Westlife will kick off their 25th anniversary world tour in Dublin on Thursday night as they begin a record-breaking 13-date run at the 3Arena.
Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan return to the stage just five days after performing at Croke Park ahead of Katie Taylor’s farewell fight.
The 13 Dublin shows will see Westlife surpass their own previous record of 12 shows at the 3Arena, already the most by any artist at the venue.
Watch: Westlife announce their 25th anniversary tour
By the end of the residency on 26 September, they will have performed 82 times at the 3Arena over the course of their career.
The milestone was marked earlier this year when Filan, Byrne and Egan had their hands cast for a plaque recognising the band’s record at the venue.
Westlife have previously described the residency as a “big Irish celebration”, with Irish acts joining them across the run.
Garron Noone is a special guest for the first five shows, with Paddy Keyes also appearing on 10, 11, 12 and 15 September.
Aslan will join Westlife for four nights from 18 – 22 September, while Irish folk group BIRD will support the final four shows from 23 – 26 September.
The Dublin residency opens the Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour with the group expected to perform songs spanning their career, including Swear It Again, Flying Without Wings, and You Raise Me Up.
The anniversary celebrations have also included new music and the release of 25 – The Ultimate Collection, earlier this year.
The collection features some of Westlife’s biggest hits alongside new tracks Chariot and Your Love Amazes Me, both recorded with Mark Feehily
Feehily is not taking part in the anniversary tour as he continues to focus on his health.
Chariot was written by Ed Sheeran, Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid and Will Reynolds, and co-written and produced by long-time Westlife collaborator Steve Mac.
Westlife have sold more than 55 million records worldwide. They have also sold more than six million concert tickets, while their music has been streamed more than 3 billion times.
The 13-show residency runs from 10 – 26 September.