Westlife captivates Jakarta fans in Face to Face tour

The show was delayed for an hour but the crowd did not lose enthusiasm when Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Bryne and Shane Filan finally appeared during their Westlife Face to Face Asian Tour concert in Jakarta.

During the event on Sept. 12 at Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium, Central Jakarta, the boy band, founded seven years ago, performed 17 songs, ranging from songs from their first album, Swear it Again to the newborn Face to Face, which was released in November 2005. 

Indonesian Idol 2006 finalists Ihsan and Dirly appeared as guest singers during the opening of the concert. 

Jakarta was the final destination in their Asian tour with previous stops in the Philippines, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 

The band and entourage were obviously not deterred by discouraging reports of terrorism, pollution and natural disasters from making a third visit to Indonesia after previous visits in 2000 and 2001. 

""We are never reluctant to visit Indonesia. Amid the rumors, it is a great pleasure for us to contribute a day of happiness for our Indonesian fans,"" said Westlife. 

Westlife put on a captivating show with a performance blended with energetic dances, to the fans' delight. 

""After the experiences we've had since our first album, we are now wiser about performing,"" Westlife earlier had told a press conference. 

Westlife is no less without Bryan McFadden, who decided to leave the band in 2004 for family reasons. 

""His decision was a shock for us. But we took no offense. Now, Westlife is more closely knit. The solidarity is even stronger,"" said the boy band. 

When Bryan announced his decision he said that he needed to devote more of his time to his family life with former Atomic Kitten member, Kerry Katona and their children. 

Bryan then started a solo career, entering the charts at number one with his first solo single, Real To Me. 

In Face to Face, Westlife gave second wind to some old songs--You Raise Me Up, Desperado (The Eagles), In This Life (Collin Raye) and When You Tell Me That You Love Me, a song produced in collaboration with Diana Ross. 

""We are not recycling old songs in this new album. Nowadays, it is hard to find good songwriters. But if there are any good songs, we will not hesitate to accept them,"" said Westlife. 

""It was a golden opportunity for us to collaborate with Diana Ross because she is a living legend. She was very energetic during the shooting of the music video, and that was really surprising,"" told the band. 

Besides Diana Ross, Westlife has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry -- Mariah Carey, Donny Osmond, Lulu and Donna Summer. 

To them, having the opportunity to collaborate with other singers, especially the seniors, is a blessing. 

""There will be another collaboration with another singer, but it is still a secret. We will announce it soon,"" said Westlife. 

Westlife has become more popular ever to fans, as shown by its strengthening position in the music industry. 

The Jakarta concert, organized by Java Musikindo, attracted an audience of almost 3,000. 

""The performance was amazing. But I was disappointed because the stage setting was not what most of us expected. It should have been better for a renowned band like Westlife,"" Silvia, a fan, told The Jakarta Post. 

According to Silvia, with the high price of the tickets, fans had high expectations about the concert. 

""Indonesian Idol's stage was better ... although the spectators paid nothing for the show,"" said Silvia, who said she had come to Westlife's previous two concerts. 

However, she said that the venue chosen for this year's concert was much more comfortable compared with that for the first two, which were held at the Istora Senayan and Soemantri Brodjonegoro Sports Center. 

""During the first concert in 2001 at Istora Senayan, many spectators fainted and it caused chaos that night. The place was too small, given the huge crowd,"" Silvia said.