Westlife The Twenty Tour Jakarta: A Life Experience

Exactly on the 7th last month, one of my life to-do lists is checked: Attend Westlife concert: Westlife The Twenty Tour Jakarta

It was an incredibly fantastic experience in my whole life! Seeing those 4 daddies (they are in the 40s!) dancing and singing on the stage in the distance of metres was an unforgettable moment. Here I want to share the journey of a Westlife fan 🙂

“Why do you like Westlife?”

This is the most frequently asked question. Why Westlife?

They first appeared, singing their very first song, in April 1999, in which I hadn’t even been born yet. And I didn’t care who Brian McFadden was when he ‘resigned’ in 2004. Even I mocked my junior high school friend when he sang ‘I Have A Dream’ in English class, thinking “how old school his taste is”.

Karma does exist. My love started growing for Westlife when I was in senior high school. At that time, I put an interest in a guy in school. And just like some other admirers, I didn’t tell him. Randomly, when I searched for a ‘brokenhearted’ song, I heard ‘If I Let You Go’ by Westlife (the title tells a lot) Then, I listened to their other songs, and those were blessings for me. I fell in love with Westlife. I do.

Next, I did a research about Westlife. Sadly, they disbanded in 2012, 2 years before I realised I loved them. My heart tore into pieces…..

Therefore, at that very moment, I promised myself, should they came to Indonesia, I would definitely be at the concert.

The great news was announced!

After not performing for 6 years, on November 3rd, 2018, Westlife announced their comeback in a video uploaded on YouTube. Guess what? I WAS CRYING!! T_T Finally!! After only 4 years of fangirling (not like other fans who have been a fan for 20 years –like my age).

Aaa! I had no doubt that they would perform in Indonesia because of the Westlife fans here are a huge market 🙂

IT WAS MARCH 21ST! They officially made all Indonesian fans scream (well, me in this case). The announcement stated: “Westlife. Is. Going. To. Perform. In. Jakarta. On. 7. August. 2019.” Me crying!!! (again)

I almost had a heart attack because of the ticket war

I was wrong. I did know that Indonesians who love Westlife are large. I didn’t realise that it is that large. I was ready in front of my laptop in my part-time job (yeah, cheating) at exactly 11.50. I even intentionally rushed my Syntax exam so I could get out of the class immediately!

BUT, THE REALITY WAS HIT ME REALLY HARD.

I COULDN’T GET A SINGLE TICKET until 4 p.m! They said the ticket was sold out. I was tearing up. But I kept trying both on my phone and my laptop.

“It’s my only chance to see their live performing,” I said.

AND YEP! I GOT TWO! Platinum and Gold ticket. I processed two of them. I honestly wanted the Gold one because it was in the middle of seat levels also fit with my money 🙂 YET, I got the Platinum ticket. The Gold couldn’t be processed. O-M-G. Still lucky! So many people didn’t get the ticket. The next dayss, there were additional concerts in Borobudur, Palembang, and Semarang.

I kept telling myself that it was okay, it would be worth it. And it was.

So, how much did the Westlife ticket cost?

Many people asked me that. The second most frequently asked question. You know I got the Platinum and here’s the price list 🙂

I had been saving my money since I knew they would come back. I joined part-time jobs. I didn’t join my friends to travel to Yogyakarta, I cancelled buying a material thing to buy the ticket, I didn’t spend my salary much. Just to watch them in a night.

The drama began

On August 3rd and 4th, we need to change our ticket from online to the bracelet ticket at Mal Taman Anggrek. I planned to come on 3rd August but the time was too limited (At that time, I was in Depok at 3 PM, the counter was open until 6 PM). The queue was bloody loooooonng on the 3rd. So, on the 4th I came in the afternoon. There were no people gratefully.

FINALLY! THE DAY: Westlife The Twenty Tour Jakarta!

Here we come to the highlighted event.

I was laying on my bed in my cousin’s house on August 7th in the morning. I WAS SHOCKED. Many many hate comments filled the comment section on Full Party’s Instagram account (the promotor). They said that the stage was so small, the seating was awful (especially for Platinum), and the screen wasn’t big enough to fulfil the satisfaction of the spectator in the concert hall. HUAA. Please, no drama again.

I then came to the venue at 11.00, alone. The gate was open at 11.30 AM, 30 minutes late than the schedule. I got my seat number along with security stuff. I got friends already! Fans in the event were incredible. We got close instantly. I took photos at 4 booths, and it took 2 hours 🙂 We waited until 6.30 PM in the holding hall because no one was allowed to leave.

The concert hall was open, we found our seats at 7 PM. Apart from many hateful critics, I got a great seat, nearly straight to stage.

Then, we waited until 8.40 PM, until………

the show started.

I WAS SCREAMING. AND CRYING. And my phone was falling. Call me hyperbole, but that starting moment was really really tremendous.

I had been waiting for 4 years + 9 hours on that day. To see Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne, and Shane Filan singing, chatting, dancing, doing things. MY DREAM WAS COMING INTO REALITY.

The first song is Hello My Love. Hi, my loved ones~~~~ I got excited at the maximum level when they sang my first-love song, ‘If I Let You Go’. Listening from the phone and watching them singing live are really two different things.

The number of people singing songs together was……. Breathtaking. Those men shared stories and nostalgia, brought us back to memories, to the meaning of their songs which are deeply touch my heart. Nicky (my love) made the hall full of laughter. Acting silly, teasing other members.

They were having fun. We were having fun.

That was my story. I hope you enjoy it, If you don’t, I enjoyed the moment tho 😉 The ticket made me
save money for a long time. The performance only took 2 hours, but the memories will remain forever.

“I’ll see you again~”