Westlife UK/Europe

Westlife UK/Europe Tour Feb-Apr 2001

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This was Westlife's first tour, but they had already had five or six number one hits and were a huge act, with a dedicated following of mainly teenage girls. Because they were able to sell out the biggest arenas in the country five or six nights in a row, the amount of actual "touring" was pretty small. Instead a group of, to my memory, 90-odd people, moved from one bland city-centre four-star hotel to another on a weekly basis, and spent the intervening time wandering around the streets, eating or sleeping. The longer the tour goes on, the more nocturnal you become, and evenings spent in VIP areas of smart nightclubs become the highlight of your day.

Still, there are always plenty of opportunities to take pictures, even if the actual pop stars, who spend a large part of their lives avoiding the paparazzi's prying lenses, regard it as something of a betrayal to find the staff at it as well.

As for the gigs themselves; well, fifteen thousand girls screaming at you for 2 hours hardly makes for a boring evening, even if they're not exactly the most discerning musical critics, and even if they are almost completely unaware of the your presence; standing at the back of an enormous stage dressed in black. The screaming and hysteria gives you at least some idea of how the Beatles must have felt, and the lighting, costumes and pyrotechnics are all spectacular.

Obviously taking pictures of the gig is all but impossible (though there are a couple), so this gallery is mainly set in the streets, hotels and dressing rooms of the touring venues.

Technical Information
These pictures were taken with a Canon EOS-1N - a top of the range professional camera when it came out, virtually obsolete when I sold it in 2002, but a high-quality piece of kit by any standard. The lenses are also good quality Canon Auto Focus types. I scanned the original prints on an Epson 4990 scanner, and edited in Photoshop Elements.

Disclaimer
If anyone featured in these photos would like me to remove them then email me and I will of course do so.