Girls Aloud this evening performed a tear-jerking tribute to their late bandmate Sarah Harding as they kicked off their reunion tour.
The girl band, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, had vowed their first gigs since 2013 would celebrate Sarah, who died aged 39 from breast cancer in 2021.
After a slight delay, with the girls arriving on stage 30 minutes later than scheduled, the four-piece appeared on stage and performed their first song, Untouchable, with footage of Sarah playing on pink curtains behind them as they sang together for the first time without their beloved bandmate.
The girls gave the crowd a quick "hello Dublin" before powering through and belting out a rendition of Love Machine as more snaps of Sarah appeared. Thanking the audience, Nicola went on to say: "What an incredible audience for our first show, thanks so much for being so supportive. We're so happy to be back."
As the next track History was announced, Nicola added: "When we recorded this next song 19 years ago, we had no idea 19 years later it would become so poignant on our journey." Black and white footage of Sarah singing History then appeared before an entire montage of the late star. The moving montage concluded with the phrase: "The darkest nights produce the brightest stars."
Kimberley later told the crowd: "Standing feeling all the emotions you're feeling. I hope you know it means as much as it means you to you." Cheryl added: "Thank you for your support through everything we went through with Sarah. It's hard to believe but it's such a beautiful thing to be on stage with these ladies again."
Ahead of performing Stand By You for the delighted crowd, Nadine told them: "We're going to do a duet with Sarah tonight. It's going to be us, Sarah, you. Lets do this together." Things turned emotional when Sarah's vocals began to play as her four bandmates sang live on stage.
As the group sang one of their biggest hits Promise, the four women stopped at one point and turned their backs to the audience as a screen played footage of Sarah singing on her own. They then resumed their vocals, with not a dry eye in the house. As Girls Aloud brought their debut show to a close, a picture of Sarah in a matching outfit appeared on the screen.
Speaking in the run-up to the six-week tour, Kimberley, 42, said: “Our main aim is to do Sarah justice.” Ahead of the performance, at Dublin’s 3Arena, Kimberley shared photos of the chart-toppers behind the scenes. She said: “We’ve had the best time creating this show for you and being back with my girls has been incredibly emotional but so special.”
Nicola, 38, promised an amazing gig while Nadine, also 38, said: “I am full of gratitude and admiration for our entire team. Thank you to everyone up to this point. Now the real fun begins.” Cheryl, 40, released a photo of the singers on a plane as they flew to Ireland on Thursday night, adding: “Ready for take-off.”
Girls Aloud, who formed on ITV ’s Popstars: The Rivals in November 2002 and got their first No1 that Christmas, split in 2013 after a series of feuds. But last November they dramatically revealed they would be reuniting. The girls, who hosted a 2022 ball in honour of Sarah, have helped raise more than £1million for cancer charities, including The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal.
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