Last hurrah from Boyzone
much to the crowd’s delight.
Each bandmate also took turns to speak to the audience about his success and threw in little jokes here and there.
The four then paid a moving tribute to their late colleague Gately, who passed away suddenly nine years ago due to a heart defect. They performed two songs, Gave It All Away and Everyday I Love You, complete with Gately’s vocals in them.
Lead singer Keating ( right) told the crowd that he and his bandmates still feel Gately’s presence every time they perform on stage.
In the middle of the show, Keating said: “I’d like to take some time to wish you all ‘Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan’, did I say that right? It’s just around the corner, isn’t it?”
The crowd responded with a roar, possibly the loudest cheer of the night.
After 18 songs, the band took its leave from the stage for a few minutes, and returned for the encore. The four men then performed their anthemic 1995 hit, Different Beat, complete with nowcheesy, signature synchronised arm movements. The finale song, Keating’s own solo hit Rollercoaster, brought the crowd to its feet. Keating even came down from the stage to greet the fans below, and the crowd went ballistic.
Judging by the crowd’s reaction before, during, and after the concert, everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. It was indeed a rollercoaster ride back down memory lane!
As a final gesture of appreciation to its fans, Boyzone’s final album titled Thank You and Goodnight – filled with only original tracks – will be released on Nov 16.
The members are set to split up for good after the final album is released.
The hour-plus Boyzone 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour concert here was organised by Star Planet and Entertainment Impact, in association with Fujicolor Entertainment and Unusual Entertainment, and was supported by Malaysia Major Events. – Marianne Alvisse