Boyzone thriller - concert review, LG Arena

Boyzone, LG Arena, Birmingham

Thousands of screaming women in one place can only mean one thing: Boy band mania, in particular Boyzone.

Their latest Brother tour stopped off at the LG Arena in Birmingham last night and is the first since the untimely death of Stephen Gately in 2009.

The band opened the show with new track Too Late for Hallelujah with the boys rising through the stage on hydraulic platforms. "Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham went on to share their reservations about carrying on without Stephen.

But judging by the fans' reaction to their grand entrance it was the right decision.

All the old favourites Picture of You and Love Me For A Reason, No Matter What and When the Going Gets Tough all got the crowd on their feet singing along. The striking backing dancers, who appeared on stage throughout the show, gave it a stylish edge.

They also belted out a few songs from the Brother album such as Til The Sun Goes Down and Ruby, which is sure to be a hit.

During the show the atmosphere went from high to low and the hysteria died down as a five-minute documentary paying tribute to Stephen was shown on big screens around the arena.

The four band members flashed up reminiscing on hearing the news of Stephen's death.

Wiping away the tears fans sang along to a powerful perfomance of Gave It All Away.

The foursome found time to squeeze in a couple of Ronan's solo songs Lovin' Each Day and the encore, Life is a Rollercoaster, was a fitting end to the gig and proved to me and all the fans that we do still love them for a reason.

By Lisa Broom.