Making Dreams Come True - Westlife Head North

If newcomer Lyra had been nervous about supporting Westlife on their current arena tour it did not show. The Irish singer gave an assured and confident performance opening up the concert at the Leeds Arena.

Her vocals remained strong throughout her short set with her voice at times recalling Enya as she performed in front of a surprisingly full arena.

Tracks such as Rising Up and Waiting For you – the latter her best song, contrasted with the more subdued numbers such as Chess. Noting that she was not a dancer, using the same dance routine many times was a distraction that taking the spotlight off her vocals. New Day came with a crescendo that would not have been out of place in a Clean Bandit song whilst We Are Beautiful sounded like it should be sitting at the top of the charts. Lyra is definitely a name to watch out for.

Westlife arrived on stage with Shane Filan asking the crowd: “Are you ready to dream?”

A question that received an affirmative answer from the 13,000 fans who sang along loudly to Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl. Westlife has often been criticised over the years for playing it safe by recording cover versions along with syrupy ballads. However, looking around the arena and witnessing the joyful faces even the cynical would have had to agree that maybe Westlife were not so bad after all.

With over twenty years of success even the members of Westlife never thought it would last beyond the obligatory three-year period of a boy band, something that they were quick to point out at the start of the evening.

A guitar solo during When You’re Looking Like That was the first of many unexpected surprises in a powerful concert. The solo might have belonged in a rock show though it never detracted from the song instead giving a new lease of life to the track.

The surprises continued with an ABBA medley – the thought of Westlife covering ABBA is not as inconceivable as it might have seemed as the group streamed with ease through Mamma Mia ending up with Thank You for the Music even adding in some ABBA dance routines.

For every smooth introduction to a song there was a cheeky dance routine added such as a nod to Beyoncé’s Crazy In Love during World Of Our Own.

You Raise Me Up was rightly saved until the end as the atmosphere became electric; fans and group sang along in an almost spiritual fashion.

“Have you had fun tonight?” asked Filan. The happy look on their fans faces as they left the arena said it all. May the fun continue for years to come.



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