LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: THE WATERBOYS AT THE O2 ARENA, LONDON 12/09/26

Few bands could play their biggest, career-defining hits in the first act of an arena show and still hold the audience’s attention for another two hours. But Mike Scott has never played by the rules. On September 12th, The Waterboys brought their 2026 international Fisherman’s Blues Revue tour to a close at London’s O2 Arena with a nearly three-hour performance that wasn’t just a predictable trip down memory lane. Instead, the show channelled the raw, unruly energy of the band’s late 1980s Celtic folk-rock era.

Led by Scottish singer and guitarist Mike Scott, the band transformed the arena into a lively, foot-stomping Irish pub, filled with communal singalongs, lots of dancing and an atmosphere of genuine celebration. Scott was joined by an eight-piece ensemble including the return of fuzz-fiddle player Steve Wickham, as well as flute and tin whistle player Colin Blakey. American singer-songwriter Steve Earle also became an integral part of the lineup during the second half of the show.

The show was structured as a three-act performance, with the opening section focused on the band’s core rock sound. It featured hits such as ‘A Girl Called Johnny’, ‘The Whole of the Moon’ and ‘We Will Not Be Lovers’, while ‘How Long Will I Love You’ appeared just three songs into the set, giving the evening an immediate kick-start with several of the band’s best-known tracks. Scott remained an engaging presence between songs, sharing stories and drawing the audience into the band’s history.

Although the upper 400-level sections were closed off, the arena was well attended. Many people stood to dance, both on the floor and in the tiered seating. Before performing ‘The Pan Within’, Scott recalled meeting Wickham in 1985, joking that it happened “shortly after I was born”. Wickham also spoke about Scott’s move to Dublin in the 1980s, recalling how he taught him to play ‘The Raggle Taggle Gypsy’ and describing Scott’s bohemian lifestyle at the time. The lineup often changed throughout the evening, giving different members of the band moments to take the spotlight.

The second act shifted the concert toward a more traditional Celtic-soul and country-blues sound, with American singer-songwriter Steve Earle joining The Waterboys as a core member rather than appearing as a conventional opening act. Earle performed several of his own songs, including ‘Copperhead Road’ and ‘Guitar Town ’, while Scott briefly left the stage, telling the audience he was placing them “in the hands of Earle”. The two musicians then performed a few covers such as The Rolling Stones’ ‘Dead Flowers’ and Waylon Jennings’ ‘Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way’. Scott explained that although he and Earle had often performed the same songs separately, they had never played them together, which is why they were doing it now.

Earle also addressed the current political climate in the US; “It’s hard to see what’s going on”, he said before introducing his song ‘Volver a Celaya’ which he co-wrote with American rock band Los Lobos. His presence felt particularly fitting given his admiration for The Waterboys: Earle had famously stated before that he “only ever wanted to be in three bands: The Rolling Stones, NRBQ and The Waterboys”. Before performing ‘When Will We Be Married’, Earle recalled first playing the traditional folk song in the UK at the BBC studios in 1988, after The Waterboys had already adapted it for a modern audience. With its blend of country, blues, folk and Celtic influences, the second act gave the show a slightly different character while also highlighting the natural chemistry between Earle, Scott and the rest of the band.

After briefly leaving the stage, the band returned for an encore that opened with Steve Earle’s ‘The Galway Girl’ before moving into ‘Fisherman’s Blues’. The song prompted a huge singalong and felt like a natural finale, even though the band still followed it with a cover of ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken?’. When Earle proudly shouted “I’m a fucking Waterboy!” at the end of the set, it felt like a fitting end to a tour in which he had temporarily become a full-fledged member of the band. Throughout the night, it was obvious how much fun Earle, Scott and the rest of the band had onstage, dancing and playing together.

The show provided a reminder of why Fisherman's Blues remains a masterpiece: it’s music that refuses to be tamed, played by musicians who treat the stage like a joyful playground. The night felt less like a conventional show and more like a communal celebration of the band’s musical history. With Earle joining Wickham and Blakey in the lineup and Scott leading the ensemble with equal parts intensity and humour, the performance brought the spirit of the band’s Celtic-folk era back to life. Even if the final cover slightly softened the impact of ‘Fisherman’s Blues’, the evening had already delivered its defining moment: an arena full of people singing together, transforming the venue into the world’s largest Irish pub that night.

Words and photos by Nadine Goetz.