Westlife Treats Filipinos to Timeless Hits With ‘The Wild Dreams Tour’ in Manila

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Well-loved Irish boy band Westlife finally staged their much-awaited comeback in Manila. The Philippine leg of the “The Wild Dreams Tour,” named after the group’s latest album, was held at the Araneta Coliseum on February 20 and 21, 2023.

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The Irish pop vocal group, which consists of Shane Filan, Markus Feehily, Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne, and former member Brian McFadden, became a global sensation when they released their debut self-titled album in 1999. This album gave rise to number-one hit singles such as “Swear It Again,” “If I Let You Go,” “Flying Without Wings,” “I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun,” and “Fool Again.”

The multi-awarded group has 33 No. 1 albums under their belt and had seven singles that debuted at No. 1 in the UK — the first band to achieve such a milestone. They also sold over 55 million records worldwide, and as a live act, sold 5 million concert tickets.

Looking back, gazing forward

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As soon as the lights dimmed and the gigantic LED lit up, the crowd went wild as Westlife opened their set with “Starlight,” a track from their latest album. This was then followed by two of their upbeat and well-loved tracks, “Uptown Girl” and “When You’re Looking Like That.”

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“You know this band’s been going for a very, very long time now — I think nearly 23 years,” Markus Feehily said to the crowd. “We’re all getting a little bit older, right? But not tonight, not tonight. We’re going to pretend like we’re 19 again tonight, okay?” This statement was met with ecstatic cheers from the crowd.

In between songs, the boys took their time to express how amazed they are by the love and support of their Filipino fans. They proudly mentioned that there are Filipino fans wherever they go. “Every time we meet them, they just say how much they love Westlife,” Feehily shared.

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Westlife continued with the rest of their set and made their fans swoon with their classic love songs: “Fool Again,” “If I Let You Go,” “My Love,” and “Swear It Again.” The boys followed the spellbinding set with one that made it even harder for their Filipino fans to resist them — an energetic  ABBA medley of “Mamma Mia,” “Gimme Gimme Gimme,” “Super Trouper,” “Money Money Money,” “Take A Chance On Me,” “I Have A Dream,” “Dancing Queen,” “Thank You for the Music,” and “Waterloo.” They also gave their own spin to Daughtry’s “What About Now” and Scott English’s “Mandy.”

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Nicky Byrne also shared his appreciation of how wonderful their Filipino fans were in the two-day concert. “As Shane said, on the last tour, you guys right here in the Araneta Coliseum, you guys were the loudest of the entire show. So you have that record, the Philippines wins. And then last night, you smashed that record, and now, you’re the loudest on this tour,” he said with a big grin on his face as their Filipino fans shouted with glee.

At this point, the boys encouraged the crowd to hold up their brightly lit mobile phones as they sang their hearts out to their other hit tracks: “I Lay My Love On You,” “Seasons In The Sun,” and “World Of Our Own.” Aside from mobile phones, fans also raised light sticks, banners, and old Westlife albums.

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Before the show ended, Westlife serenaded their Pinoy fans with something nostalgic and fresh — a medley of “Flying Without Wings” and “Hello My Love.” They ended things on a high note as they belted out a heartfelt rendition of “You Raise Me Up” for their encore performance.

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The “Westlife: The Wild Dreams Tour” concert was presented by Wilbros Live.

Words and photos by Kenneth Valladolid
Editing by Pauline Bolaños