REVIEW: Boyzone entertain crowds at Family Festival held at The Ageas Bowl

Sporting fans could enjoy watching Hampshire versus Middlesex in the Royal London One-Day Cup, before 1990s boyband Boyzone took to the stage.

Along with a host of family-friendly activities including a climbing wall, laser quest and bouncy castle, the crowds were wowed in the innings interval when the Red Devils (British Army) parachuted into the ground.

It was unfortunate that the cricket was over so soon, with Hampshire gaining a comfortable victory against Middlesex winning by 10 wickets.

But the early finish meant Boyzone took to the stage sooner than expected, entertaining the crowds whilst the sun was still out.

Families sat on the cricket pitch waiting for the music to begin, but everyone was up on their feet as soon as the foursome appeared on stage.

It was the last gig of the summer for Boyzone, and they treated the audience to an up-beat set with a mixture of their old hits, covers and a few from their new album.

Celebrating 22 years in the music industry, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham had an army of dedicated fans screaming in the front row, but still managed to win over those who had perhaps attended more for the cricket.

Accompanied by a live band, the group showed off some slick choreographed dance moves to the up-beat numbers such as When The Going Gets Tough, proving that more than two decades after starting out, they still have just as much energy and enthusiasm.

The atmosphere became slightly sombre when the group paid tribute to their friend and former bandmate Stephen Gately, who died of a congenital heart defect on October 10, 2009.

The boys used Stephen's recorded vocals to accompany them whilst singing Every Day I love You, as images of him and the lads from their height of fame in the 1990s flashed up on a big screen.

It was sad but touching, as Ronan explained that they feel closest to Stephen when they are all on stage together.

Boyzone took the crowd back to the Motown era with tunes from their sixth studio album From Dublin to Detroit, which proved popular with the older members of the audience, who sang along to hits such as You Can't Hurry Love.

In true boyband style, the group said their goodbyes before promptly returning for an encore, taking the crowd right back to their heyday with a performance of A Different Beat.

The crowds followed the dance moves and clapped their hands in the air, appreciating the extended set.

Boyzone then went back to where it all started, singing their well-known hit Love Me For A Reason, which was their breakthrough single in the UK in 1994.

They finished with Ronan's Life is a Rollercoaster, as everyone sang along, including those stood on the balcony at the new Hilton at The Ageas Bowl - a new hotel overlooking the cricket ground.

There were huge cheers of appreciation as the four lads said their final, and real, goodbye.