Champion Katie Taylor took to the stage last night during the opening night of Westlife’s 25th Anniversary World Tour in the 3Arena.
Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Shane Filan – the three members of the group performing on the tour – kicked off their residency at the Dublin venue ahead of a 13-night run concluding on Saturday, September 26.
Fourth member Mark Feehily is missing the tour as he continues to take a break from the band to focus on his health.
In May, the band released their latest album, 25 – The Ultimate Collection, featuring all-time favourites You Raise Me Up, Uptown Girl and Flying Without Wings.
The tour began last October with a two-night stint at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Fans queued from the early morning on Thursday to get the best position in the arena to soak in the nostalgia associated with the group that released their debut single, Swear It Again, in April 1999.
The song topped the charts in the UK for two weeks and sat at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 – the beginning of global fame for the group.
Much to the surprise of fans gathered at the 3Arena on Thursday was an appearance by the now-retired boxer Katie Taylor who fought her last bout in front of 82,000 people in Croke Park last Saturday.
The band performed at Croke Park for Taylor’s final fight at the weekend, and the Bray native returned the favour by popping up unexpectedly at the sold-out gig.
Taylor closes out an illustrious career with a record of 26 wins and one loss, culminating in her defeat of France’s Flora Pili in the national stadium to become undisputed super‑lightweight champion for the third time.
The 40-year-old, draped in the tricolor, was welcomed to the stage by Nicky Byrne on Thursday to chants of ‘Olé Olé Olé’ from the roughly 13,000 Westlife pilgrims in attendance.
“What a week you must have had,” Byrne said to Taylor.
“How on that amazing ring walk did [you], Croke Park, 83,000 the fireworks everything, how you stay so composed. How did you manage to do that?,” Byrne asked Taylor.
“I saw you guys before this concert and the buzz and the excitement of you guys’ fans, that’s the same with me,” she responded.
“All the preparation that went in, on fight night it’s show time.”
“Where else in the whole world would a country show up like that for a female athlete?,” she added, as fans in attendance cheered her every word.
Westlife will perform the second leg of their Dublin residency on Friday night, with doors opening at 6pm.