Bar Singer Tapped For Arena Show After Support Act Fails To Show
Daniel Rooney revealed that when he was approached with the opportunity to open for Take That, he thought it was a “joke”.
Microphone on stage in Guadalajara, Mexico (Credit: Bruno Cervera on Unsplash)
Scottish singer Daniel Rooney experienced the biggest shock (and life-changing experience) of his career when he was pulled from his job singing in a bar to open for Take That on Friday (3 May).
Rooney was performing at the Radisson Red hotel opposite the OVO Hydro when he was told that Take That’s opening act, Olly Murs, couldn’t perform due to “several delays” and a cancelled flight to Glasgow.
In an interview with Sky News UK, Rooney revealed that when he was approached with the opportunity to open for Take That, he thought it was a “joke”.
“I was thinking, ‘Right, who's trying to play a wee joke on me here?’ Rooney recalled. “But thankfully, it wasn't a joke, and [Scottish presenter and actor] Ross King was saying, 'I've got an opportunity of a lifetime here, Danny boy, so are you up for it?’”
Rooney was indeed up for it, appearing on stage at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro with just half an hour’s notice.
He continued, “I was obviously buzzing just to get that news. It was just mental. I had a wee discussion with the boys from Take That, who were brilliant and really good with me.”
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The singer said that Rooney and the band agreed to make his set “really fun” and “make the songs nice big singalongs.”
“It was just really great,” Rooney said. “The crowd were brilliant, and they sang to every song, and the feedback was magic.”
Ross King remembered listening to Rooney while eating dinner and was “very impressed - never thinking that 30 minutes later I'd be saying 'come with me and support Take That'”
King added that Take That’s Gary Barlow is one of his “closest pals” and that when the singer called and said, “You’re going to have to go on; Olly is stuck in London,” he believed he was being punked.
While King agreed to open for his mates in Take That, he changed his mind and instead pitched Rooney.
“Daniel was the coolest guy in the Hydro and played a blinder,” King said. “I was thrilled to share the stage with him and help out my old mates, too.
“I know this has made news all around the world, so I hope Daniel continues to have the success he deserves.”
You can watch Daniel Rooney’s reaction to opening for Take That below.
Take That will tour Australia and New Zealand this October and November.
The band said about their impending return to Australia in a press release, “We are so looking forward to coming back to Australia and New Zealand later this year, our first live shows over there since 2017!”
You can read The Music’s recent interview with Take That here.
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