Mark Feehily: Westlife singer to miss gig at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on Wednesday - reason why explained

Westlife’s ongoing UK tour is set to continue when it arrives at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on Wednesday (November 30). However, by the time that the boy band reach Merseyside, there will only be three members as Mark Feehily has been forced to pull out of the gig.

The Irish vocalist has revealed that he has been struck down with a bad case of pneumonia and has confirmed he will miss a series of Westlife’s UK tour dates. It began on Friday when Mark Feehily was a no-show at Friday’s (November 25) Manchester show.

He was initially suffering the brunt of a mystery fever which doctors later confirmed to be pneumonia. As a result, fellow bandmates Shane Filgan, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne will continue to perform on Westlife’s The Wild Dreams Tour, which ends in February 2023.

To keep fans updated on his illness, Mark Feehily posted a statement on his official Instagram account, which says: “Firstly, I’d like to say a sincere thank you to everybody for sending their love and get well soon messages – it means so much. I really was gutted to miss the weekend shows in Newcastle but I started to feel quite unwell on Friday and the doctors have confirmed that it is a bout of pneumonia.

“I know it’s scary when you first hear the word ‘pneumonia’, but thankfully, I got to the doctor and the hospital very quickly and got on the antibiotics as soon as possible. So everything is currently under control. I have been informed that the quickest way to recovery is to rest and continue the antibiotics. I’m feeling a bit better every day. The nurses and doctors are taking amazing care of me, so it should all be over in no time.”

Feehily continues: “This does however mean missing more gigs, which is horrible, but I’ll be back on stage as soon as I can get the all clear. Until then, Nicky, Shane and Kian will continue to fly the Westlife flag high for all of us. Please scream even louder than usual for those three legends in my absence. Sending love to you all, I hope to see you back on the road very, very, soon! Mark xx.”

As a result, only three members of Westlife will be performing in front of Liverpudlians on Wednesday. The M&S Bank Arena is a sell-out as 11,000 excited fans await the boy band.

Westlife’s tour has not been without any issues or complications, even before Feehily’s forced absence. Nicky Byrne fell through the stage during the Glasgow show earlier in November which left him injured and covered with bruises.