Ronan Keating Calls Boyzone Tour 'Unhealthy' Over Toxic Reunion Past
Boyzone's Final Farewell: A Bittersweet Reunion
Ronan Keating, the lead singer of Boyzone, has revealed that the band’s upcoming reunion for two shows at London’s Emirates Stadium in June will be their last. He described the tour as “incredibly unhealthy” and a “toxic environment,” suggesting that the group does not want to tour together again after this.
The two concerts, titled Two For The Road: Live At Emirates Stadium, are set to take place on June 5 and June 6. This will be the first time the band has performed together since their London Palladium run in 2019. Speaking on Tracks Of My Years on Sunday, Ronan, 48, insisted that the band is not interested in going on tour again after this.
“It would be incredibly unhealthy for us to do it,” he said. “We’d take a massive step backwards in our lives.”
Reflecting on Past Struggles
Ronan also reflected on the group’s previous farewell tour, which he called a “toxic environment.” He mentioned a “huge blow up” during the Tokyo leg of the tour, where the members ended up taking different planes home.
“We met up a week later in London to do the Palladium, the five nights that we did, the final shows, or as we thought were the final shows,” he said.
He added that for the first time in their careers, the band had separate dressing rooms for the shows. Confirming that the upcoming shows will be their last, Ronan said, “It’s our way of writing the final chapter, saying goodbye.”
No More Tours, No New Music
Ronan emphasized that there will be no new music or global tours following the event. “There are offers coming in left, right and centre to go to Asia, to go into Europe. It’s a blanket no. And this is it.”
He said the band feels similarly about not wanting to go on tour again, calling it a “difficult environment.” “And to come away from that then, there'd be a lot of work on rebuilding ourselves individually to the strong people that we feel we are now,” he explained.
“We all have our own lives and careers away from the band, but we can come back for that week. It'll be spectacular. We'll put on all the fireworks and make it magic. And there'll be tears, but we'll go out on a high and that'll be our final chapter written.”
A Nostalgic Reunion
Speaking about the upcoming reunion, Ronan said, “It's kind of nice that we're coming back to do this.” He described the two shows as a way for Boyzone to say goodbye for good, adding, “This is it.”
Formed in 1993, the group consists of Ronan, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham, and the late Stephen Gately. They secured six UK number one singles and five UK number one albums. The band first broke up in 2000 when their members went on to pursue solo careers, before reuniting in 2007.
A Series of Recent Reunions
The upcoming one-off shows, Two For The Road, will follow on from their 2019 farewell tour, Thank You And Goodnight. Last February, the band reunited to promote their documentary series, Boyzone: No Matter What, which explored the height of their fame, the issues they dealt with as their success grew, and their break-up.
Earlier this week, the group came together for the BBC One special, Ronan and Friends: A New Year's Eve Party.
Final Thoughts
As the band prepares for their final performance, fans are eager to see how they will handle the emotional weight of the event. Will the past tensions resurface? Can they truly overcome the challenges of their history?
Vernon Kay's show, Tracks Of My Years, is broadcast on BBC Radio 2 from Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 12pm.
