Boyzone have opened up about their backstage feuds – including arguments over songs before their sets.
The Irish boyband, made up of Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and the late Stephen Gately, first shot to fame in the early nighties.
Lead singer Stephen died in 2009 at the age of 33 as a result of a congenital heart defect.
Despite calling it quits in 2019 with a reunion tour, the lads will make a comeback for two final gigs at London’s Emirates Stadium next June following the release of their Sky documentary earlier this year.
Six years on, as they work on perfecting their performance for fans, the lads have revealed previous backstage tension.
In a new interview, the singers said how they have ‘always’ argued backstage before the first song – fighting over what it should be.
Boyzone have opened up about their backstage feuds – including arguments over songs before their sets
In a new interview, Keith Duffy revealed how Ronan Keating (pictured) was given a dressing room for their farewell tour in 2019 – despite always sharing one with his bandmates
The Irish boyband, made up of Ronan Keating , Keith Duffy , Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and the late Stephen Gately, first shot to fame in the early nighties (pictured in 2008)
Speaking to Heat magazine, Ronan, 48, admitted: ‘We always argue about the first song played in the arena before we go on stage.’
Probed on whether the first song has been decided, the When You Say Nothing At All vocalist said ‘absolutely not’.
He added that the opening track ‘won’t be decided until the night before’.
In their heyday as they released nostalgic hits like No Matter What, Picture Of You and Keys To My Life, the men always shared one big dressing room.
But tensions rose in 2019 for their farewell tour when Ronan – who has successfully paved a solo career for himself – had his own.
Keith, 51, candidly said: ‘We always used one dressing room, even if there were 20 dates. But when we came back for those nights at the Palladium, there wasn’t a dressing room big enough for Ronan.
‘That created a separation between us.’
He went on to say: ‘There was no bad blood, it certainly made us feel alone. When we stressed that was the end of it and were done, we meant it.
Despite calling it quits in 2019 with a reunion tour, the lads will make a comeback for two final gigs in London next June following the release of their Sky documentary earlier this year
‘There was no word of anything else until the documentary.’
Boyzone: No Matter What aired in January on Sky Documentaries and charted the band’s journey, as well as hearing each member’s individual experiences.
Keith’s comments were echoed in the show, with Ronan now saying: ‘There were things that hurt, but I understood where it came from.’
The lads will be hoping for no fallouts or blunders during their final two shows, with Keith having a flashback to the time he plunged 12ft in a horror fall.
A 20ft gap in the stage went down ahead of their next song, which was powered by a hydraulic lift and their stage manager had warned them not to walk back a moment too soon to avoid the glaring void.
However, Keith said he got ‘carried away’ as the crowds were screaming and ‘strutted’ backwards.
He quipped: ‘Now you see me, now you don’t! Whack, down I went, 12ft.’
Boyzone members (left to right) Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Ronan Keating during a press conference at the London Irish Centre in Camden as Mikey Graham was nowhere to be seen
It was previously revealed how cameras for Sky have already started filming Boyzone for a special programme after the success of their documentary.
A source told The Sun in September: ‘The reaction to their last documentary, No Matter What, was insane.
‘Not only did it help heal the rift between the lads, it sparked the idea of coming together for one last gig and ending their journey on a high. They were so happy with the team at Curious Films, who handled things sensitively, so when they finally decided to go ahead with the gig, it seemed a no-brainer to get them back in.
‘Cameras have already been following them as they put their plans in motion.’
