The Wanted at The O2 on March 9th 2012
Review: Craig McDonnell
Every now and then it’s good to step out of your comfort zone. Sitting on my own in the middle of a row in the O2 between teenage girls and reluctant boyfriends getting ready to watch The Wanted is pretty much as far out of my comfort zone as physically possible. However, a part of me was curious – perhaps genuinely excited to witness how one of the hottest pop bands of the moment put on a show for packed arenas.
Before they took to the stage, the venue resembled a huge disco, with all the latest hits being pumped out of the speakers and the crowd singing along. Towards the end the crowd erupted when a very familiar song started playing. The song in question was ‘Glad You Came’ by The Wanted. . . the same band taking to the stage in all of 5 minutes. A ballsy move but one which paid off, tonight, and I’m sure every other night of their sold out arena tour.
After a few more songs the lights went out and a video began playing on stage. One by one the band members appeared on the screen to piercing screams as a narrator explains that these five men have 90 minutes to find a secret code in order to save the world. A 90 minute countdown begins as the boys take to the stage accompanied by their very own full band. The opening salvo has the whole venue on their feet with hits like ‘Lose My Mind‘, ‘Rocket‘ and ‘Lightning‘ getting the biggest reaction out of an incredibly energetic and vociferous crowd. The scrooge inside me was annoyed by the choreographed walking from left to right on stage but with so many people having fun it was hard not to enjoy their polished performance.
As if having great voices and being incredibly attractive to the opposite sex wasn’t enough, they then pick up two acoustic guitars and a bass and play a few slow songs themselves with a little help from their backing band. The piano on stage even gets utilised and is played flawlessly. Is there anything these guys can’t do?
Holding on to their instruments we reach the covers part of the set where they proceeded to play not one, not two but THREE Coldplay songs in succession. ‘Viva la Vida’, ‘Paradise’, and ‘Fix You’ all strike me as strange choices for a pop band like The Wanted to cover but they seemed to go down well. I’m not sure it really mattered what songs they played on the night, the crowd would have lapped it all up.
After playing the song that kick-started this ascension to stardom, ‘All Time Low’, the five-piece disappear one last time as the last part of the video plays. The on-screen heroes have worked out the secret four digit code and have saved the world, hooray! Reappearing on stage one last time, the crowd is treated to one last song, their second hearing of ‘Glad You Came’ of the night, this time the live version.
Despite being a distance outside of my comfort zone, it was impossible not to have a good time at this gig. The energy of the crowd alone was a spectacle in itself. As for The Wanted, they are five incredibly talented guys with a well polished stage presence who can also play their own instruments if required. Next stop America?