October 23rd 2023.
Blue have announced they are going back on the road with a greatest hits celebration, and Lee Ryan is set to join them. This follows the All Rise singer's sentencing for racially aggravated assault against a Black British Airways flight attendant.
The judge handed Lee a 12-month suspended prison sentence last month after the 40-year-old was arrested in July 2022. He had drunkenly told a Black cabin crew member, ‘I want your chocolate children’ before trying to give her a kiss and grabbing her by the wrists.
To share the news of their tour with fans, Duncan James, 45, appeared on Good Morning Britain, while the remaining members – including Antony Costa, 42, and Simon Webbe, 44 – joined in on a social media video.
They said: "We really hope you come along and celebrate two decades of music with us. We can’t wait to see you there!"
Simon teased: "We’ll be doing all of our hits and, also, there’ll be some storytelling. Yes, we’ve got some stories…”
Duncan then assured there will be ‘lots of stories’ as there’s been ‘a lot happening in the past two decades.’ He confirmed that the tour will kick off in April 2024 in Liverpool.
Antony Costa, Simon Webb, and Duncan James join Lee for the greatest hits celebration, and Duncan reflected: “We got together in 2000 and All Rise was released in 2001 – Lee was only 17, I was 22!”
Blue have sold 15 million records worldwide and last reunited in 2022 for their sixth album, Heart and Soul, which was followed by arena shows.
However, they have made plenty of headlines for other reasons over the past 12 months. Lee – whose wife is pregnant with his fifth child – claimed in July that he was ‘physically assaulted’ by a male passenger while on a flight.
The band’s statement on social media explained that both parties were spoken to by the police in Turkey and Lee voluntarily gave a victim statement, with the support of his band.
The altercation occurred after Lee had put his feet on the seat, which was considered culturally insensitive and for which he apologised.
Will you be going to see Blue on tour? Let us know in the comments!
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