THE absence of Bryan McFadden from the Westlife line-up did little to put off 8,000 people last night at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, who cheered on the boys as they kicked off their world tour.

It was their first concert without Bryan, who left earlier this month to spend more time with his wife Kerry and their two children. The four remaining members, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne, put on a spectacular show for their hordes of devoted fans.

The band played many of their hit singles, including, Uptown Girl, Mandy, A World of our Own and a slow rendition of Flying Without Wings.

Although the overwhelming majority of the fans last night thought that the show had been a success, there were mixed views about whether Bryan McFadden's absence made a difference to the show.

Janet Bingham (36) from Banbridge said she had "a great time" at the concert even without Bryan.

Leontia Reilly (16) and Laura McDonald (16), both from Lurgan, agreed that "Nicky sang Bryan's part in most of the songs so there wasn't much of a difference".

However, Hanna Thompson (14) and Claire Sibbald (14), from Bangor, who have been to several Westlife concerts, didn't think this one was as good as the others.

Claire said: "I'm angry with the fact that we all bought the tickets before Bryan decided to leave, and I think that he should have done the tour. I just feel that we have been tricked."

Although there had been speculation that Bryan would be watching the boys in concert he didn't make any public appearances last night.

The remaining members of the boy band also appeared to squash rumours that they would be breaking up following McFadden's exit, promising the audience that "we will see you next year".