The Westlife lead singer was not with his band yet he had Malaysians captivated for an hour at Elmina Central Park, Selangor.
ONE mention of the name Westlife in an open-door concert and you’ll get Malaysian fans hysterical.
Even the mere mention of its lead singer Shane Filan will probably create the same result.
This became a reality at 10pm last Saturday in the new, green township of Elmina in Sungai Buloh, Selangor.
Filan, 39, serenaded cheering fans with eight popular songs, a mix of his band’s greatest hits as well as those from his 2017 album Love Always at the scenic Elmina Central Park.
Dressed in a stylish black jacket, grey trousers and a silver T-shirt, the Irish singer put some 10,000 fans under his spell on a stage which was specially constructed on a small, artificial island in the middle of the park’s main lake.
Filan, the star attraction of the Elmina Lakeside Concert, ended the 180-minute outdoor show with a bang, taking to the stage in its final hour.
As soon as he emerged on stage, Filan belted Uptown Girl and fans who sat on cement benches at the other side of the lake, sang and swayed with him to Westlife’s infectious 2001 song.
Uptown Girl is a 1983 song by American pop legend Billy Joel, and Westlife recorded it 18 years later with slight modifications and a hilarious music video which featured German supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
Reaching number one on the music charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it became Westlife's biggest selling single of the decade in the UK, selling more than 750,000 copies.
The dashing singer greeted his fans, asking if they were all right, and when they answered in the positive, he smiled and told them to join him in singing one of his earlier songs.
Predictably, he sang My Love, Westlife’s 2000 song from its second studio album Coast To Coast which was its seventh number one in the UK charts.
The catchy song is said to be inspired by Sir Paul McCartney's 1977 hit single Mull Of Kintyre which the ex-Beatle recorded with his then band Wings.
Filan then delivered his most romantic cover version of a 1980s hit, Heaven, from his third studio album Love Always.
While the song was written, composed and performed by Canadian singer Bryan Adams in 1984, Filan gave it his own interpretation which was equally melodious, and fans gave him a standing ovation.
Next up was Beautiful In White, also from his third album, and he released it on his 39th birthday, on July 5 last year.
A popular wedding song around the world, Filan described it as an expression of pure and honest love to a life partner.
Filan then gave fans his third cover, What About Now, which was originally recorded by rock singer Chris Daughtry of American Idol 2006 and his band Daughtry.
The 2008 hit was famously performed by Westlife at the Nobel Peace Prize 2009 concert in honour of the then United States President Barack Obama.
“It’s always great to be back in Malaysia, I’ve been here many times and I love you guys. You always rock!” said Filan, praising his fans.
He then took fans to the beginnings of Westlife, with its 1999 song Swear It Again.
Malaysians easily sang along to the song from Westlife's first self-titled studio album. It is its best-selling single and it spent two weeks at the top of UK charts.
Another Westlife gem from 1999 followed, If I Let You Go, the second single from the same album.
Filan’s final song for the evening was the enchanting and inspiring You Raise Me Up, and before he sang it, he urged fans to switch on their handphone lights and wave them.
He also allowed them to sing entire lines, especially the chorus, and thanked them all the way.
You Raise Me Up, which has a traditional Irish melody, was originally performed by the Irish-Norwegian instrumental duo Secret Garden.
It has been recorded by more than 100 artistes and American singer Josh Groban popularised the song in 2003.
Westlife's version came in 2005, as part of its sixth studio album Face To Face, and Filan re-recorded the song for Love Always.
Westlife was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012 but reunited last year.
It has released 10 studio albums. Besides Filan, the other members are Nicky Byrne, Kian Eganand Mark Feehily.
Earlier at 8pm, the main local act came on stage — none other than singer-actress Nur Fazura Sharifuddin, dressed in a sparkling purple dress.
Fazura, 35, spent half an hour serenading them with five songs, including the feel-good anthem Sayangi Dirimu, her debut single in 2014, written by Shah Shamshiri and composed by Damian Mikhail of VE.
Footage of her past performances at various events were flashed on the giant screen behind her.
She also sang Bisa Apa from 2017, written by Tantra Numata and composed by Mhala Numata of Indonesia, Nothing Like Pag-Ibig, her 2016 duet with Jason Dy of the Philippines.
“Now here’s my latest treat for you guys,” said Fazura, before she belted out Can't Forget Me, her newly-released second English single.
The concert marked Fazura’s first live performance of the song written and composed by Willy Beaman and Cameron Forbes of the US.
After her final solo number Bangun, a 2014 hit written and composed by Lea Ismail, she invited on stage her actor husband Fattah Amin, who was dressed in a black jacket and brown shirt.
Fattah, 28, flashed a smile at fans and waved at them, before joining Fazura in their new duet Paling Sempurna which was recorded late last year in conjunction with their first wedding anniversary.
Fattah then delivered his only song for the evening, Isterimewa, dedicating to his wife. Singing may not be his forte but his vocals have certainly improved over the last year.
After team Fattzura called it a day, hip-hop singer and comedian Wee Meng Chee or Namewee entertained for half an hour, dressed in vibrant red, orange and yellow, with brown sunglasses and his favourite woolen cap.
Wee of Nasi Lemak 2.0 fame sang four songs namely To The North, the cheeky Bangsa Malayia anthem Ali, Ah Kau Dan Muthu, Biao Gao Yin, The Rain In Ho Chi Minh which incorporated Vietnamese traditional music, and a medley of Thai Cha Cha and Makudonarudo which incorporated elements of dance pop music from Thailand and Japan.
The other entertainers were Chinese language pop duo PongPong, beatbox talent Sawyer Leong, and violinist Josh Kua who wowed fans with some Westlife tunes just before Filan took to the stage.
The free, 180-minute concert was organised by Universal Music Malaysia and presented by Sime Darby Property.
It marked the opening of the first 18 hectares of the 150-hectare park, home to the country's first inclusive playground which will be ready in June.
Side activities which began at 5.30pm included funfair games, hot air balloon rides, a 12D cinema, and inflatable obstacle courses.
Visitors also helped themselves to a wide variety of hot meals and drinks from more than 30 food trucks at the lakeside.
The concert was co-hosted by Astro SuperSport’s Reem Shahwa and JinnyboyTV’s Jin Lim.