WESTLIFE RETURNS for TWO-NIGHT CONCERT in “THE TWENTY TOUR” at SMART ARANETA

Any fan of boy bands from the 1990s that think Boyzone is the only big-name group that ever came out of Ireland has not been listening to enough music from these performers. Also hailing from the Irish capital of Dublin since 1998 was another five-man boy band called Westlife. They came onto the scene a year after their performance debut with their self-titled first album, featuring memorable numbers like “Seasons in the Sun,” “Fool Again” and “Flying Without Wings. After splitting in 2012, four members reunited in 2018 for new music and reunion tours around the world. And their latest stop this week is here.

The Manila Bulletin has it that Westlife arrived in Manila on the early hours of Monday, July 29, for the newest stop in their current concert tour. “The Twenty Tour” is their thirteenth such engagement in the band’s history, seeing them perform their newest album alongside their classic hits across the UK, Ireland and Asia. They have already made Asian stops in Bangkok, Macau and Taipei before making their next concert stop, for two nights, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight and Tuesday night. The concert is organized with local partner promoter Wilbros Live which has already brought big events like Mariah Carey last year.

Wilbros Live chronicled the arrival of the Westlife group on their official Facebook page. Current active members Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Markus Feehily and Shane Filan came to Manila by private jet, with Wilbros capturing its arrival on the NAIA just after midnight of July 29. Westlife has already performed before in the Philippines, and Filan notes that the group has made very special memories the last time they were in Metro Manila. “We have so many great memories coming to Manila. We have so many fans there," he says.

While the Monday concert is now on, there is a follow-up tomorrow evening on Tuesday, July 30. This is a prime time for fans of boy bands and turn-of-the-millennium music to see Westlife, which has a career worldwide records sales exceeding 55 million and album sales of over 45 million. Tickets can be book at TicketNet.com.ph online. Their next stop on the Asian leg of “The Twenty Tour” is Jakarta in August. Another special event in the Wilbros Live calendar for this year is their one-night sports entertainment engagement with the WWE this coming September.

Image: GMA News