Singer-songwriter and rapper, Example opened the night with ‘Say Nothing’, committed to building the energy of an audience who seemed content to stay seated. Soon the audience were dancing along, absorbing Example’s clear enthusiasm for performing, gaining momentum with the closing duo of his most popular tracks, ‘Kickstarts’ and ‘Changed the Way You Kiss Me’.
As fans counted down to 8.40 PM, the crowd were entertained by an eclectic soundtrack featuring MOLIY’s ‘Shake It To The Max’, ‘Golden’ from KPop Demon Hunters and Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Bonkers’. The atmosphere was electric as JLS performed with immaculate showmanship, opening with the tour's namesake, ‘The Club Is Alive’. Aston Merrygold’s vocals stunned in ‘Do You Feel What I Feel?’, sporting a jacket printed with ‘Backflips on hold’, having been injured in production rehearsals.
‘Hottest Girl In The World’ heated the arena with infectious energy and pyrotechnics, the band declaring Birmingham the “hottest city in the world”, and contenders for “the loudest show of the tour” before introducing themselves, as if the screaming fans needed the introduction.
A collection of their greatest hits was complemented by banterous interludes, featuring a recreation of JB Gill’s viral “Merry Christmas”, and later donning a golden sequin jacket to perform a mini salsa to Justin Bieber’s remix of ‘Despacito’, having starred in last year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Following their post-reunion release ‘Eternal Love’, ‘That’s My Girl’ won in a fan vote against ‘Only Tonight’, a close call with both receiving ever-louder cheers. Instead of playing their entire discography, in a set that would leave them onstage “till 3 am”, JLS performed a mash-up of fan-voted tracks including ‘Superhero’, ‘So Many Girls’ and ‘Better For You’; dedicated to “all of you day ones”.
‘Love You More’, the official single for BBC Children In Need in 2010, led into a costume change, covered by a dance tutorial and dance cam for ‘She Makes Me Wanna’. The audience took on the synchronised arm dance routine with mixed success, but with infectious enthusiasm, which was only heightened when JLS returned to the stage.
Following DJ sets from Marvin Humes and Aston, it was decided “there’s no party like a Birmingham party”. The arena thrummed with excitement as the trio of fan-favourites ‘Take A Chance On Me’, ‘One Shot’ and ‘Beat Again’ brought JLS to their encore. As fans screamed for “one more song”, the band reappeared in a more subdued fashion, Humes dedicating ‘Proud’ to a fan who passed away earlier this year, the audience holding up green hearts as part of a fan project in support. As the mood lifted, under a flurry of red, blue, yellow and green confetti, JLS closed a night of dance-fuelled nostalgia with a unifying performance of ‘Everybody In Love’.
Maisy Neale
Images: Finn Delisle
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