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Westlife returned to the Philippines for a concert after 8 years, and the Filipino crowd undoubtedly welcomed them with open arms. The Irish boyband, composed of Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan, held 2 consecutive sold-out shows for The Twenty Tour at the Araneta Coliseum on July 29 and 30. Presented by Wilbros Live, the concerts were well organized from start to finish.

At the explosion of Western boybands during the 90s to the early 2000s, Westlife certainly stood out. Known as one of the most adored boybands in the Philippines, their popularity bordered on mania during their peak. Their latest songs, albums and music videos were always at the top of the charts for weeks and at times, months. Every time they came to Manila, legions of fans would swarm them at the airport. Their concerts were always sold out. Basically, everyone knew their songs. Any Filipino back then would be able to sing along to the chorus of “Swear It Again”, “If I Let You Go” and “My Love” as if it were the most natural thing to do. Twenty years later, who would have thought they could still incite the same passionate reception in our country?

“We’re going to have an absolutely incredible time tonight. We’re going to celebrate 20 years of Westlife together. We’re gonna take a journey through all those memories and all those songs,” Shane Filan told the crowd.

Indeed, it was. Their two-night concert was a fun, sentimental and spectacular trip down memory lane. The Araneta Coliseum was filled with 10,000 people for each night of the concert. Fans who were noticeably of the older generation (late 20s and above) were the mainstays of the crowd, and they were loud and passionate enough to turn the Coliseum into a roaring powerhouse.

The show started with a memory reel of the band, highlighting their achievements through the years. As if in greeting, the first songs were “Hello My Love”, their first single since their return this year; followed by “Swear It Again”, their first single ever. Their setlist was a mixture of all their trademark hits, their new tracks with some unexpected twists. The Westlife classics were there – “My Love”, “When You’re Looking Like That”, “Uptown Girl” and “If I Let You Go”. Their latest tracks “Better Man” and “Dynamite” from their upcoming album Spectrum also took the spotlight. The intimate acoustic medley, which included snippets of “I Have a Dream”, “Fool Again” and “Queen of My Heart”, was a welcome treat. Surprisingly, the band showed off a more vibrant side of themselves onstage as they incorporated a Queen medley in the mix.

Westlife proved that age hasn’t slowed them down at all. They still have the energy and the passion to keep the show going. Twenty years into their career, their vocals are still top-notch. They have been on tour since late May, and they’ve had 3 consecutive concerts in 3 different Asian countries before their stop in Manila, but you can barely see any signs of them being exhausted. They were visibly thrilled to perform for the crowd, and they took their time to extend their appreciation.

“We’re so happy to be here. I told he boys before tonight, ‘Do you remember the Philippines, how loud the fans are?’ It’s always nice to come to your country with so much memories, and to have more memories,” Shane said.

“I grew up in a farm in Ireland, in the countryside. I couldn’t believe that I came all the way to the other side of the world and all these people knew my mother’s name, my father’s name, my dog’s name, Snoopy (RIP). But anyway, since the very beginning, you guys have been passionate supporters of Westlife. Thank you so much! We love you,” Mark told the crowd.

“Thank you for all your support. Let me take you back to 1998 to 99 when we were a young band and all of you were a lot younger, too. We started from Ireland, West Coast Europe. We started to travel around the world, and we got to Asia and we landed in Manila, and it seemed like thousands of people were in the airport to greet us. And it was all of your support that led us to return to the Philippines on many occasions,” Nicky recounted during his speech.

“I know the boys have already said, but I’ve got to say it for myself. It’s so great to be back here. Thank you so much for coming, for showing so much love here tonight. We really appreciate it,” Kian, who was the last to speak, kept his statement short but sincere.

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The Twenty Tour was everything a longtime Westlife fan’s dream come true. As someone who grew up listening to Westlife, their concert in Manila is one of the best things that has happened this year. It’s like a rush of nostalgia, euphoria and melancholia all at the same time.

The band also has this renewed passion for performing. I was honestly expecting them to be tired from their hectic tour schedule since May. They held concerts in Bangkok, Macau and before coming to Manila, but they were visibly in excellent condition when they performed live – no hint of hoarseness or exhaustion. If anything, they were very giddy as they performed onstage and occasionally threw jokes at each other. I had seen them live on their “Gravity Tour” in Manila on 2011, and compared to their condition 8 years ago, they are notably doing a lot better now. Their live vocals are more powerful now, especially Mark’s (whose high notes soared wonderfully in every song). Shane has always been a great singer with his stable yet emotive singing voice. It was also nice to see Nicky and Kian get their well-deserved exposure in more songs particularly during the Queen medley. The boys are also more comfortable onstage. They goof around more onstage, and they genuinely appear to be enjoying themselves.

Westlife’s concert also got upgraded in terms of production, visual effects and lighting. It included stylishly produced intermission videos during the set breaks. The led screen at the background of the stage was massive. It would be accurate to say that whole background was actually a led screen, projecting beautifully rendered CG-animated clips to match the songs. To put it in more relatable terms: Imagine the production involved in K-pop concerts – the animated clips plus the burgeoning lights. It seems they’ve incorporated some of those elements in their show.

Overall, the concert was impressive. It was a visual and aural treat, heightened by Westlife’s natural synchronicity onstage. Seeing Westlife live after so long was worth everything.

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Hold your breath! It seems we’ll be seeing more of Westlife soon.

“We’re back after 20 years, but this isn’t only for 1 year. We’re back as a band, and we plan to stay around for a long time,” Shane said near the end of the concert.

They’re slated to release their new album titled Spectrum later this year, and the boys had hinted a possibility of another tour. One thing’s for sure, though, they are more than welcome to come back to the Philippines.

Special thanks to WILBROS LIVE!

Words by Sandra Mae Laureano
Photos by Carla Barretto and Vince Bern