February 20-21, 2023 – Westlife made their triumphant return to the Philippines as they held their two-day concert as part of their Wild Dreams Tour at the Araneta Coliseum. Presented by Wilbros Live, the sold-out shows made a big noise – literally and figuratively – even the band couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

On the 2nd show, Nicky revealed, “On the last tour, you guys here at the Araneta Coliseum were the loudest of the entire tour, so we have that on record. The Philippines wins!” Scanning the crowd as they cheered enthusiastically, he continued, “And then last night, you smashed that record and now you’re the loudest on this tour!”

The Irish quartet, composed of Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne, took the country by storm as early as 1999 with their eponymous debut album skyrocketing to the top of the charts, their songs like “Swear It Again”, “Fool Again” and “Seasons in the Sun” becoming household favorites among Filipinos. Since then, they’ve come back again and again to the Philippines.

During their Twenty Tour in 2019, Westlife also held two-day sold-out shows at the Big Dome. Now, almost four years after, their renewed yet unrelenting energy was palpable as they took over the stage like it was 2000 all over again. The crowd sang passionately to their songs, making the whole concert felt like a massive karaoke.

Wild Dreams Tour is Westlife’s flashiest show yet – it had flames, fireworks, four colossal LED screens and just the perfect mix of their greatest hits in one setlist. The show blasted off with “Starlight”, “Uptown Girl” and “When You’re Looking Like That”, and the audience were on their feet, singing their hearts out. Really, it was a marvel to hear the relentlessly unified chorus especially during “Fool Again”, “If I Let You Go” and “My Love”.

“The passion, love and support you show Westlife for more than twenty years now make us feel so proud. We always feel so welcome whenever we come here to this wonderful country. We hope to continue meeting you all and performing for you all for a long time to come,” Mark said. He just recently came back to performing onstage after having to miss some shows in the tour because of pneumonia. In Manila, he was on top of his game, hitting high note after high note, unrestrained. 

As a special part of this tour, Westlife did an ABBA medley which included “I Have a Dream”, a song they made a famous cover of in their 1st album. They also performed a rarity known as “I Lay My Love on You”, which they don’t really sing much during their concerts.

The lads were in high spirits and in good humor at that, too. Upon spotting a sign that said “I chose you over the Backstreet Boys”, they asked the person holding it up to come to the stage for a commemorative photo. The American boyband was also in the country, at the MOA Arena on the same day of their 1st show.  They even sang a snippet of “I Want It That Way” as a bonus. 

Another high point of the evening was the back-to-back stage for “Seasons in the Sun” and “World of Our Own” which were notably some of their best hits. The atmosphere took a more solemn turn with “Flying Without Wings” and their final song “You Raise Me Up”.

As a longtime Westlife fan, I always find it amazing how every time they perform here, they still have something new to offer their fans. Even their classic songs begin to sound brand new when they perform with such immense energy, their powerhouse vocals thriving as always. Westlife has been a band for 24 years and yet they still consistently outdo themselves during their concerts. That, by itself, is a reason for me to want to see them again and again. I saw them for two nights this time, and I found myself easily enjoying both shows. It felt great to be part of a crowd of thousands who are fiercely passionate about their music.  ‘Til the next Westlife show!

Words by Sandra Mae Laureano

Photos by Vince Bernardo and Sandra Laureno

Special thanks to Wilbros Live

Westlife – Wild Dreams Tour Live in Manila – Setlist

1. Starlight
2. Uptown Girl
3. When You’re Looking Like That
4. Fool Again
5. If I Let You Go
6. My Love
7. Swear It Again
8. ABBA tribute: Mamma Mia / Gimme Gimme Gimme / Money Money Money / I Have a Dream / Dancing Queen / Waterloo / Thank You For The Music
9. What About Now
10. Mandy
11. I Lay My Love on You
12. Seasons in the Sun
13. World of Our Own
14. Flying Without Wings

Encore:

15. Hello My Love
16. You Raise Me Up