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Westlife at the Keepmoat: That’s life as boys go west for a while - Review
Westlife performing at the Keepmoat Stadium
WESTLIFE kept their fans waiting at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday night.
Rumours that only three of the band had turned up started to circulate the stadium as the show failed to start on time.
When the last of the band’s 31 UK shows did finally get under way, with Irish singer/guitarist Glen Calum providing the support, it was followed by another lengthy wait of over half an hour.
With nothing happening on the stage, apart from a brief appearance of a guitar technician, it was left to a couple of men out of the crowd to entertain the fans with their antics in front of the East Stand. Dozens later joined in a conga on the covered section of the pitch
Many fans were clearly frustrated by the delay, which was nothing to do with the stadium.
“It is getting a bit ridiculous now,” said Hull-based Jackie Gedney who, along with her group of friends, had been in the stadium since the gates opened at 5.30pm.
Westlife finally took to the stage around 9.35pm.
After two upbeat songs, Mark Feehily, the one rumoured to have been late, apologised to the crowd on behalf of the band for the delay without offering any explanation.
But he pledged: “We’ll try our very best to make it up to you in the next hour and a half.”
Most of the crowd will probably feel that they did just that with a good selection of songs and their Irish charm proving a winning combination.
Even Jackie admitted: “It was worth waiting for. They were good.”
Credit must also go to the tight four-piece backing group consisting of two guitarists, drummer and keyboard player.
Like them or loathe them, and there are a lot of people who fall into the latter category, Westlife underlined the fact that they can perform equally well live as in the studio – with the acoustics at the stadium helping in that respect.
Shane Filan and Feehily shared the lead vocals on the majority of Westlife songs - which included A World Of Our Own, Flying Without Wings, You Raise Me Up, What About Now (my favourite on the night) and Uptown Girl.
Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan got the chance to showcase their respective talents during a medley of songs by the likes of Rihanna and the Kaiser Chiefs.
There was also plenty of inter-action with the crowd during the evening with Byrne, in particular, wooing the fans.
Their last single, Safe, taken from their current Gravity album, was the worst-performing single of their career and just scraped into the top ten.
When Simon Cowell refused to put out a second song from the album it led to a split earlier this year.
Having heard the band perform Beautiful Tonight, many people will think Cowell got it wrong.
Many of the songs Westlife, who started life as a five-piece, have recorded over the years have been covers.
But the band had far more input on Gravity, with four of the 12 songs having been co-written.
The band have a second greatest hits album coming out later this year and they will be back out on the road again in 2012.
Whether their tour will include a second visit to the Keepmoat Stadium remains to be seen.
Tickets proved more difficult to move than had been anticipated, even though prices were cut during the run-up to the show, and it is unlikely to have been the money-spinner stadium bosses had been hoping for.
But if they do return to the town next year, and you missed out on Saturday, then try and catch them. You might be pleasantly surprised. You will certainly know a lot of their songs.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 7 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
leanne220682
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 05:17 PMi cannot belive the amount of people moanin about how cold it was in doncaster are they in a dream world it was never cold at all it was red hot and if ya have common sense u shud have taken ya coats with ya it was a fab nite yeah they were late on but worth the wait only thing i wud complain about is standing area shud have seperated barriers as people were pushing all nite fab nite lads r8 enjoyed it xx
Stormylady
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 08:10 PMMy daughter paid £86 for our 2 disabled tickets. No one told her when she booked over the phone we also had to book a parking space, lucky there were some left, but it was a bit of a walk, so as the sun was blazing down when we went in, we were getting burnt, and couldn't see without sunglasses or shading ourselves with our programmes, we had left our cardigans in the car. Too far to walk back to when the sun went down, having been in our seats from 5.45, too warm, we then became frozen, no one offered us coats, perhaps because it wasn't evident we are both disabled, as we were seated up in the normal stand, on row E, the steps were quite steep, and nowhere to put your legs, my knee became very painful, so much so I was worried about not been able to drive home! Disabled seating, should be disabled seating and like the parking a little more room, my daughter had to sit holding a crutch throughout the evening as there was no where to put it. The long wait just added to our anxieties, as has been said above thank goodness for the entertainment from Damon and Warren. I did enjoy Westlife when eventually they came on stage, but with the cramped seating, no explanation for the delay etc, I doubt I would want to go again even if they do return next year.
scoobydriver69
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 04:13 PMSix of us paid 80.00 inc hospitality for the event, the meal was no where near worth 40.00, the toilets about 15 which were opposite the directors and private boxes boxes had no running water so you could not flush the chain or wash the soap off your hands. After complaining about the toilets saying how disgutting it was and that they needed sorting, about an hour later they were still the same except now blocked all up with paper and smelled vile, instead off putting an out of order sign on people were still using these, however i found a baby change roomtoilet to use. Im not suprised the keepmoat might be up for sale and losing money i can see why if a they can not sort a simple problem of water pressure out and give you value for money when you even pay over the odds for the privalidge.
scoobydriver69
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 04:12 PMSix of us paid 80.00 inc hospitality for the event, the meal was no where near worth 40.00, the toilets about 15 which were opposite the directors and private boxes boxes had no running water so you could not flush the chain or wash the soap off your hands. After complaining about the toilets saying how disgutting it was and that they needed sorting, about an hour later they were still the same except now blocked all up with paper and smelled vile, instead off putting an out of order sign on people were still using these, however i found a baby change roomtoilet to use. Im not suprised the keepmoat might be up for sale and losing money i can see why if a they can not sort a simple problem of water pressure out and give you value for money when you even pay over the odds for the privalidge.
EveHanson
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 03:39 PMNot the boys best performance I have seen. Nicky did his best to woo the crowd however in my opinion Mark gave a half hearted attempt and looked like he couldnt really be bothered for most of the performance at some points not even bothering to join in with the dance routines. Good job from the other 3 though
JaneGray
Monday, August 1, 2011 at 10:27 PMWestlife did entertain us and were very good but we were left very dissapointed by the very long wait and all over a fall out within the band, come on boys, dont be such divas. Not all was lost thanks to Damon Coles and Warren Chinn, the two very funny guys who kept the whole stadium entertained for god knows how long. I shall be smiling for a long time to come with the memory of those two. l think Westlife should have thanked them both personally.
donnydiva
Monday, August 1, 2011 at 09:14 PMI think if they do return in 2012 we should be given half priced tickets if we produce tickets from 2011 to compensate for this yrs long delay leaving many fans especially disabled fans who were freezing waiting for them to start the concert if it wern,t for keepmoat stewards providing coats for vulnerable fans im sure they would have had hyperthermia.
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