Admit it – the walls of your teenage bedroom were littered with posters of pop princesses, rapping gangstas and, of course, boy bands. There’s just something about nostalgic boy bands that I can’t get enough of and this past Sunday, Westlife reminded me, and the rest of Gauteng, that boy band fever is here to stay.
Westlife Wraps Up African Leg of Tour With Spectacular Pretoria Show
Getting the opportunity to relive my teenybopper days was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on. Arriving at the Sunbet Arena for the Irish quarter’s set, I met a long, but moving, queue to get some refreshments.
The show was slated to start at 6 p.m., and by concert estimates, that meant that the band would hit the stage at 7:30 pm. Imagine my surprise when the intercom announced that there was no opening act, which meant that the band was actually going to hit the stage at 6 p.m.
It helps that the concert was being held on a Sunday evening.
Westlife Ignites Boy Band Nostalgia
“Tonight is about you and your memories, and we’re going to take you through all those memories” –
Shane Filan, Westlife
While it’s been a while since Westlife set foot in the country (their last show was in 2001), suffice it to say that the country hasn’t forgotten about them. After all, both their 3 and 4 November shows sold out so fast that the band added a third date to the Pretoria leg of their show, which was great news for me.
Throughout the two-hour show, the mic was definitely on as the band proved that with the years, their voices aged like wine. The group serenaded, and we sang along as they belted both covers and original songs like My Love, World of Our Own, and I Lay My Love On You. Sadly, they didn’t perform Bop Bop Baby and I will carry this trauma for the rest of my life.
Despite this, the band made sure to play to the ground. From changing the lyrics of their cover ‘Mandy’ to the name of a lucky girl in the crowd call ‘Sandy’, to signing a rugby ball and giving it to a lucky fan named Mason.
If that’s not enough, their four outfit changes also featured them changing into Springbok Rugby Jerseys in honour of the national rugby teams’ recent win at the World Cup. The gesture was definitely appreciated by the crowd, that is until Nicky Byrne tried to pair his jersey with an Ireland scarf and was subsequently booed – oops.
Anyway, it was an amazing show and while boy bands have come and gone, Westlife has proven why they’ve stood the test of time. I think we can call them a man band?
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