ShareShane Filan performing his Right Here 2016 tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Friday 4th March 2016
Review by Kevin Cooper
Shane Filan, a former member of Westlife, returned to Nottingham last night to entertain a near capacity crowd at The Royal Concert Hall, and he did not disappoint. With a huge Westlife catalogue, tracks from his debut album, You And Me, and his latest offering Right Here, his biggest headache must have been selecting a set list.
But opening with a solo effort Everything To Me, Filan bounced on to the stage to the absolute delight of this predominantly female crowd who remained standing and screaming for the duration, to deliver this crowd pleasing song.
Supporting him was a band which comprised a drummer, keyboard player and two guitarists, who delivered a tight knit performance. Westlife song, What About Now could hardly be heard as the screaming reached fever pitch whilst new track Effortlessly You was very well received.
He slowed things down as he sat on the set stairs for his delightful cover of Michael Bublé’s I Wanna Go Home, which showcased his superb vocals, before upping the tempo with Westlife’s Swear It Again and a cover of Walk The Moon’s Shut Up And Dance.
The removal of and putting back on of his suede jacket became a running joke with cheers and boos from the fans all night, but he was taken seriously when his band and Filan slowed the frantic pace down; sat on the edge of the set and delivered acoustic numbers I Can’t Get Over You, a truly beautiful slow ballad and Westlife’s Fool Again.
It was these tracks that showcased Filan’s solid vocals, reinforcing the fact that going solo has allowed him to grow and change as an artist. He gets it just right as he ups the tempo with Knee Deep In My Heart from his debut album before treating this ecstatic audience to I Could Be with a video of him recording it with Nadine Coyle being shown on the big screen behind him.
Finishing the main set with the added bonus of Westlife’s classic version of Uptown Girl which had this captivated audience screaming with delight, with pictures of the fans being shown on the big screen behind.
Back on stage for the encore smartly dressed in a suit, he would never have been allowed to leave without singing that song; You Raise Me Up. With the audience on their feet singing every word, phone flashlights illuminating the Concert Hall, an evening of pure entertainment was brought to a premature end.
Shane Filan will always be associated with Westlife, which is a shame. He is a talented songwriter and a tremendous entertainer with great vocal ability. Just maybe, sometime soon he will be able to tour without any reference to Westlife, and he would thoroughly deserve that accolade.
