When singer Olly Murs declared he was going to have to cancel his support slot at Take That’s gig at the Glasgow Hydro on Friday night, it looked as though the legendary 1990s boy band were going to struggle to find a replacement. Murs’ flight from London to Glasgow had been delayed throughout the day and then cancelled at the last minute, meaning that if a stand-in support act was found, they were going to have less than an hour to make it to the venue in time for their slot.
Fortunately for Take That – the current line-up of which features Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen – help was quite literally just around the corner. A friend of Barlow’s, the Scottish presenter Ross King, happened to be watching a musician play at the Radisson Red hotel opposite the Glasgow Hydro. The musician was South Lanarkshire singer and guitarist Daniel Rooney, who agreed to fill in for Olly Murs despite having just thirty minutes to get to the venue and decide on a setlist.
Barlow took to social media after Rooney’s performance, saying that “this young man saved the day” in an Instagram post. Mark Owen also issued “huge thanks” to the young singer for helping the trio out with their show. Unsurprisingly, Rooney also posted on his social media about his experience, thanking everyone for the supportive messages, and describing the time from leaving the Radisson hotel to going onstage at the Hydro to perform as the “craziest thirty minutes ever”.
Of course, once Rooney had finished his set, the Glasgow crowd had Take That to look forward to – and they didn’t disappoint. The trio performed a range of new material as well as some classic hits, including the legendary UK number one ‘Shine’, released in 2006 as the second single from the band’s comeback album ‘Beautiful World’. One audience member took the opportunity to film the band’s performance of this track that night in Glasgow, and it looks like they were having a whale of a time.
However, the real star of the show that night was arguably Daniel Rooney, who valiantly stepped up to the plate at incredibly short notice to perform in front of over 14,000 fans. It was great to see that not only the audience, but also Take That themselves, were lending Rooney such support and encouragement, and no doubt we’ll be hearing more from this talented young man very soon.
If you loved Daniel Rooney’s impromptu performance at the Glasgow Hydro, be sure to check out his Facebook and Instagram profiles. Follow and support this versatile singer and guitarist on his musical journey.