Thousands of Westlife fans flocked to the Beijing Mastercard Center Wednesday night to give their goodbyes to the group, chanting their names and cheering after every song.

The evening marked the beginning of the well-known Irish boy band's farewell tour.

"Five months ago, we came to China to hold concerts and had a very pleasant time. So we want to celebrate our last tour tonight in Beijing," said Kian, a member of the band.

Tickets for the event sold out about a month ago, with prices skyrocketing as high as 1,288 yuan (205 U.S. dollars), according to box office staff.

The band took to the stage to perform 14 of their greatest hits, receiving shouts and screams from the audience. The band returned the favor, proclaiming "we love Beijing!" and "we love China!" during the performance.

"I felt I would regret it for the rest of my life if I failed to come here. I've followed their EPs and albums for 14 years," said a Chinese fan who referred to himself as "Bill." Bill flew all the way from northeast China's city of Shenyang to attend the show.

An 18-year-old woman calling herself "Shirley" said she was reluctant to leave the concert. "I got to know them through my English class. It was a pity that they finished their show after just an hour and a half," she said.

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