Review: Ronan Keating, Usher Hall

Published on Wednesday 24 February 2010 08:45

Ronan Keating **** Usher Hall

THERE'S a tinge of pathos to Ronan Keating's new tour. Among the schmaltzy slow ballads and the sunshine-fuelled pop tunes that have marked his career, are a selection of songs for the people he's lost.

There are tracks for his mother Marie Keating, who died of breast cancer in 1998 when the singer was 20, and in whose memory he recently recorded a medley of favourite songs that became the 2009 gold selling album Songs for My Mother.

Secondly, he sings for Boyzone band mate Stephen Gately, who tragically lost his life last October at just 33.

Pausing to dedicate a song to Gately and acknowledge the presence of Gately's brother Tony in the audience at the Usher Hall last night, Keating described the pain and shock he and his remaining band mates, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch, felt at learning of Gately's death.

Before beginning the Collin Raye ballad In This Life, Keating said of his friend: "We're still expecting him to walk into the room, or text us or e-mail us. It was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Being in the studio without him (recording the latest album] was just bizarre. It just didn't make sense but we got through it. Thank God there are two songs on the album that Steo (Gately] recorded before he passed away.

"It was a terrible week when we were bringing Stephen home from Spain. His mum asked me to sing a song at the funeral and at first I didn't know really if I wanted to do that, or if I could get through it, but it actually ended up helping me that day.

"There are obviously many songs between Steo and myself, but this song we used to sing all the time in the dressing room. My friend had this ability to find a harmony that no-one else could find, this most amazing sound. Any time, anywhere he could just jump straight in to a song. Absolutely beautiful. And I remember clearly practising this song in the dressing room. I guess that's gone now but I still have it in my head."

Preceding his tribute to Gately, Keating had worked his way comfortably through an eclectic and muted selection of much-loved classics, including If Tomorrow Never Comes, Simon and Garfunkle's Homeward Bound and the Songs for My Mother track Time After Time, along with some his more recent works.

Throwing in a curve ball for all of those in the audience whose feelings toward Keating could definitely not be described as motherly, the singer performed Stay from the album Winter Songs. The stage's 20ft backdrop displaying the tune's rather racy video of a half-naked Keating lolling about on a bed in full Technicolor glory, sending the audience into paroxysms of delight. Followed quickly by the crowd pleasing Will You Go Lassie Go.

Both were brief highlights in an otherwise subdued evening. But then, one can only suppose that Keating isn't the only person in the auditorium with departed loved ones on his mind.