Olly Murs at 3Arena Dublin: Hip-Thrusts, Nostalgia, and a Whole Lotta “Oi Oi Oi”
If there’s one thing Olly Murs knows how to do, it’s put on a show. And last night at the sold-out 3Arena, he proved that even a stomach bug can’t keep a proper pop star down for long.
Before Olly even set foot on stage, we were treated to a huge dose of early 2000s nostalgia from none other than Blue. Yes, that Blue and yes, they were every bit as brilliant as you’d hope. Opening with All Rise (a pure flex, let’s be honest), the lads sounded slick, confident, and totally up for it. From “U Make Me Wanna”, they had the crowd on their feet and fully warmed up. There was a lot of teenage dreams fulfilled there last night.
Olly kicked things off in dramatic fashion, appearing at the top of a slanted runway before strutting his way down with that signature grin, hips in full swing. He opened with Troublemaker and the arena exploded. Honestly, it’s a miracle the 3Arena roof is still attached.
Despite only just bouncing back from a rough stomach bug (which, according to Olly, ripped through the whole tour crew), he was on flying form. He told us he’d had to cancel a couple of shows over the weekend, but there was no way he was missing Dublin. “Dublin’s gotta be one of the best shows to do,” he said, genuinely buzzing to be there, and the feeling was very mutual.
The energy in the room was unreal. People of all ages came out to party, though the crowd was definitely skewed towards Olly’s biggest fans (lots of women losing their minds in the best way). inside and outside the arena there were chants of “Olly! Olly! Olly! Oi! Oi! Oi!” you love to hear it.
From bangers like Heart Skips a Beat to the swoony Dear Darlin’, Olly had everyone wrapped around his little finger. It was cheeky, it was fun, it was full of sparkly suits and pelvic thrusts, everything you’d want from an Olly Murs show.
Here’s hoping the rest of the tour gets back on its feet soon, but for now, Dublin more than did its part in lifting the vibe.
Blue photos:
Olly Murs photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Troublemaker
Right Place Right Time
Please Don’t Let Me Go
Thinking of Me
Oh My Goodness
Heart Skips a Beat
Kiss Me
Army of Two
Hand on Heart
Up
Seasons
You Don’t Know Love
Dear Darlin’
Im Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On A Prayer / Beat It/ Careless Whisper / Im Gonna Be-500 Miles/ I’m So Excited (80’s medley)
Years & Years
Never Been Better
Wrapped Up
Save Me
Encore
Dance With Me Tonight
Photos & Words – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography