'Westlife The Wild Dreams Tour’ Malaysia - Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil ~ 8:30pm Thursday & Friday, 23rd & 24th February 2023.
Back in the 1990's, the biggest stars were the boy bands and girl groups of the west dominating the music industry captivated fans around the world with their music respectively.Twenty-three years after Westlife released it's first single, "Swear It Again", members Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, and Mark Feehily performed to a crowd of 8,000 fans at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil for two nights which was organized by Trumpet International, proving that they are still popular as ever.
Indeed, it was like a 90’s flashback when Westlife got on stage of their sold-out “Wild Dreams Tour” in Malaysia. Fans filled the venue, all excited to see the Irish boy band perform live.
The crowd erupted in screams as the lads stepped out in their black and white graffiti outfits and began their show with confetti and "Starlight" from their 2021 album Wild Dreams, gives an exhilarating performance in it's first post-pandemic concert in Malaysia.
The chart-topping boy band (which was originally a quintet - Brian McFadden left in 2004) thrilled the very responsive crowd, belting some of their greatest hits including 'Uptown Girl', 'I Lay My Love On You', 'Fool Again', 'If I Let You Go', 'Swear It Again' and many more.
Despite their time away from the spotlight from 2012 until 2018, Westlife's return to the scene, and indeed to fans' hearts, was a much needed reprieve from the past two years since the pandemic.
Fans were not just millennials like me, with fans of all ages singing along to every word, getting caught up in the emotion of power ballads like 'My Love' and 'Flying Without Wings' while swaying and dancing to the more upbeat numbers like 'When You’re Looking Like That', 'World Of Our Own'.
To everyone’s excitement, the band also did a medley of ABBA tunes including 'Mamma Mia', 'Take A Chance On Me', 'I Have A Dream', 'Dancing Queen' and 'Thank You For The Music' among others - even that they do with effortless vocal ease.
They interacted with the audience too, thanking Malaysian fans for being their family away from their families and for their support over the years. They first performed here back in 1999, and they have returned many times ever since, last was in 2019.
Throughout the night the group gave each song it's all, with Filan and Feehily’s powerhouse vocals anchoring each tune. For the final act, the boys belted out 'Hello My Love' and their rendition of Josh Groban’s 'You Raise Me Up', an uplifting song performed with such passion it moved some to drop tears.
Westlife's concert was a big deal for the thousands of fans like myself, who grew up listening to tunes that stood out even back when boy bands such as N'Sync and Backstreet Boys were in their glory days. They may no longer be the heartthrobs for some, but the lads can still lift our spirits with their timeless tunes.
Be sure to follow Trumpet International on Facebook for all the latest updates on Westlife The Wild Dreams Tour in Kuala Lumpur 2023, or visit Westlife's website.
xoxo - aly
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