Is this really bye-bye Boyzone?
(somehow I doubt it)
Boyzone Touring until February 16
The farewell tour, an epidemic among the pensioners of pop, is now spreading to stars half their age. A mere 25 years into their career, Boyzone have embarked on a tour entitled Thank You & Goodnight.
You can see why. Their second act, which began in 2008, has been a muted affair. Their former manager, Louis Walsh, is now more famous than most of the band. Their latest album has only gone silver (60,000 copies). But tonight there is plenty of gold, including, at one point, a vast gilt frame around the stage. It particularly suits Ronan Keating, who is, as ever, an oil painting.
The members of Boyzone enter the arena from above, on a platform, like window cleaners working on a skyscraper. Their outfits, by Julien Macdonald, are black with a blingy gold trim, but not identical. There’s a smart suit for Ronan (above left), baggy shorts for Shane Lynch (above right), a shirt with jeggings for Mikey Graham, and a tight zip top with a hint of sleaze for Keith Duffy.
Macdonald has put his finger on something about boy (or girl) bands: they have to operate both as a team and as individuals, to appeal to different kids.
Boyzone have one matinée idol (Ronan), one Jack-theLad (Keith), one sensible type (Mikey), one class clown (Shane), and four showbiz pros.
They also had Stephen Gately, who played the little brother, until his sudden death from a heart condition in 2009. Like Paul McCartney playing songs in midgig for John and George, Boyzone pause to pay tribute to Stephen. They judge it just right, exuding fondness without getting too formal.
When they mention Stephen’s coming-out, the crowd cheers. It helps that the air is already thick with nostalgia, as thousands of grown women revisit their pre-teens. There are even a few screams.
These days, boy bands feel the need to make edgy R’n’B. Back in the early Nineties it was pop songs with melodies like hot chocolate.
There was nothing fashionable about it: Boyzone’s best shots were borrowed from the Bee Gees (Words), Andrew Lloyd Webber (No Matter What) and The Osmonds (Love Me For A
Reason). All this makes for the warmest of occasions. Boyzone, I suspect, will be back.
‘Thousands of grown women revisit their pre-teens. There are even a few screams’