More than 50,000 delirious pop fans were Flying Without Wings last night as Westlife made a triumphant return to the stage at Dublin’s Aviva stadium.
The awesome foursome had their fans in fine voice as they played their first gig in Ireland for three years, belting out their biggest hits to a packed out Aviva.
The excitement around the south Dublin stadium had been building up all day, with young fans queueing up for hours to get in to see their pop idols. Meanwhile, older fans who have followed the band for over 20 years were packed into pubs around Dublin, with many donning pink cowboy hats and Westlife t-shirts as they got into the mood from early on.
READ MORE: Westlife parties in Dublin City Centre this weekend ahead of Aviva Stadium gigs
Fan Shauna Clancy from Edenderry, Co Offaly, said: “We’ve been supporting Westlife since we were five years of age. We are absolutely buzzing for the concert now, we cannot wait. It’s their first concert after a long, long wait, so it’s going to be great.”
One fan from Sligo said the band were the pride of the West, with Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan all from the county. He said: “There’s a big crowd of us up from Sligo to support the Westlife boys. We are looking forward to a great night, they are the pride of Sligo.
“The three boys keep us going every year, we don’t know what we would do without them. Some of us have even come home from America just to see them, it’s great.”
And Shane, Mark, Kian and Dubliner Nicky Byrne didn’t disappoint as they put on a show that had the fans in high spirits and with smiles on their faces. The eagerly awaited gig even included a nine minute medley of Abba songs, before fans were treated to an encore including Westlife’s massive hit, You Raise Me Up.
Other big hits in their setlist that had fans singing along to the top of their voices included Starlight, Uptown Girl and Flying Without Wings.
It was the first time the band had played in front of an Irish audience since they rocked Croke Park in 2019. And they will do it all again tonight when another 50,000 delighted fans will descend on the Aviva for the second of their sold-out shows.
Speaking ahead of their shows, Nicky Byrne said it will be a “momentous occasion for all of us. It feels so positive that we’re moving forward”. While Shane Filan said he hoped the Aviva gigs will be “the best show the band ever put on”.
Special guests tonight include Soule, who will kick off at 6.30pm, followed by Sugababes at 7.30pm. Westlife are due to take to the stage at 8.30pm and fans are urged to attend the venue early.
The band will then return for two more shows in Ireland next month, when they play Cork’s Pairc Ui Chaoimh stadium on August 12 and 13.
Speaking about the Cork shows, Nicky said: “We are over the moon to announce we’re going to be playing Pairc Ui Chaoimh for the first time ever. We can’t wait to bring the show there, which will be more spectacular than anything we’ve done before.”
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