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Manchester Evening News

Entertainment

Dianne Bourne

Review and pictures: Westlife have the wow factor at Manchester AO Arena

Westlife Manchester AO Arena Kenny Brown Shane Nicky Kian Abba

Westlife are back in Manchester at the AO Arena, a venue they could almost call home they've performed here that many times, and they definitely mean business. Talk about blasting open a show - there were fireworks and confetti cannons within the first three minutes of this non-stop party of a performance on Thursday night.

While the uninitiated may think of Westlife as the Irish ballad-belting boyband who occasionally jump off their stools, their adoring masses of course know it's not like that at all. And they, like the four lads on stage, have come here for a night of wild celebration.

The Westlife boys - Kian, Nicky, Shane and Mark - are going hell for leather on this new Wild Dreams tour. It feels like they're throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at this one - they even start Beyonce-style booty-shaking at one point in this eye-popping extravaganza of a show.

It's a joyful romp through their megahits as well as an impressive medley of ABBA's biggest hits at one stage - even that they do with effortless vocal ease.

The boys are back in town (Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

The show opens with the words: "Are you ready to dream together?" slowly revealed to a screaming crowd before the boyband idols emerge in their intriguing range of dalmatian-like ensembles for a gold-spangled and anthemic performance of Starlight. They are playful with each other and full of banter with the crowds (like pointing out the hen do in the front row) who lap it all up.

Mark says: "We will sing some slow, we will sing some fast songs and hey we might even dance a little bit” before launching into their hit cover of Uptown Girl, the crowd singing and dancing along with verve.

By the third song in, the rocky blast of When You're Looking Like That, the lads were on fire, almost literally, as massive shoots of pyrotechnics lit up the stage, as if they're trying to outdo each song with even more pizzazz. But naturally, what maks the Manchester gig even more special is the wild adoration of the fans here.

It's something acknowledged by the lads frequently through the show. Nicky booms: “Every time we come and do this arena we get really really excited we know it’s going to be an incredible audience.

Click or swipe to see a full gallery of photos of Westlife and their fans at AO Arena:-

He adds: “We’ve played this arena something like 24 times." Although we actually think it's more like 34 times Nicky having consulted the archive.

Either way, it's a staggering achievement to have filled this vast arena on so many occasions to so many delighted fans over the past 20-odd years. And they just keep coming back for more.

The arena is just an extraordinary sea of arms as the lads take us back to 2007 with My Love. And a sea of camera phone lights for Swear It Again.

Kian sighs: “You’re making us feel young again… it’s hard to believe Westlife has been going 22 years now. Thank you for making our dream come true”.

Fans were absolutely loving it as Westlife played the AO Arena in Manchester (Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

For the entire section dedicated to ABBA, the lads return to stage decked out in matching silver waistcoats to belt out a roster of the Swedish band's megahits like Mama Mia, Gimme Gimme Gimme a Man after Midnight, Take a Chance and Me, Money Money Money and Waterloo.

Remarkably they smashed it. Like really smashed it - every vocal was perfect, Mark and Shane in particular nailing the Agnetha and Anna-Frid high notes. “Are there are any dancing queens in Manchester tonight?” They ask somewhat rhetorically to 15,000 jiggling fans who are literally having the time of their lives.

There's even a now obligatory a-capella singalong to Oasis's Don't Look Back in Anger at one point. And the lads stop the show at another to get everyone flashing their camera lights to take a magical snapshot of the evening for their Instagram.

Shane smashed it (Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

What has always marked Westlife out from the pop masses though is those vocals - all four singers so different, but able to soar and complement each other on all of their biggest hits. Naturally the finale of Flying Without Wings showcases that to jaw-dropping effect - their classic weepie getting couple's hugging and friends arm in arm to try their best to join Mark and Shane on the highest of high notes.

There's only one way they could end it all after that - and that's with the soaring anthem of You Raise Me Up once again bringing a sea of arms and emotional faces serenading the four idols on stage.