The popstar is currently on his 15 Years Of Hits UK tour
Olly Murs had the crowd in the palm of his hand during an electrifying performance earlier this week – before he was booed after making an admission about Manchester.
Olly first caught the nation’s attention with his audition on X Factor in 2010, when he charmed the audience with Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ in the show’s sixth series. Lauded by the ITV programme’s judges for his innate ability to entertain, it’s exactly this flair that still endears him to a legion of fans so many years on.
And a decade-and-a-half on, the 41-year-old pop star brought his ’15 Years Of Hits’ tour to Liverpool on Thursday.
With a catalogue spanning that long, Olly could easily have let the hits do the heavy lifting, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Yet, the ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ chart-topper has carved a lasting career not just on his tunes alone but largely thanks to his endearing personality, proving himself just as adept as a presenter as a performer.
One of the liveliest exchanges came during a segment of the tour when Olly gives his long-serving band the opportunity to “embarrass” him on stage and share a photo from the singer’s long career in the limelight. The singer laughed as he told the crowd: “On this part of the show, I have absolutely no idea what is about to appear on that screen.”
Olly was in stitches when the image selected for the Liverpool gig showed him touching the iconic This Is Anfield sign at the home of Liverpool FC. As the image popped up on the gigantic screen, it divided the crowd, as loud cheers from Liverpool FC supporters were mixed with boos from the Evertonians in attendance.
However, Olly soon united the room when he revealed his football allegiances lie with a team down the M62. He said: “Of course, this will probably get the biggest boo of the night. I am a Manchester United fan.”
The singer was in hysterics as he was jeered by the crowd before he joked: “Shall I go?”
Of course, the crowd weren’t ready for the show to stop just yet and urged him to stay on as he moved into another of his pop hits.
Olly Murs reviewed
In a review of the show, our colleagues at the Echo said Olly told the crowd how his brand of “fun” and “cheeky” has always found a natural home in Liverpool. His point was proven to be true once again on Thursday as the energy level remained high throughout the whole evening, which also featured special guest support from boyband, Blue.
From the moment Olly arrived on stage to sing Troublemaker, the crowd lapped up every song across the two-hour set. The singer revealed it had been a big week away from the stage as he turned 41 on Wednesday, which he celebrated by performing a medley of ’80s hits in honour of the decade he was born.
However, the segment also recalled his X Factor roots as the mash-up, from artists such as George Michael and Bon Jovi, felt like something that would have appeared on one of the show’s themed weeks. Of course, Olly has long evolved past a cover artist – and the crowd were just as buzzing to hear his originals, such as Heart Skips a Beat and Wrapped Up, as they were to hear versions of classic anthems.
The strongest performance of the night came when the mood shifted to a more sombre tone as Olly sung Dear Darling, a song he dedicated to his X Factor co-host, Caroline Flack, who died in 2020. He told the crowd: “I genuinely think about her every day.
“I know that feeling of losing someone that you love very much. With this song, I want you to think of those people and sing with me.” The thousands in attendance shone the lights on their phone and sang along with every word to the 2012 ballad in the standout moment of the evening.
For someone who is so at home on stage, it’s staggering to think how Olly’s life could have gone down a completely different path had he not taken that chance 16 years ago and auditioned for the X Factor.
At the time, Olly was aged 25 and working in a call centre before he took the plunge and applied for the ITV talent show. At the show in Liverpool, the singer thanked fans for the support that allowed him to transform his life and vowed he has no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Although this tour was celebrating his 15 years in the industry, Olly’s penultimate song of the set provided fans with a glimpse into what comes next, as he treated the audience to an exclusive performance of new single, Save Me.
The singer explained the song is the start of a “new Murs era” and, based on the reaction in the room, fans can’t wait to see what the upcoming chapter brings. The singer left the stage in Liverpool to rapturous applause as the thousands in attendance eagerly look forward to see Olly continue to check off more milestones, now that he has proven himself to be a bona fide performer.
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