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Westlife gave an emotional shout-out to band member Mark Feehily as they played the first of two huge concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday night. Shane Filan, Nicky Bryne and Kian Egan were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra as they kicked off their 25th anniversary celebrations in style, but sadly without original member Mark. “We were just five lads from Ireland - two from Dublin and three from Sligo - and now we are here,” Nicky Byrne told the sold out crowd. “The legends that have performed here… The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra have stood on this stage and now it’s Westlife. We’re truly humbled. "All our families are here for a few days too. The Irish are in tonight!" he cried to cheers from the crowd. Nicky, Shane and Kian thrilled fans with performances of their greatest hits including Queen of My Heart, I have a Dream and Mandy after opening the show with World of Our Own with the crowd on their feet. The band also made the most of their prestigious backing band with a series of swing numbers - entertaining the crowd with Ain't That A Kick in the Head and Mack the Knife. The trio took a pause midway through the two hour show to address the absence of original bandmember Mark. The 45-year-old has suffered a number of health setbacks - first pulling out of the band’s 2022 tour when he developed pneumonia. He contracted severe sepsis in August 2020 after surgery, which led to ongoing health challenges and required him to step back from touring with Westlife to recover. Last year, Mark announced he would have to withdraw from their first tour of America after undergoing hernia surgery. In June this year the band confirmed Mark would also be absent from their 25th anniversary tour. Despite his withdrawal, the band were keen to give Mark a special mention during the first of the celebrations on Monday night. Shane told the crowd: “I want to take a little moment now to speak about Mark who is unfortunately not with us tonight. But we love him, we miss him and we cannot wait to have him back on this stage with us. “The good news is he’s obviously on the new music which you've heard already. And the next album obviously as well. We have a new album coming out in February.” While Mark might not be attending the tour, fans of the vocal powerhouse will be thrilled to know he will be part of the celebrations in voice. Mark's distinct vocals can be heard on new track Chariot, penned by songwriting maestro Ed Sheeran , as well as several tracks on the band's new album. Speaking at the Royal Albert Hall, Shane continued: “This next song I want to dedicate it to Mark because it's his favourite song. That might give you a hint. It's a beautiful song. It's probably the song that changed our whole career, so we want to hear you sing it with us tonight. This ladies and gentleman is Flying Without Wings.” The band then invited a female vocalist from their choir to join them centre stage to sing Mark's famous lines. The night ended with a singalong of debut single Swear it Again, that went straight to number one in April 2009. Before closing, the band also thanked former manager Louis Walsh for his part in their meteoric rise to fame "He helped pick one of the best songs that's coming on the new album. It's a Louis special," said Kian. "To all of our friends and family that have flown over from Ireland thank you. But most importantly thank you the fans for 25 years of Westlife," he added. "If we're still here in 25 years it's going to be some 50th," joked Shane. *Tickets for Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour are on sale this Friday at 10am and album The Ultimate Collection is out 13 th Feb 2026
