Olly Murs replaced with unknown singer spotted in hotel bar 45 mins before cancelled show
Olly Murs was replaced by an up-and-coming Scottish singer discovered in a hotel bar after he had to cancel his performance at the last minute - and Gary Barlow thanked him for 'saving the day'. Fans were full of praise for the young talent who stepped in for Olly when he couldn't make it to open for Take That at their Glasgow gig in OVO Hydro.
Olly was all set to warm up the crowd for the legendary 90s group over a three-night stint but was left stranded due to a series of flight delays. He took to social media, now known as X, to express his regret, posting: "So sorry to everyone at the @takethat show tonight in Glasgow, unfortunately I won't be there, I have been at London Heathrow from 11am this morning for my flight but after several delays (check my Instagram) and then a cabin crew incident our @British_Airways flight got cancelled! ".
As the evening unfolded, Daniel Rooney was announced as Olly's replacement, seizing the opportunity to wow a 14,000-strong audience. Spotted by Scottish TV host Ross King while performing in a hotel bar near the venue, Daniel was reportedly given a mere 30 minutes to prepare for the big stage.
Before his unexpected debut, Daniel had a quick meet-up with his idols, spending 20 minutes discussing which songs to belt out to the eager crowd.
At the event, the thrilled musician shared: "It's hard to take it in, it's really surreal. I'm just having a chance now to look at my phone and talk to my Mrs and parents and stuff. It was fast - 20 minutes before going on I met Gary and the guys and we talked about what songs to do.", reports the Mirror.
He continued: "It was great, I got some good singalongs with the crowd etc and it felt like they were really behind me. I know some people were not happy about Olly but as soon as I went up and had a chat they were brilliant."
"Ross [King] went up first and announced what was going on, he explained I was playing in Radisson RED when Gary asked him to help so he came up to me and asked me to play the Hydro instead. I still had 45 minutes to go to the hotel but what can you do with something like this but they're really happy for me."
Music enthusiasts, however, have been singing Daniel's praises for filling in for Olly - and delivering an outstanding performance. One fan expressed: "The wee guy who stepped in was cracking, gutted you weren't there but what an opportunity for that guy - hope he has a big future ahead."
Someone else mentioned: "Gutted for you Olly been watching your stories all afternoon hoping you would make it. Thank goodness we have Sunday tickets too." And another added their voice: "Daniel Rooney from Cambuslang smashed it in your absence! Loved his performance."
