Seems like Shayne and liferenz have been doing most of the posting lateley. We're going a little OT here but here's a review from
independent.ieWestlife wow the Croker crowd82,000 faithful lap up hits at foursome's biggest ever gigBy Fiach Kelly
Monday June 02 2008WESTLIFE lived the dream as they wowed 82,000 fans at a sold-out Croke Park last night.
The Westlife lads arrived on stage to the sort of roar normally reserved for a goal by home team Dublin in the All-Ireland Final.
With an explosion of fireworks, and dwarfed by crazed dancers on stilts, they launched into 'Hit You With The Real Thing' then 'World of Our Own'.
The group tore through a selection of hits, including 'What Makes a Man' and 'Uptown Girl', which got the sea of fans, some wearing bunny ears and carrying banners, singing and dancing.
The set was huge, with massive screens beaming the boys' every move to the people below.
Kian Egan told the crowd it was a perfect 10th birthday present for the band.
"To be here in our national stadium in front of over 85,000 people is unbelievable," he said.
Mick O'Dwyer's Wicklow GAA football team were denied a game on the hallowed Croker turf because of the weekend gig.
Instead, legions of fans wearing plastic cowboy hats swamped the stadium and lapped up hits from the Irish foursome and support act Shayne Ward. There was a multicultural feel to the crowd, with supporters in this gig hailing from as far afield as the USA and Australia.
Unsurprisingly, most of the fans were female and travelled from all over the country and even further to see their idols who were enjoying their biggest-ever headlining gig.
Cauldron
By the end of the show at 11pm Croke Park was a cauldron of emotion -- with the band themselves at the centre of it all. In an impassioned speech to the throng they described the gig as the peak of their careers. Nicky Byrne paid tribute to his family including wife Georgina Ahern, father-in-law Bertie Ahern who is understood to have been in the crowd, and his own children Rocco and Jay.
The uplifting finale saw the band dressed in white suits as they led thousands through 'You Raise Me Up'.
They also switched direction with a cheeky cover of The Jackson 5's 'Blame it on the Boogie'.
Linda Whaley (18) and Sarah Dunne (16) had travelled to Croker from Laois.
Maintaining she was not a "really big fan" of Westlife, Linda was clear about what she was there for. "I'm looking forward to Shayne Ward," she said, blushing slightly.
"But I'll still be up the front throwing my Bridget Jones knickers [at Westlife] on stage."
Ward warmed up the crowd nicely. He mixed pop with trad when he performed a version of 'The Fields of Athenry' and won a roar from the crowd when he said: "I'm proud to be Irish".
English fans Caroline Shaw (24) and Julie Kennedy (28) headed into the concert sporting T-shirts they had printed especially for the occasion, showing both of them with band member Mark Feehily.
"I've seen them at least 50 times," said Caroline, who last saw the pop supergroup in March. "We had to come over for Croke Park. We've been going to the Point gigs for the last four years."
For others, it was all about the kids, with hordes of parents bringing their children.
- Fiach Kelly