A dancing security guard at the AO Arena has been hailed as a hero for lifting spirits after two acts at the 90s Baby Pop event cancelled at the last minute. And some have called for the so-far unidentified steward, who works for Showsec, to get a payrise.
The show, which featured a host of pop acts from the 90s and noughties, happened on Saturday night and featured performances from Heather Small, Five, Los Del Rio, Lou Bega, Liz & Natasha from Atomic Kitten, Whigfield and The Cheeky Girls. But sadly, Aqua and 2 Unlimited had to cancel their appearances at the last minute.
Luckily, the steward was there to buoy spirits with his dancing, with videos making it onto Twitter and TikTok. “He honestly made our night, someone give this man a pay rise,” said Natalie Heywood on Facebook, while others posted their own footage of him.
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“Absolutely loving life,” said Sinaed Purkhardt from Oldham, also on Facebook. Added Sarah De Ath: “This guy needs to be working next Tuesday when he can busy these moves to the real Backstreet Boys!”
After posting footage of the dancing steward online, Kirsty Beadsworth, also from Oldham, told the M.E.N: “He had been doing his job, he worked for Showsec and they manage the crowds at the AO Arena. But then in his free time he was just dancing and absolutely loving it.
"At the beginning of the concert everything was going smoothly, but we then found out that Aqua wouldn't be coming on, so that dampened the mood and lots of people were disappointed.
"Some even left because they had just come to the concert to see them. As we were waiting for Gala to come on, there was a DJ who came and played some songs, but everyone seemed a little bit fed up. Then this security guard just starts dancing and absolutely loving the music.
"He was lightening the spirits and lifting everybody's mood. He was really enjoying himself, and everyone was cheering him on and clapping for him. I hope he gets some recognition for it because it honestly made our night. He was hilarious."
Aqua, the Danish-Norwegian band known for their hits Barbie Girl and Doctor Jones, had to cancel their appearance after vocalist Lene Nystrøm lost her voice.
Meanwhile, 2 Unlimited cited problems with ‘unforeseen travel circumstances. The pop show is already confirmed for another date at the arena next year.
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