Westlife captivates fans at Hanoi concert

(From L) Irish boy band members Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne during their concert at Hanoi’s My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena on May 4, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

During a segment of the concert held on Tuesday, band member Nicky Byrne spotted a sign from a female fan that declared: "I’ve been waiting for 25 years to get a hug from you Westlife."

He quickly invited her to come on stage and talk.

The fan, named Hoa, which translates to "flower" in English, informed the members that they could call her by this name. She recounted being a Westlife fan since she was 15, with "If I Let You Go" being the first song she ever heard by them.

Responding to this, another band member, Shane Filan, initiated a spontaneous performance of the song.

They subsequently performed "Safe" to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.

The band also took out their phones to record the lively atmosphere. They interacted with the audience by guiding them to raise and lower their hands and reiterated their affection for Vietnam in Vietnamese, heightening the crowd’s enthusiasm.

Adding a touch of humor, Byrne made a joke about the 33-degree Celsius weather in Hanoi, saying: "We are from Ireland, where it’s very hot, and in Vietnam it’s cold."

He also recounted a memorable experience from their performance in Ho Chi Minh City last year, noting how many people watched the concert from nearby house balconies without purchasing tickets.

Byrne read another fan’s banner aloud, which humorously stated: "Nicky, I like you but I love Shane."

Westlife then expressed their gratitude to fans who attended their previous concert in Ho Chi Minh City, part of their "The Wild Dreams Tour," and were now present in Hanoi. They saluted the crowd with the chant "Ole, Ole Ole Ole, Ole, Ole," from "Put ‘em Under Pressure," the Irish football team’s official song at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

At the concert’s conclusion, the performers waved both Vietnamese and Irish flags, moving many fans to continuously applaud and cheer.

Band member Mark Feehily was announced absent from the shows due to health reasons.

The evening’s setlist featured their iconic hits like "Uptown Girl," "Fool Again," "Swear It Again," "If I Let You Go," "I Lay My Love On You," "Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You," "Seasons In The Sun," and "My Love."

They performed seven more songs than at their previous shows in Ho Chi Minh City last year and introduced fresher, more vibrant arrangements.

Additionally, they performed two cover songs by Queen, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions."

The band is set to have another show in Hanoi on Wednesday before heading to South Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

According to the concert organizers, approximately 8,000 fans attended the Tuesday concert, half as many as in Ho Chi Minh City. The enthusiastic fans sang and cheered from the start to the end of the performance. Despite the all-seating arrangements, many stood up midway to fully engage in the concert experience.

Concertgoer Anh Thu, 32, shared her excitement about attending the event with her boyfriend.

Many attendees praised the band’s efforts to speak Vietnamese and their close engagement with the audience, fostering a sense of intimacy.

Westlife first performed in Vietnam in 2011 during their "Gravity Tour" at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium. Shane Filan, the group’s lead, returned solo in 2014 and 2017.

Their two concerts in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 21-22 last year attracted a total of 30,000 attendees.

The group was established in 1998 in Dublin with five members, disbanded in 2012, but reunited in 2018 with a four-member line-up.

The band holds four Guinness World Records, including being the top-selling group of the 21st century in the U.K.

 

 

Westlife captivates fans at Hanoi concert

Westlife hát 'Safe' cùng khán giả