Travel and Life: January 2014

WESTLIFE FAREWELL TOUR

Throwing back of your childhood memories doesn’t mean you’re being kind of confusion, and this is what I’m carrying out right now, trying to bring back my childhood memories on my mind. For me, it is like watching the movie. There will be an invisible monitor in front of you that would show you up scene by scene of these memories. Sometimes it makes you laugh, but sometimes, opposite. But, just enjoying the show!

Couple days ago, when I got problem with my eyes, I couldn’t sleep though late night already -insomnia- I decided to watched TV, instead. I don’t know what makes me eventually decided for doing such thing I had never experienced before when I got problem with eyes. It was actually in Christmas eve for the Christians, -but I wasn’t celebrating Christmas-. Some private TV channel presented their best programs, but only one program I had captivated by, it shows reruns of WESTLIFE FAREWELL TOUR concert. Although the real concert has been actually done in 2012 and I watched it out already on youtube, but I still have the same feeling while watching on TV, it’s sad.

That’s the reason why I am turning my mind back to my childhood memories. Couldn’t be denied, I bravely say that I am growing older concurrently with increasing of WESTLIFE’s career, I am grew up by their songs, I mean, I know WESTLIFE since I was a child, one of their songs “I have a dream” used to be the first English-song that I knew in my life, and I even knew it before I knew “are you sleeping – lullaby” that was usually become the first English-song known by other child. It’s about 13 years ago. I was still 3^th grade in elementary school at the time. My elder sister love WESTLIFE as well, she bought WESTLIFE album cassette and she always listened to it all the time, and it affects me indirectly, I knew the whole songs on that album very well, but I just sang by the sounds, I mean I didn’t know exactly any detail lyric of each songs –even if I knew it I wouldn’t understand and didn’t know its meaning– I spelled what they spelled, that’s it. But, as we know that time flies so fuckin fast, 13 years have passed unnoticeably, I am 21 years by now but I still love what I used to love when I was child, I still love WESTLIFE so much, for sure!, henceforward, no changes, I even have their entire albums on my laptop. But unfortunately, worst thing is facing that they have been splitting up, there’s no more WESTLIFE. WESTLIFE is now just a name, a legend name that will always be remembered by all of people.

For those who don’t know WESTLIFE, here I am telling you a little story of them. Let’s break it down!

The story begins a long time ago (well, not quite, actually) in a town named Sligo in the West of Ireland. Three guys named Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan had performed in the school musical Grease together, and after their success on stage, had decided to form a band, called 6 as 1, and later changing their name to IOYOU. The group released a single "Together Girl Forever" in Ireland, and after limited success, Shane's mother, Mae, contacted the manager of Boyzone, Louis Walsh, to try and persuade him to take a look at the guys and to possibly sign them up. Although Louis was impressed he felt he didn't have the time to manage yet another band. But, luckily for them, he contacted Ronan Keating of Boyzone, who agreed to co-manage the new band with Louis. And so 'Rolo Management' was formed.

Mark, Kian, and Shane in I.O.YOU also Derek, Graham and Michael

WESTLIFE with Louis Walsh

The lineup of IOYOU was changed - 3 members (Derek, Graham and Michael) being asked to leave, and auditions were then held in Dublin to find two new members for the group. Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden were eventually chosen, and WESTLIFE were born!

The group (who were originally known as Westside - their name having been changed by Ronan who felt that I.O.YOU was too boyband-esque) first supported the Backstreet Boys in Dublin, and then toured the UK and Ireland with Boyzone in November 1998. They stunned audiences on the Smash Hits Tour around the UK, winning "Best New Tour Act" at the Smash Hits Awards in November 1998.

However, the group was obliged to change their name from WESTSIDE to WESTLIFE early in 1999 when it was discovered that a number of existing bands shared the same name. Undeterred, WESTLIFE went on to release their first single “Swear it again” in April 1999 which went straight to the top of the British and Irish charts, becoming the biggest-selling debut single ever in Ireland.

WESTLIFE's eagerly-awaited debut album was released in the UK in November 1999, with double A-side single “I Have a dream” and “Seasons in the sun” becoming the UK Christmas number one of 1999. WESTLIFE won Record of the Year for “Flying without Wings” in 1999 and “My Love” in the following year.

Winning numerous awards left right and center, it is clear that WESTLIFE have achieved much acclaim and enjoyed a lot of success. Already in their brief career WESTLIFE have broken records as fast as they have set them - their second album, “Coast To Coast” went triple platinum in Ireland after only one day of release, and their seventh single release, “My Love”, gave them a place in chart history as they became the only band in UK chart history to have their first seven singles debut at number one.

March 2004 saw a new chapter begin for the group as Bryan McFadden announced his departure from the band, citing his desire to spend more time with his young family. Rumours suggested that this might be the beginning of the end for the group, however WESTLIFE have set the critics wrong once again.

WESTLIFE - now afour-piece in the tradition of all great pop acts -remain Ireland's most well-known and biggest selling pop export and undoubtedly one of the world's biggest pop groups. As of October 2007, WESTLIFE have released eight albums, and have achieved a massive fourteen number ones in the UK - the third-highest such total in UK history, behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and tied with Cliff Richard.

With soulful harmonies, angelic voices, drop-dead good looks, and the management of pop svengali Louis Walsh behind them, their much-anticipated world tour in 2008 means that WESTLIFE look set to enjoy chart success for many years to come!

In 2012, WESTLIFE announced that they will be splitting up following their last summer tour. They said “After 14 years, 26 top ten hits including 14 numbers one singles, 11 top 5 albums, 7 of which hit the top spot and have collectively sold over 44 million copies around the world, 10 sell-out tours and countless memories that we will forever cherish, we today announce our plan to go our separate ways after a greatest hits collection this Christmas and a farewell tour. The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all of our adult life together so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures”.

I searched for this story from the internet. It’s almost 2 years since their separating, each personnel have their own ways now. Hence, I don’t know any update of what they do after splitting, except Shane Filan, all I know is he’s continuing his solo music career, several months ago he came to Indonesia for carrying out his concert, but unlucky I am, I couldn’t attend his concert.