Take That, Olly!
Singer spotted in bar steps in as band’s opening act after Murs has to cancel – and fans in 14,000 crowd say he’s an improvement
FOR any fledgling musician, the chance to play in front of 14,000 people would be the stuff of dreams.
And for unknown Scottish singer Daniel Rooney, that fairy tale came true in the most dramatic fashion, when he was plucked from a gig in a hotel bar to open for Take That – after their scheduled support act Olly Murs got stranded in London.
Rooney, 26, was happily performing for a few dozen customers at Glasgow’s Radisson Red Hotel on Friday when he was plucked from obscurity to play to a sold-out crowd at the nearby OVO Hydro arena.
He owes his big break to ITV showbiz correspondent Ross King, who was enjoying a pre-gig drink in the bar at the time.
The TV presenter heard the news that Murs’ flight from Heathrow had been cancelled and texted Take That’s lead singer Gary Barlow, his friend, to ask if everything was OK.
The musician jokingly replied by asking if he knew anyone who could fill in at 30 minutes’ notice – and King suggested Rooney, who was performing right in front of him.
Rooney then dashed to the nearby arena where he entertained the crowd with his repertoire of cover versions. Yesterday, he said: ‘It’s hard to take it in. It’s really surreal. It was fast – 20 minutes before going on I met Gary and the guys and we talked about what songs to do.
‘It was great. I got some good singalongs with the crowd and it felt like they were really behind me. I know some people were not happy about Olly, but as soon as I went up and had a chat to the crowd, they were brilliant. Ross went up first and announced what was going on. He explained I was playing in Radisson Red when Gary asked him to help. I still had 45 minutes to go at the hotel but what can you do with something like this?
‘I just want to thank everyone who was singing and dancing, I want to thank Take That – the boys were lovely – and I want to thank Ross King for looking after me.’
In return, Barlow thanked Rooney on Instagram, saying: ‘This young man saved the day, thank you.’
And last night a spokesman for the band told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We were so grateful Daniel was able to step in. Olly was gutted he couldn’t make it, as were we, but Daniel took to that stage with incredible confidence and put on a brilliant performance – it was great to see.’
Another source close to the band said: ‘Daniel didn’t even finish his set in the hotel. He apologised to those he was performing to and left. But nobody minded. They were thrilled for him.
‘Gary, Mark [Owen] and Howard [Donald] were so relieved and so happy that they could not only keep their fans entertained but also give an unknown singer a great opportunity.’
Fans at the gig said they were delighted with Rooney’s performance, with some cheekily saying he was ‘much better’ than Murs.
And the formerly unknown singer hopes the experience will be his first step into the big league. He said last night: ‘It’s early days. It was an amazing night but I hope it will help me show people what I can do and what I am about, with my own music.’