Westlife O2 Arena at the O2 Arena

25 years on, Westlife still know how to make an entrance. As the lights drop on the second of three sold-out nights at London’s O2 Arena, the buzz is palpable. A futuristic, Star Trek-style film plays on a huge screen as a circle of lights dazzles overhead, before the band launch into World of Our Own. It’s the opening an act with 14 UK number ones and over two decades of hits deserves. This may be an arena show, but the production is stadium-sized.

Uptown Girl follows, and the room is theirs. Rockier number When You’re Looking Like That is an early treat, nicely contrasted by the heart-wrenching What Makes a Man. This is a band that does the bangers just as well as the ballads, and boy, don’t they know it. Choreography is simple and well rehearsed, the vocals unsurprisingly on point.

Between songs, rambling reflections on relationships and band history bring a personal touch, including a nod to Primark’s recent Westlife merchandise range. The trio – Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne – are full of joy, appearing to have as much fun as, if not more than, those who paid to be here. Fourth member Mark Feehily is absent, having taken a step back from touring in recent years for health reasons. Songs are reworked to account for the band’s missing piece, while backing singers impressively cover his revered vocals.

Running through this show is a wonderful unpredictability. The songs may be known, but the surprises keep coming: lasers, pyro, costume changes, confetti in the colours of the Irish flag, a couple of acoustic guitars, you name it. A mid-arena B-stage allows the band to get a little closer to the chaos early on, delivering stripped-back versions of some of their most loved tracks while surrounded by the voices and lights of their adoring fans. Westlife may be in the midst of a world tour, but it is not lost on them who made that possible.

Yet not everything lands, as AI-style backdrops distract, and the sci-fi sparkle of the lighting clashes with the nostalgic music and imagery. It’s hard not to wish the cinematic story of the opening had been carried through the night, as late offering Hello My Love is one of the only numbers to make full use of the spectacle.

Then come the drones. A poignant display of floating lights accompanies You Raise Me Up, providing the emotional peak of the evening. The band dedicate it to lost loved ones, a reminder of just how much life these tunes have soundtracked.

Westlife’s “25” tour isn’t about reinventing the formula, but celebrating the one that has served them so well. A quarter century on, the songs still soar, the harmonies still hold, and the band look like they’re still having the time of their lives.

Katherine Parry
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events, visit Westlife O2 Arena’s website here.

Watch the video for Hello My Love here: