Shane Filan – Nottingham Royal Concert Hall – 3rd
March
Image taken by @ItsBizNews
I’ve been a huge Westlife fan since the very
beginning and like most other fans I’ve been having to make do with old albums
to get my fix, so when it was announced Shane Filan (our not so secret favourite)
was heading off on a UK tour I jumped at the chance to grab some tickets. I’m
so glad I did.
I didn’t know what to expect from this tour,
different scenarios went through my mind about what the set would be like, what
his set-list would be like and frankly what it would be like without Kian,
Nicky and Mark! Out of all these scenarios I didn’t imagine one more perfect
than that which developed in front of my last night.
The Support Act
Image taken by @ItsBizNews
I always turn up on time for a support act, usually with varying degrees of joy or regret. This time it was utter joy. Ben Montague gave what seemed a short set, but I think this was only our perception due to the whole 'time flies when you're having fun' adage. I was unsure on the first two songs but the second he switched to the keys I were hooked. Beautiful voice, genuine emotion, great lyrics, I'd happily listen to each song again and again. He endeared himself to the audience with a great attitude, effortless rapport and pure talent. If you're going, don't miss him.
The Stage
Image taken by @ItsBizNews
A small intimate set which is exactly what
someones house would look like if they had a bar in their living room, a love
of lamps and a live-in band. It was simple yet perfectly effective in creating
a relaxed atmosphere in which Shanes’ band looked at home and not an inch out
of place.
The Band
Image taken by @ItsBizNews
His band really helped in creating what was
overall a fantastic show. They were prominent throughout without overpowering
Shane and gave him a source of interaction and comfort up on stage. Dressed in
clothes that I’m pretty sure they stole from the Mumford and Sons, during the
acoustic section it created a folk-like look which really complimented Shanes’
album tracks. My particular favourite was the one with the giant ginger beard!
The Set-List
Image taken by @ItsBizNews
I’d love to list it in chronological order for
you but I was far to engrossed in the show to take notes, sorry. The show had
a perfect mix of new material from his album and Westlife classic hits, exactly
what we’d hoped for. His solo songs allowed him to be him, the crowd sang along
and you could see just how much this meant to him. The Westlife songs obviously
got the crowd going that little bit more, but they’re classics, they’re bound
to. I won’t spoil which ones he performs but no matter what your taste there’s
something for you to reminisce and sing along (very loudly – he likes that) to.
He even throws in a couple of covers, one of which was quite a surprising
choice, again, I won’t spoil it for you, but here’s a clue… I never thought
we’d hear it in an Irish accent.
The Venue
Image taken by @ItsBizNews
As my local venue i've been to the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall too many times to recall but i'd never sat on the 1st tier (which is where my seats were) and i'd definitely recommend it! No waving arms or bobbing heads got in the way even when people were standing. The seats were perfectly comfy and you'd have to be a BFG to grumble about the leg room, the only downside was the person behind me who had overdosed on perfume.
Overall a great show, there’s nothing I went
away wishing I’d seen or heard that I didn’t and I left wanting to see it
all over again. Fingers crossed he tours again because I'm so there!
Here's a couple more pictures I took...
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