| Well another tour over and done with, we're sure that you will all agree that it was fantastic! To sum up the atmosphere of this tour, Hayley Mitchell kindly sent in her review of the show in Manchester and Dublin. So here goes, and we hope it brings back some memories. |
| I am sure
that for most of you, reading this will bring back many wonderful memories
of seeing the Boyz live. However, I understand and appreciate that there
are many people, both in Britain and overseas who, for a variety of reasons,
have never been able to see a Boyzone concert. I am therefore writing this
review especially for you so that you too can share in what can only be
described as an amazing experience - Boyzone Live. |
| As
the atmosphere in the arena grew and the noise reached fever pitch, everybody
waited expectantly for the concert to begin. The lights went out and the
excitement mounted. A flash of light and there they were. "Picture of You"
was the first song and the Boyz leapt into it with enthusiasm. As they moved
into "One Kiss At A Time" and "Believe in me" they showed off some new dance
routines. They were all enjoying themselves just as much as the audience.
|
| Apart from
Shane, the Boyz all had a solo slot during the show. This time, however,
there was some new material from Mikey, Keith and Stephen. As you know,
Mikey has recently been busy writing tracks for his album and he performed
one of these, "You're My Angel" on tour. Although they hadn't heard it before,
I think all of the audience enjoyed it as they clapped along. I
personally think that this is the best song he's written to date as it is
slightly more up-tempo than his others which makes it a good song to perform
live. Mikey has proved himself to be a serious songwriter and I can't wait
to hear more of his new material. True to form, Keith sang one of his rock
and roll songs, but instead of the usual "Where Have You Been," he performed
a song which he wrote a couple of years ago called "Will I Ever See You."
As he ran and leapt across the stage he had the whole of the crowd jumping
up and down and clapping along. I am sure everybody enjoyed it as much as
he did and it's a shame he isn't planning to release a solo single in the
near future. |
| Obviously
Ronan sang "When You Say Nothing At All" and rose up through the stage sitting
on a wooden bench, just like the video. As everybody in the audience joined
in with the words he had an amused and incredulous look on his face as I
think he hasn't quite come to terms with just how popular he has become
over the years. During the song he was wearing a particularly nice cream
suit, but personally I'd like to see his hair cut short again! As he sang,
a woman stood on the stage signing the song. This was an appropriate and
really nice idea as there are many deaf and partially deaf people who like
to go to the concert to see the Boyz performing. There was also a humorous
mime artist who acted out the song. I thought this didn't really go with
the sentiments of the song, but I'm sure many other people enjoyed watching
it. As well as this, Ronan also sang "She Moves Through The Fair." I really
enjoyed hearing this again as I think that Ronan's voice is particularly
well suited to Celtic songs. |
| My favourite
part of the show by far, however, was Stephen's performance of "Bright Eyes."
The song is perfect for his voice and he sings it brilliantly live. Many
of the people there had never heard it before, but I'm sure they were impressed
with the quality and power of his voice. During
the repetitions of the chorus he was attached to two wires and lifted up
above the stage before being swung out over the audience. The reception
from the crowd was overwhelming as a huge cheer swept him into the air.
It can't be that easy to sing whilst being held up in a harness, but this
was the best I had ever heard him sing it. His singing just gets better
and better and I hope more people will come to recognise this as he embarks
on his solo career. It was a shame he didn't have the chance to sing more
as I would have loved to have heard some of the new songs he's written for
his album. |
| During the
middle section of the show the Boyz had a "Millennium Party," when they
sang "Celebrations," "Blame It On The Boogie," "Grease" and "1999." Stephen's
dancing skills shone through and Shane effortlessly did the moves. As we
all know, dancing isn't Ronan and Keith's strong point, but they both tried
their best and did very well. During this they all had various fur-covered
suits on; Shane dressed all in white with his ubiquitous long coat which
he was flicking around in true Shanno style. Stephen had a large fluffy
white coat with blue jeans which had white fluffy turn-ups and a white fluffy
back pocket. Ronan had a huge wig on which looked like he had "spongy serpents"
growing out of his head! Keith had furry grey trousers and a leather jacket
and Mikey wore camouflage print fur. Throughout the show the Boyz performed
a mixture of new and old songs, from "Love Me For A Reason" right through
to "Everyday I Love You." As Shane said, they like to think of this as their
"best of" tour and so were performing those songs which were their personal
favourites. |
| After all their solo slots Stephen came back onto the stage to speak to the audience. He took a perfect opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of his fans for the tremendous support they have given him over such a difficult time. He spoke from the bottom of his heart when he said how uplifting and overwhelming it had been to receive so many letters and went on to say "When The Going Gets Tough, the tough get going!" During the slightly extended instrumental in "When The Going Gets Tough" the Boyz held a "boxing match" between the "1,000 stone" Keith and the "1 stone" Stephen. After a number of well acted punches, Stephen finally knocked Keith to the ground. Everybody else then joined in to keep him down on the floor for the ten second count. I really enjoyed watching their performance of "You Needed Me" as the dancers all had picture frames which the Boyz walked behind, to reflect the video. It was extremely well timed and looked very effective. |
| For the last
section of the show, the Boyz performed "Everyday I Love You," "No Matter
What" and finally "Let The Message Run Free" in silver sparkly suits. A
special mention must go to Stephen for his tremendous effort in "Everyday
I Love You." I was personally glad to see him back sharing lead vocals with
Ronan on the single and on tour he gave his verses all he's got. As Ronan
sang "If I asked would you say yes?" to his amusement the whole crowd shouted
back a resounding "yes!" Just before the last song, Ronan thanked everybody
for all their support over the past six years and said they hoped to do
another tour at the end of this year. |
|
Although the Boyz were on stage for longer than usual, 1 hour 45 minutes, it was all over far too quickly. I went to see them in Manchester and Dublin and thoroughly enjoyed myself both times. From the atmosphere and response of the crowd it was easy to tell that everybody, young or old, male or female, enjoyed watching them and as the Boyz said "Let The Message Run Free"- they'll be back! thanks very much to Hayley for that - recorded devilery |