#ICYMI: Earlier this year, Boyzone’s Keith Duffy and former Westlife member Brian McFadden announced they would be uniting – under the moniker Boyzlife.
The latest scoop is that the Irish boyband conglomerate’s ensuing tour of Hilton hotels will be coming to the UAE, with dates booked in Dubai on November 10, and Abu Dhabi a day later.
Nostalgic souls hoping for a McBusted-style pairing of both band’s hits might be disappointed to hear this is largely a speaking engagement, presumably of the after dinner variety. The group’s website promises fans “the opportunity to hear what really went on behind the headlines” with an “intimate evening of stories, laughter and music”.
Tickets weigh in at a whopping Dh350, while over-enthusiasts are invited to shell out Dh550 for a VIP package complete with a meet and greet and signed merchandise.
It’s worth noting that this concept is proving a winner – 11 of the initial 12 UK dates have already sold out. Presumably this prompted plans to take the show on the road, targetting other ageing communities aching after the 1990s in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and an extended run in South Africa.
The project is reportedly the brainchild of Duffy, who went on to join British soap Coronation Street following Boyzone’s 2000 split. The band later reconvened in 2008.
McFadden meanwhile quit Westlife in 2004, leaving his bandmates to struggle on until 2012, going on to pursue a far from illustrious screen career. He was last spotted on UK reality TV show The Jump, in which celebrities attempt to master various winter sports.
He is hoping for more luck with Boyzlife, and said a TV spin-off could follow the tour.
"We might end up writing some songs together. There's no limit to this. We're going out there with our ears and eyes open," he told British tabloid The Sun.
Not everyone is a fan of the idea. Westlife's Kian Egan slammed his former bandmate's decision, reportedly saying it jeopardised the chance of a future reunion. "It's a bit of an odd one – a member of Westlife who left the band after four years decides to use half the name for whatever it is that they're doing," he reportedly told the Daily Mail Online.
McFadden struck back, pointing out his tenure in Westlife lasted six years.
Boyzlife will perform at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Beach on November 10 and at Abu Dhabi on November 11. Tickets on sale now, from Dh350, at ticketmaster.ae.
