iWorld
Westlife continues from Mumbai to Bengaluru & New Delhi in ‘The Wild Dreams’ tour
Mumbai: In the Member’s Enclosure, Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai, The Irish pop band’s performance, part of The Wild Dreams Tour – India, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment division of BookMyShow, saw the enchanting melodies of Westlife echo through the air.
Fans, both young and young at heart were left mesmerised by the magic woven on stage by the band’s leading men, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan, creating a dreamy atmosphere in the heart of the city. Kick-starting the India Tour in Mumbai with a captivating evening, Westlife brought their timeless music and unmatched showmanship to the country even as more magical moments await fans across the country, as the tour heads to Bengaluru and New Delhi next.
The evening kicked off with the lively ‘Starlight’ from the Wild Dreams album, leading into timeless classics like ‘Uptown girl’ and ‘When you’re looking like that,’ beloved by fans in India and around the world. Engaging with the audience, the boyband excitedly asked if everyone was ready to ‘feel young’ again, receiving an enthusiastic response. Transitioning seamlessly into hits like ‘Fool again,’ ‘If i let you go,’ ‘Seasons in the Sun,’ and ‘Swear it again,’ Westlife stirred nostalgic memories for long-time fans. Expressing love for India, the quartet charmed the crowd with candid interactions between performances. A highlight was when they brought a dedicated Nicky Byrne fan on stage for a special dedication of ‘Nothing’s going to change my love for you,’ leaving the audience spellbound at this memorable Mumbai performance.
Renowned for their chart-topping hits and incredible live performances, Westlife’s ‘The Wild Dreams Tour’ lived up to its promise of being a spectacular showcase of musical brilliance. Treated to all their favourite tunes, the crowd didn’t miss out on any chance to interact with the boyband even as Westlife didn’t shy away from delivering a few surprises that brought back sweet nostalgic memories from the golden era of music. A welcome surprise for an ecstatic audience was an unexpected medley of ABBA songs including Mama Mia, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Money Money Money, Take a Chance on Me, I Have a Dream, Dancing Queen, thank you for the music in a Westlife-special rendition!
With the energies still running high and resounding across the grounds, Westlife transitioned into the next leg of their set performing their hits, ‘What about now’, ‘Nothing’s going to change’, ‘I lay my love on you’, ‘World of our own’, ‘Flying without wings’, ‘Hello my love’, ‘My love’, ending the evening on a high note and streams of confetti with ‘You raise me up!’
A strong legacy of a quarter-century, Westlife continues to delight audiences globally and the India tour has begun no differently. The audience, comprising fans of all ages, revelled in every note and every beat as a testament to the band’s relevance after all these years, as they made their debut performance on Indian soil.
The euphoria reached its peak as the band played their timeless classics with the crowd singing along, creating a harmonious blend of voices that resonated throughout the venue. Stay tuned as the tour continues to weave its magic across Bengaluru and New Delhi, promising more unforgettable moments in the journey of musical dreams. The India tour will be a trip down memory lane and will give Indian fans, a chance to relive their memories of a younger self, with some catchy tunes, legendary singalongs and much more!
The India leg of the tour kicked-off at the Members Enclosure, RWITC, Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai on Friday, 24 November and will be followed by their performance at Bharatiya Mall of Bengaluru, Bengaluru on Saturday, 25 November, culminating with the final stop at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday, 26 November 2023.
Fans can get their hands on the tickets for the Bengaluru and Delhi shows exclusively on BookMyShow.
iWorld
Snapchat parent Snap cuts 16 per cent of workforce in AI-driven restructuring
The Snapchat parent is axing around 1,000 jobs and closing 300 open roles to save $500m, as artificial intelligence makes smaller teams the new normal
CALIFORNIA: Snap is snapping. The Snapchat parent has confirmed plans to cut around 1,000 employees, roughly 16 per cent of its full-time workforce, as it bets that artificial intelligence can do what headcount once required. Shares jumped more than 10 per cent in premarket trading on the news, a brisk vote of confidence from a market that has watched the stock shed about 31 per cent this year.
The restructuring, which also closes more than 300 open roles, follows pressure from activist investor Irenic Capital Management, which holds an economic interest of about 2.5 per cent in the company and has been loudly pushing Snap to tighten its portfolio and lift performance. The firm got what it asked for, and then some.
Chief executive Evan Spiegel told employees the cuts would reduce annualised expenses by more than $500m by the second half of the year. The company expects to incur charges of between $95m and $130m related to the layoffs, mostly severance, with the bulk landing in the second quarter. Staff in Snap’s North America team were asked to work from home on the day of the announcement.
The financial backdrop is not without bright spots. Snap expects first-quarter revenue to rise around 12 per cent to approximately $1.53 billion, broadly in line with analyst estimates. Adjusted core profit for the January to March quarter is forecast at about $233m, comfortably ahead of Wall Street’s expectation of $186.8m.
The harder question surrounds Specs, Snap’s augmented reality smart glasses subsidiary, which Irenic has urged the company to spin off or shut down entirely. The unit has absorbed more than $3.5 billion in investment and burns through approximately $500m in cash annually. Snap is pressing ahead regardless, with a consumer product expected later this year, even as Meta leads the market in the segment.
Spiegel is betting that leaner teams, smarter machines and a consumer AR play can restore Snap’s credibility with investors who have run out of patience. The redundancy notices have gone out. The harder restructuring, the one that requires a hit product rather than a headcount reduction, is still very much pending.
