IN PHOTOS: Shane Filan makes fans swoon in Manila

The former Westlife singer from Ireland returned to the Philippines on Saturday, September 15, to promote his latest solo album Love Always. The faithful crowd showed up in droves with barely a seat left in the house – it was a predominantly female demographic.

Before Shane took the stage the audience was thoroughly entertained by local singer Jed Madela. His style, and vocal quality was perfectly suited for this event and raised the spirits of the crowd before the main act. Later on in the concert he also performed a duet of “Flying Without Wings” with Shane.

The Philippines was the last stop on this tour, certainly ending the series of international concerts on a high note.

“You guys are such supporters of Westlife,” Shane said, “Every time we come to Manila it does feel kinda like a home to me. I know where I’m going, I know what the city is like, I know what the people are like… it’s like a second home to me.”

He has performed here numerous times, at one point even with a series of mall shows throughout the metro. It’s a compliment to the fan base in itself to finish a tour in any city because when an artist and their team generate a schedule they want to start and end in a place that will nearly guarantee a positive atmosphere.

The setlist at the Kia Theatre for the Love Always tour featured many covers that appear in the album in which Shane put his own twist. There was a wide range of songs from various genres including tracks from living legends like Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” to country music trio Lady Antebellum’s huge hit, “Need You Now.”

The crowd responded lovingly to “Heaven,” originally performed by Bryan Adams. Of course, everyone was enamored with Shane’s previous solo work and the beloved tracks from Westlife, like “My Love,” “If I Let You Go,” and “Beautiful In White.” Everyone sang along with nearly every composition, including “Swear It Again” – obviously a fan favorite.

Surprisingly, it was a song not on the setlist that may have been the most impressive of all.

“There’s actually one song that I didn’t put in the setlist. I heard you singing it before I came on, let’s sing it together. You might know the words,” Shane said.

He then began to perform a cappella, allowing the gentle soothing quality of his voice to shine without any instrumental accompaniment, except for the audience that is. They knew every word by heart and sang along with the proper melody, unison, and perfectly matched cadence. It was a touching interlude when the entire audience and the artist all blended as one.

Something special was in the air that words cannot adequately describe as they sang the first stanza of “Fool Again” in perfect harmony.

An all-around showman, he purposefully interacted with the crowd in-between tracks, whether joking around or telling stories of his musical career journey. “Obviously, I’ve been singing for about 20 years now. It’s been an incredible story, we’ve had an amazing time.”

As you would expect from a consummate performer, he kept an eye on the audience and at one point spotted a fan and her banner which requested a hug. One lucky fan was invited on stage and after some quick banter, he invited her husband on stage also and of course the obligatory selfie. A smidgen of extra effort paid off for these happy audience members.

It was Shane’s son birthday on the night of the concert and he asked the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” to Patrick as Shane recorded it on his cell phone to surprise his son. (The video was uploaded on the Facebook page of Kia Theatre.)

When the crowd began to sing, after a couple of lines they inadvertently messed up the song, so they had to start over with Shane jokingly adding, “Okay, don’t worry we’ll just tell ourselves that it was a great rehearsal.”

Philippine fans provided strong support, a warm welcome, and smiles everywhere you would turn.

“You guys don’t realize how good of a crowd you are. The place is packed and everyone is smiling at me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many happy people. It makes me happy too, it makes me smile. If you noticed I’m smiling a lot too,” Shane said. 

A rather simple set-up, basically a huge LED screen showing portions of music videos or background effects – there was no over-the-top hoopla with complex staging and extravagant lighting; and no band, just Shane singing along with a prerecorded backtrack.

Fortunately, he’s a master showman who confidently covered the entire stage area to the delight of the crowd. Add to that a relaxed charisma that’s confident without being cocky and you really didn’t really need much else. 

Certainly, it was a concert proving his worth as a solo artist. Shane Filan’s musical approach has created dedicated loving fans that appreciated every word spoken and sung for the entire evening. 

“You guys are not like any fans in the world, you’re different.” Shane continued, “You’re just amazing, really amazing, thank you!”

Full setlist of Shane Filan in Manila:

1. Everything To Me
2. About You
3. Unbreakable
4. This I Promise You
5. Swear It Again
6. Beautiful In White
7. What About Now
8. Knee Deep in My Heart
9. Home
10. Heaven
11. My Love
12. If I Let You Go
13. Flying Without Wings 9 (with Jed)
14. Need You Now
15. You Raise Me Up
16. Uptown Girl
17. World Of Our Own

– Rappler.com