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Westlife face-to-face with their fans again

Westlife will be reaching out to its many local fans at a concert next Sunday in Taipei. PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY BMG

Boy bands come and go but Westlife has stuck around and will make its fifth visit to Taiwan this month.

And, as if to prove the Irish lads are back by popular demand over 70 percent of the 3,000 plus tickets for their show on Sept. 10 sold out when they were released in July.

There was also a backlash against ticketing agents when uber-fans trying to book front-row seats at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) concert hall were told they were gone.

The ticketing system had broken down and outlets were besieged by phone calls from predominantly young women demanding better vantage points to cheer their heroes, the band’s record company Sony BMG Taiwan said.

This time around the Westlifers will be touching down in Taiwan as part of their extensive Asia tour, ostensibly to promote their seventh studio album Face to Face.

The album was released nearly a year ago and features guest vocals from Mariah Carey and Diana Ross. Over 20,000 units have been sold in Taiwan. A CD of hit singles called Amazing landed on the record stands in February.

The tour opens in Manila on Monday (Sept. 4) and will take in South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong before alighting in Taipei.

Tight scheduling means the band will fly in on the day of the performance and depart the next morning for Jakarta, before heading to Australia for four more dates.

The “Western City Boys” (西城男孩), as they are called in Chinese, were formed in 1998 and tasted success a year later with the single Swear it Again.

Since then there have been seven multi-platinum albums and almost 40 million albums sold worldwide. With 13 UK number one singles only Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Cliff Richard have been more successful in Britain.

Even former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is said to be a fan of Westlife and according to Sony he described them “as chicken soup for the soul, or a relaxing spa experience.”

The secret of their success seems to have been their ability to appeal to a mainstream audience that enjoys a strong melody, sweetly sung.

They do not pretend to be musical geniuses and song writing is mostly done for them. They hum along and look presentable.

It’s a simple formula and Westlife has worked hard to keep the momentum rolling, as five concerts in Taiwan would seem to suggest.

Originally a five-man band, Bryan McFadden left in 2004 to pursue a solo career, but Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne have kept the flame burning.

Last year Feehily revealed he was gay but the front page tabloid news failed to dent sales. The rest of the “boys” are in their late 20s and have settled down.

It’s been eight years since Westlife first made a mark and its fans have been growing up with them. Westlife’s shelf life as a boy band has come and gone.

Unlike Take That, Boyzone or other similar boy bands, however, slickly choreographed dances and chest baring have never been their style. Instead they have become respected crooners. They even cover Frank Sinatra songs these days.

Moms and the occasional dad are just as likely to be part of the crowd next Sunday as the band keeps to the center lane in middle-of-the road music.

Some tickets were still available for the concert as of press time, ranging from NT$1,000 to NT$3,500. Call (02) 2341-9898 or visit www.ticket.com.tw. The show starts 7:30pm at the TICC concert hall (台北國際會議中心大會堂), 1 Xinyi Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市信義路五段1號).

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