Westlife had another reason to celebrate during the latest stop on their huge 25th anniversary tour.
Nicky Byrne celebrated his birthday on Friday night live on stage at London’s 02 Arena. Bandmates Shane Filan and Kian Egan surprised him as a huge chocolate cake was brought out by Nicky’s three children.
The sold-out crowd also joined in by serenading the star with a rendition of Happy Birthday as camera torches lit up the arena.
Kian kicked off the party by halting the show to say it was an ‘important day.’
“I’ve never actually had a birthday on stage in all these years,” said Nicky. “So I feel a bit special tonight, actually.”
As the crowd sang to him, Nicky’s children twins Rocco and Jay, 18, and daughter Gia, 12, helped him blow out the candles.
“He is 48 everybody,” said Kian.
The band, who were dressed in matching blue suits, then posed for a photo to capture the moment with the audience illuminated behind them.
The Irish band are in the middle of a huge worldwide – their 13th as a band – to celebrate a milestone anniversary.
“We’re celebrating 25 years since our first tour in 2001,” Shane told the crowd.
“It’s been an incredible journey with us and you guys, our fans. You mean the world to us and it’s incredible every time we play here and get to look out at this. We’re going to sing for the next two hours and share all these memories with you from the last 25 years.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun. You’re going to dance with strangers beside you and you’re going to sing along with us. Are you with us tonight, London!?”
Kian said: “The last few years have been really good to us. We’ve even got our own T-shirts in Primark now, which is amazing,” he joked.
“When I was 16 I was begging for a job in there and they wouldn’t give me one and now they sell our T-shirts!”
During the two-hour show, the band played many of the best-loved and biggest hits including World of Our Own, My Love and Bop Bop Baby.
The night ended with a spectacular encore that culminated in a singalong performance of their first UK number-one, Swear It Again.
Nicky, Kian and Shane are performing as a trio after original member Brian McFadden quit the band in 2004 , after having spent five years with the group. While Mark Feehily is temporarily missing from live performances as he takes a step back to recover from various health issues.
Last month, it was revealed that Mark is launching a medical negligence claim relating to previous weight-loss surgery. The 46-year-old claims the surgeon failed to remove enough of his stomach during the procedure, resulting in repeated hospital admissions, abdominal infections and episodes of sepsis.
Mark underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at Spire Portsmouth Hospital in Hampshire in 2020. His surgeon, Nick Carter, denies the claims.
He pulled out of concerts with Westlife in 2022 because of pneumonia and eventually announced in February 2024 that he would be stepping back from the band ahead of their tour.
Westlife formed in 1998 and disbanded after 14 years in 2012, but reunited in 2018 without Brian.
The remaining trio began their 25 year anniversary tour with a record-breaking 13-night residency at Dublin’s 3Arena.
Westlife have sold more than 55 million records and achieved 14 UK number one singles and eight number one albums.
★★★★★
After 25 years, Westlife showed the magic is still very much alive – and possibly more electric than ever – with their 13th world tour.
The band proved exactly why they remain one of pop’s most beloved groups with an incredible show at London’s O2 Arena, delivering what was easily the best performance I’ve seen from them.
Despite Mark Feehily’s absence, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan more than held their own, filling the arena with hit after hit, alongside a few unexpected surprises that kept the two-hour set feeling fresh.
Their vocals were on point throughout, while their trademark subtle choreography added just the right amount of fun and charisma without taking away from their singing. The trio oozed charm and their frequent heartfelt, addresses to the crowd acknowledged the significance of the milestone while making the arena feel surprisingly intimate.
One of the biggest highlights was their appearance on the smaller B-stage, positioned right in the heart of the crowd, giving fans an incredibly close-up view. The excitement was palpable, with one eager fan even tossing a bra towards the band, while another handed them her sunglasses.
From the slick production and impressive staging to the thousands of fans singing along to every word, the atmosphere was electric from start to finish.
Westlife delivered a polished, nostalgic and thoroughly entertaining show that was as heartfelt as it was spectacular, proving that 25 years on, their connection with fans remains as strong as ever.
Westlife 25th Anniversary World Tour setlist in full
- World of Our Own
- Uptown Girl (Billy Joel cover)
- Bop Bop Baby
- What About Now (Daughtry cover)
- When You’re Looking Like That (with a Sweet Child O’ Mine guitar solo)
- What Makes a Man
- I Have a Dream (ABBA cover)
- I Lay My Love on You
- Starlight
- Queen of My Heart
- Chariot
- Fool Again
- If I Let You Go
- My Love
- Unbreakable
- Mandy (Scott English cover)
- Flying Without Wings
- Hello My Love
Encore:
- You Raise Me Up (Secret Garden cover)
- Swear It Again
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