‘Nottingham… it’s Friday night, are you ready for a party?’ Back for their 20th concert at Motorpoint Arena, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne rose up through hidden doors to deafening screams, greeting the 10,000 fans that braved the sub-zero temperatures, to see the long awaited, Wild Dreams tour come to the East Midlands.
Shane, clearly overwhelmed by the reception he and the lads from Ireland had just received, took a moment before adding, ‘You may have noticed, we are a man down, so tonight Nottingham - YOU are Mark, you have to step up and sing even louder!’ A challenge the crowd accepted with thunderous applause.
The fourth member of Westlife, Mark Feehily, is currently recovering from pneumonia, having missed the last two weeks of this tour - a tour which saw the band sell out Wembley Stadium in the summer, with the show broadcast live in cinemas across the UK. Impressive, considering they are now 25 years in to their career.
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Having sold more than 55 million records, they have a great back catalogue to choose from. The set list comprised of a mix of new and old, with a few surprises along the way. Opening with Starlight, taken from their current Wild Dreams album, the trio mixed ballads with high energy numbers, for just short of two hours. Interestingly, that album features a contribution from Ed Sheeran - himself a self-confessed Westlife fan. Who’d have thought?!
With plenty of banter between the guys, it was plain to see they were enjoying every minute as much as the predominantly female crowd. It’s a tour, that like many, had been postponed for two years due to the pandemic.
With more crowd interaction than usual, several lucky front row fans had their dreams come true, with the guys changing the words from Mandy, to ‘Oh Caitlin, Oh Sheila, Oh Tracey’ - you get the idea. An instant crowd pleaser. Especially endearing when they picked out little Amilie, whose proud mummy was almost in tears.
An ABBA medley followed, with some amusing dance routines. Dressed in silver waistcoats and sparkly trainers, they actually carried this off brilliantly. Changing a line from I Have A Dream, to ‘We are from Ireland, I don’t know what to do!’ was a sweet touch and raised yet another huge cheer.
Checking in once again with the crowd, this time to find out the latest score in the World Cup, Nicky - a former professional footballer himself - asked for updates on Argentina’s match. Naturally the crowd obliged, frantically checking their phones, but with no Wi-Fi, shouting out a completely random range of scores. Funny.
Whilst on the topic of the World Cup, Brian McFadden, the fifth member of Westlife, whom departed from the band in 2004, will be playing to the crowds in Qatar at half time this weekend. Joined by former Boyzone star, Keith Duffy - the pair now perform as Boyzlife.
The party to be AT was in Nottingham though. Flames, fireworks and huge exploding confetti canons adding to the spectacular set. These guys know how to put on a show, even if they are missing possibly their strongest singer.
‘What’s a quintessential Nottingham phrase?’ Nicky asked, before Shane continued ‘we need to film a clip for Mark, at home in bed’. Several practices later, 10,000 fans shouted in unison, ‘Hi Mark, Ey-up me duck!’ all wishing the 42 year old a speedy recovery.
Monster hits, World of our Own and Flying Without Wings, brought the evening to a close, but it was the encore of Hello My Love and Westlife’s third biggest selling single, You Raise Me Up, that - metaphorically speaking - blew the roof off.
Westlife have certainly earned their place as one of the world’s most successful bands. Polished showmen, exceptional vocals and all-round nice guys. The boys from Dublin gave it their all. What a party. Here’s to their next 20 at Motorpoint Arena.
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