Shane's On Tour Interview

Figured I'd add this in, even though it's a week late. Basically, every week a member of Westlife does an online interview talking about how the tour's going, and this is Shane's. Notice how they cover all the bases. I don't doubt that it's an honest interview on his part, but do notice the way the interview is designed to work in mentions of: family, the tour, how great touring is, how happy they are, problems in rehearsal, You Raise Me Up, and the next album. In short, it's designed to say, basically: "I am a lovely young, talented, clean-cut family-man, who does tours all around the world in my fantastically succesful and talented band. But of course we're only human, we make mistakes like everyone. Our shows are really amazing. Come see them. Because we've had to defy the odds (ie. all the stuff-ups in rehearsal) to make them really good, and so you should be especially impressed by how well it's all come together on the night. Buy our single. And save up for our new album; we're not splitting up, so there will be another one."

Here we go...

So how’s the tour going so far?
So far, so good! In the week before it started we were getting a bit nervous because we were wondering whether we’d have it ready or not. It’s a much more energetic show this year. The routines are more difficult and a bit harder to learn. We’re really pushing ourselves and working a lot harder on the actual production of the show. The first night was probably the best first night we ever did. If there’s a bad rehearsal, it’s always a good show!

What happened in rehearsal?
Things were just going wrong, technical stuff, and we were missing the beat here and there. But you’ve just got to make sure you get it as best you can. But on the night it was great, the Belfast crowd were fantastic.

What’s been our favourite song to perform this year?‘You Raise Me Up’, without a doubt. We recorded that song and always wondered what it would be like on tour, how the crowd would react and whether you could hear a pin drop or whether the crowd would sing along, but they’ve actually sung along louder than I’ve ever heard them before! They roar it out. It’s a great song to sing live.

How do you unwind after each show?
Well, there’s no ritual, but we just end up watching telly and usually it’s at least two o’clock before we get to sleep. You’re just so hyped up after the gig and you’ve just come off stage and already there’s people saying, ‘OK, here’s your car back to the hotel.’ So it’s a bit of a downer if you like. But I sleep in ‘til 11 or 12 every morning.

What do you do with the rest of your day?
I just spend time with Gillian and Nicole, because they’re on tour with me. It’s great though, because I wake up and they’re there looking at me, laughing at me still sleeping. Nicole doesn’t know any different, so she thinks it’s great fun seeing her dad sleep in.

What’s been the highlight over the past six months?
I think it was definitely ‘You Raise Me Up’. That week with ‘You Raise Me Up’ at number one and the album selling like a quarter of a million in the first week in the UK, that was just unbelievable. We’ve just got to find another great song for next year.

What have you got planned for when the tour finishes?
Most of June we’re going to spend at home with our families. Then July, we’ve got the outdoor shows, which are great. They’re much more family-orientated, a lot of families come for a day out. It’s always great to be on tour at that time. We’re hoping to record an album as well in July and August, so we’ll be very, very busy I think. We’ve got four or five great songs already. We’re really getting excited about it again, it seems like we’ve only just finished the last album.

Any message for your fans?
I want to say a big thank you for all your support over the last few months and coming along to the tour. It’s great, because we recognise faces who come every year. We look forward to seeing you all very soon.