Boyzone (clockwise from top left): Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating and Keith Duffy
Irish boy band Boyzone (BZ) is staging its 25th anniversary tour, after which, the group will split up for good. Catch Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch for one last time in their farewell concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on Aug. 26, 8 p.m. (SMtickets.com). Kudos to my good friend, Renen de Guia (whom I fondly call “Concert Producer King”) of Ovation Productions for making it happen.
BZ has had 21 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 22 singles in the Irish charts. The group has a fantastic new album (“Thank You & Good Night”) out in time for its silver anniversary. The band’s hits include “Love Me for a Reason,” “Picture of You,” “Baby Can I Hold You,” “I Love the Way You Love Me” and “Everyday I Love You,” among many others.
Its songs serve as love anthems of Pinoy hopeful romantics. Whatever state your heart is in, there’s a BZ song to match it. Long after Boyzone packs up, its music will never be zoned out from our memory. The group’s voice shall linger on in our hearts.
Here’s my chat with Boyzone:
What made you guys decide to disband? We’ve had 25 amazing years together but we feel now is the right time to hang up our dancing shoes and go out on a real high with our final album and tour.
How would you like BZ to be remembered? We hope that the hits we’ve had over our career will stay with people always, as they are part of the great memories we’ve all made together.
Among all your concerts, which was the most memorable? We’ve been lucky to play all over the world in front of our amazing fans. We’d like to think that the best gigs are still to come as we set off on our “Thank You & Good Night” tour.
What are your plans after BZ calls it quits? We’ve always had other things going on alongside Boyzone so we’ll each carry on with our own lives. Nothing can take away the great times we’ve had together and the lifelong friendships we’ve made.
What can we expect from your farewell concert in Manila? It’s great to be getting back to Manila and the chance to perform in front of the passionate Filipino crowd. They love our music so we’ll make sure they get to hear all the hits from the past 25 years.
What’s your message to your Filipino fans? We love how passionate you are about our music so we can’t wait for one last chance to perform for you all in your wonderful country.
Among all of BZ’s hit songs, which one is the most meaningful for you and why?
We all have our favorite songs so it’s hard to pick one. Just now, we’re all excited about our new single, “Because,” so we hope everyone will love that when they hear it.
What’s the most important lesson that you learned from the BZ chapter of your life? We started as five young lads from the north side of Dublin and over the last 25 years we’ve had some incredible times, both good and bad. Through it all though we’ve come out of it as great friends and that has to be the most important thing of all.