hopes of meeting British boy band One Direction.
The five-member pop sensation — discovered by Simon Cowell on "The X Factor" in 2010 — appeared at J&R Monday evening to sign their new album, "Up All Night."
Nearly an hour after the event started inside the Park Row store, a line of eager fans still stretched several blocks up Broadway, past City Hall.
"Woohoo! Waiting my turn!" tweeted @FutureMrsMars.
"Tween girls are freaking out at J&R over the appearance of a boy band called One Direction," tweeted @msspinach. "Major panic attacks, people. #ohtobeyoung."
The first 1,500 fans who preordered One Direction's new album were able to get into J&R for the signing.
As the five members of the band strode into the store, the crowd of tweens shrieked and waved their hands.
The band — comprised of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson — also performed on NBC's "Today" show Monday morning. When asked what they liked best about American girls, one of the members replied, "They're very, very loud."
