Westlife in Manila 2011: A Fangirl Account (Long Post)

I have been down in the dumps for days I wanted to give myself a house arrest for life. But the world awaits and when you're down, there's nowhere else to go but up, right?

No, this is not supposed to be a blog entry about my personal life. So, here goes. I haven't blogged a fan account in years. Well, September 29, 2011 happened and it is probably one of the highlights of my year. You see, I was supposed to be in Singapore and I was prepared to miss Westlife's concert in Manila for the first time in my fangirling history. I guess, I'm meant to be here in Manila for now. Things happen for a reason. I got to experience this and it is true, the best things in life are free.***

My sister and I were open to "whatever happens, happens", as long as at the end of the day, we will watch Westlife's concert at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Since I'm stuck in a financial rut right now, General Admission will do. Little did we know that we're in for surprises and happy moments galore. There it was again, the fangirl in me just wanted to shout out, dance, cry in hysterics all at the same time. It has been 11 years since I watched Westlife's first concert in Manila. I was a student then and I learned that time that I have these stalker tendencies. I haven't missed a single concert since. I have been a fan since Ronan Keating introduced them in Smash Hits! That was 13 years ago, more or less. Yes, you can probably guess what age bracket I belong in. Some people I got to know during those "fangirling" times are still my friends until now. There were funny, incredulous, tiring and embarrassing moments that would be a part of my "The Things I Did for Westlife" list.

Earlier in the day, we got invited to attend Westlife's press conference in Edsa Shangri-la Hotel. After all these years, I'm finally going to meet them up close. I couldn't believe my luck. There were changes in the start time and it turned out, the lads just woke up and were jet-lagged. After more waiting, we decided to give up our initial seats and I ended up cross-sitting on the floor right in front of Nicky. When the lads came in, I wanted to burst in excitement. But since I was in the presence of the members of the media, I kept quiet. The lads were funny and decent despite them just getting out of bed. Questions were answered (and we can probably reads those in newspapers, online or watch them on TV). I was just there, snapping pictures and smiling. I don't think the smile even left my face. I got to wave to Nicky who was busy taking videos of everyone. He chuckled when we posed for his camera. That moment is already ingrained in my memory.

Q and A

group shot

Much to my surprise, we were informed that we will have a chance to meet-and-greet Westlife before the concert.*** I could have died and gone to heaven then. But since I don't wanna die before meeting Westlife again, my sis and I took a late lunch/early dinner, then headed for the venue.

getting giddy

photo courtesy of Magic Liwanag Photography for DAYLY Entertainment

The photo was taken by an official photographer and no personal cameras were allowed. Funny thing was, my sis and I were practicing on what to say to these lads when we finally get to meet them. We had about 2 hours of practice and I told her to go directly to Nicky while I go to Mark (yes, he's gay but I don't care!). I was planning to steal a hug from him too! We went in and it was finished in a couple of seconds. Too bad they were pressing for time and all we got to say was "Thank You!". Since we were looking forward to the concert, we hurried to the entrance so as not to miss the opening song and found our seats. We barely warmed our seats when the opening song came out, we ran to the front. It was like deja vu. (I ran to the front as well in one of those Westlife concerts in the same venue.) We danced and sang and got sweaty. I even cursed our point-and-shoot digital camera because it kept blurring the supposedly great pics I got. I didn't let it ruin my mood. It's amazing to be there, watching them do their thing up close. I'm sure about eleven thousand people in that venue agreed with me when I say listening to those songs we grew up with felt nostalgic.

"epic crowd" - Nicky

Westlife on stage

That was my not-so-typical Thursday. It was a roller-coaster ride of emotions for a fan like me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I won't mind if something similar happens to me again soon. Who wouldn't want to fly without wings again, right? =)

More photos here.

Click here to view "What Makes A Man" (fancam).

Click here to view "Flying Without Wings" (fancam).

Click here to view "Uptown Girl" (fancam).

***All these wonderful memories will not be possible without the help of Dayly Entertainment. We are eternally grateful. Congratulations for a sold-out and successful concert! =)