The X Factor Tour 2019 -Review

The X Factor Tour 2019 at The Utilita Arena

If you read our posts and follow us on social media you would have saw that we met up and interviewed Shan Ako and Scarlett Lee, two X factor finalists from the 2018 show a few weeks ago, prior to the finalists going on tour. With the X Factor tour in its final leg, we were invited along to the Newcastle show at The Utilita Arena after being gifted two press tickets.

More than three million people have seen the X Factor Tour since it began 14 years ago, making it one of the UK’s most successful annual arena tours. The artists confirmed to go on the tour are: Dalton Harris, Scarlett Lee, Anthony Russell, Danny Tetley, Acacia & Aaliyah, Brendan Murray, Shan Ako and Bella Penfold. The winner, Dalton Harris has had three of his songs enter the iTunes Top 30 during the live shows so far, including I Have Nothing, Creep and California Dreamin’, while his Big Band Week performance of Beyoncé’s Listen entered the Top 20 on iTunes, peaking at No. 15, the highest peak of the series so far.

Last Saturday evening, my son and I were invited along to the Newcastle leg of the X Factor 2019 Tour. With this being my sons first concert, we wanted to make a big deal of things so we got dressed up, him in his new shirt and myself in my new dress, then headed into Newcastle City Centre. After picking up our tickets from The Box Office, we were guided to the VIP line. The doors opened at 6pm, by the time we picked up some X Factor merchandise and filled our bellies with donuts covered in Nutella, we headed to our seats.

Showing the staff our passes, we were shown straight to our seats, which were in the most perfect location right near the stage with no one blocking our view. When it comes to the X Factor tour the live shows bring songs, dancers, pyrotechnics, flames, confetti and a great light show to packed arenas all around the country. And last Saturday at The Utilita Arena was no exception.

As the countdown to the start of the show built up the excitement, the atmosphere was truly indescribable. With second place, runner up, Scarlett Lee opening with a heart-thumping rendition of This Is Me, the bar was set. Showcasing her fabulous vocals, Scarlett was undoubtedly the fan favourite and a jam-packed night of dazzling entertainment was laid out before us.

Up next were pocket rockets Acacia & Aaliyah who came to the stage full of sass and attitude. They definitely brought excitement and flair to the stage and at this point, my son was already on his feet doing some break dancing. Ranging from the ballads sung by Scarlet Lee to the high-energy pop of Acacia & Aaliyah to the more classical and musical theatre numbers delivered by Danny Tetley, there was something for everyone throughout the evening. One person who really surprised me was Brendan Murray, his voice is one of a kind and his version of The Script’s Dead Man Walking had my son and I singing and dancing along.

It was great to see winner, Dalton, so early on in the show and he performance with Shan has to be one of the best performances I have seen. Their duet contained a beautiful version of Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sande, produced by a kaleidoscope of colours and lights from around the arena. Needless to say I was covered in goose bumps. These two are super stars on their own but when they perform together, it is something else. They both really do have something special there.

The format is fast but very smooth, with the acts following each other in rapid succession to deliver a set list that contains a total of 35 songs. With each individual acts performing on their own and in a variety of combinations the show is two and a half hours long including a short break half way through.

The X Factor Tour is great fun for all ages and it certainly ignited my son’s love of going to see concerts, which is great news for me, especially when I have to attend for work purposes, as I’ll now have an apprentice.

Anyone who has been to any of the previous X-Factor tours will know that the production is second to none with the stage set-up, lighting effects, pyro and confetti cannons all combining to make for a visual experience that will stay with you long after the concert has ended. If you fancy an evening full of energy and good fun, this is the one for you. Until next time X Factor…