Cheryl Tweedy was almost “pulled off stage” by a fan during a Girls Aloud show in her hometown of Newcastle.
Footage captured from the show at the Utilita Arena shows Tweedy appearing to stumble as a fan tries to pull her down while she’s greeting the crowd.
She can be seen leaning down and struggling to maintain her balance before a security guard steadies her. The crowd can be heard gasping and someone off camera appears to apologise.
Poor gals life flashed before her eyes pic.twitter.com/q7GuwGwoG2
— Emily (@Emily741_) May 31, 2024
Elsewhere in the show, Tweedy gave an emotional speech in which she reflected on how far she had come since she left Newcastle to pursue music.
“I don’t think you could ever really know what it’s like to be stood here 22 years later in a room full of Geordies, the place where I dreamed a dream,” she said tearfully.
“When I left from the Central [train station] 22 years ago, I could never have imagined being with you all tonight. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done. I left with a suitcase and a dream and I’m back with my best friends 22 years later.”
She concluded: “Anybody out there with a dream, I hope we are an example that you can do it. Believe in yourself. Don’t let anybody tell you different. You’ve got this.”
The band have been paying tribute to the late Sarah Harding, who passed away in 2021 due to breast cancer, throughout the tour.
The group – comprised of Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh – opened with 2008’s ‘Untouchable’ which included a backdrop of past footage of Harding being projected on pink curtains.
“When we recorded this next song 19 years ago, we had no idea 19 years later it would become so poignant on our journey,” Roberts told the crowd, with Walsh adding: “Standing feeling all the emotions you’re feeling. I hope you know it means as much as it means to you.”
Elsewhere in the set, they performed their cover of The Pretenders‘ 1994 hit ‘I’ll Stand By You’. During the performance, audio of Harding’s vocals were featured, with the remaining members of the group singing backing vocals.
“When we were putting the show together, there was this piece of Sarah singing this song all by herself. Singing it amazingly and when we all heard it we were like ‘Wow’, she should have done this whole one by herself the whole time. So she going to tonight,” said Coyle, introducing ‘I’ll Stand By You’. “We’re going to do a duet with Sarah tonight. It’s going to be us, Sarah, you. Let’s do this together.”
During the final song of the night, ‘The Promise’, Harding appeared on a video screen singing her solo. The girls stopped halfway through to watch footage of Sarah performing the song on her own.
Girls Aloud previously said that fans would be “blown away” by the show, which they hope would “transport” them back to their ’00s heyday.
“We want people to be transported back to the time through our music. We want people to sing their hearts out and dance their socks off,” Tweedy told The Independent.
“It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, the right time to celebrate the band, and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this over 20 years later. That’s a big honour.”
“What do I want people to think when they see Girls Aloud? That we’re pop icons of our era who have always been fun and free.”
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