THE performers came from all over the British Isles for the final three concerts of Westonbirt’s ‘Forest Live’ series last weekend, attracting fans for all walks of life.

The first performance, on Friday evening, came from Ireland’s very own Boyzone, with support from fellow Irishman Kian Egan (formerly of Westlife).

The crowd actually needed very little warming up on what was a gloriously sunny summer evening, and songs from both Kian’s new abum, ‘Home’, as well as some Westlife classics were well received by fans who were more than ready for a blast from the past.

There was a huge roar from the crowd as the Boyzone boys took to the stage. Looking suave in their sharp suits, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy proved that they are still at the top of their game more than 20 years after they first came together.

Although songs from their recent album BZ20 were less well known than their popular favourites, fans young and old were happy to sing along to much loved tracks such as ‘Words’, ‘Love me for a Reason’, ‘Baby can I hold you tonight’, ‘No matter What’ and ‘When the Going Gets Tough’.

There were some melancholy moments, as the guys reminisced about their former bandmate Stephen Gately (who died in 2009) but video footage and promises that he is always on the stage in spirit ensured that the mood of the show wasn’t dampened at all.

Finishing the show with ‘Life is a Rollercoaster’, it was a very happy crowd who headed off into the darkness.

Overnight thunderstorms and heavy rain during the day gave way to another night of lovely sunshine on Saturday, as Scottish pop stars Deacon Blue took their turn on the Westonbirt mics.

More laid back and with a noticeably smaller crowd than Boyzone the previous night, Deacon Blue’s experience showed through for their third Forest Live concert of the year, and with a back catalogue containing 12 UK Top 40 singles and two number one albums there was much to be impressed by.

Frontman Ricky Ross proved his prowess as frontman for the group, and together with fellow vocalist Lorraine McIntosh, used their own particular brand of Celtic magic on the crowd and soon had nearly everyone singing along and interacting with the band.

The 90-minute set was probably as perfect as you could wish for, including an early outing for ‘Fergus Sings The Blues’ and other favourites such as Your Town, Chocolate Girl, Real Gone Kid kept the fans engaged. The encore included a rousing rendition of Dignity and Twist and Shout were both reserved for the rousing encore.

On Sunday, it was the turn of Katherine Jenkins and the ladies of Celeste, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra with conductor Anthony Inglis.

Once again beautiful weather enticed the picnickers into the arena early; only this time candelabra and bottles of bubbly were not an uncommon sight amongst the canapés.

Celeste, a five-piece ensemble, opened the performance with songs which included ‘What a Wonderful World’ and ‘Try to Remember’, followed by the NSO performing a medley from Oklahoma, but it wasn’t until Katherine herself appeared on stage that the fans really felt that the evening had begun.

As soon as she started singing ‘Granada’, the beautiful mezz-soprano ensured love for her was all around with regular interaction with the crowd and even a selection of requests and didications.

Throughout her performance, Katherine went off stage at regular intervals, leaving us in the very capable hands of ‘Celeste’, only to reappear in ever-more gorgeous gowns.

‘Pie Jesu’, ‘The way you look tonight’, and a newly recorded version of the Welsh national anthem are examples of just how varied the acclaimed classical crossover artist’s set list has become, and ‘Hallelujah’, ‘A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square’ and ‘We’ll Meet Again’, had nearly all the eaudience singing along.

Songs from the Proms gave the flag-waving audience a real sense of occasion and with a cover of ‘We are the Champions’ bringing proceedings to a close, who could ask for more?

More of the same next year, please Westonbirt!