Boyband Westlife is coming to town

JAKARTA (JP): If you happen to be a fan of boybands, well, take heed, the "mother of all boybands", Westlife, is coming to town.

The Irish boyband once again will hold a concert here next Thursday at Sumantri Brodjonegoro Stadium in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The concert will begin at 3 p.m. and will be opened by German singer Christian Wunderlich.

If you have been living on Mars for the last few years, you may be asking, Westlife who? Well, it is a group of five Dublin guys, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Bryan McFadden, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan.

The guys then met Louis Walsh, the manager of Irish boyband, Boyzone, who took an interest in them and introduced them to the Boyzone's vocalist and solo artist, Ronan Keating.

Keating became the group's co-manager shortly after they signed their recording contract.

The group's first single, Flying Without Wings soared to the number one position at the UK charts in 1999, followed by Seasons In The Sun and Swear It Again in 2000.

Their self-title debut album enjoyed similar success as chart toppers and grabbed platinum award in their homeland.

Westlife's latest album Coast To Coast, released early this year, is likely to follow its predecessor with hits like My Love, I Lay My Love On You and Up Town Girl which aired on TV, like, every second.

They are indeed very popular, especially among young girls here. So, holding their concert here seems very appropriate.

But let us not forget the tragic incident that occurred last March when four teenage girls died in a stampede at an autograph- signing by British boyband a1 at Taman Anggrek shopping mall in West Jakarta.

Learning from experience, promoter Java Musikindo said that they have prepared around 700 security personnel for the concert plus police guards and a team of 200 paramedics.

Here are also a few important tips from the promoter for teenage girls who are going to see Westlife concert:

* Wait in line and be patient so that no one gets squeezed

or stepped on.

* Do not try to chase the boys to their hotel or the airport.

* Have a meal before the concert to avoid fainting. For those who have any illnesses, please bring along your medication.

* The gate will not be opened until 1 p.m., so just be there around that time. It is useless to get there early.

* Please observe and follow instructions on the color-coded signs.

The color of the ticket is the same as the seat.(Hera Diani)