S Club Opens Reunion Tour With Paul Cattermole Tribute: ‘You’ll Never Be Forgotten’

The opening show of S Club‘s long-awaited 25th-anniversary reunion tour was as much a celebration of their time together as it was a celebration of Paul Cattermole, the longtime member of the British pop group who died earlier this year from an underlying heart condition at the age of 46.

Kicking off the tour in Manchester at AO Arena, the group — now a five-piece following the death of Cattermole in April and the departure of singer Hannah Spearrit — reunited for the first time in eight years. On stage, they took stock of how much has changed in just the last six months.

More from Rolling Stone

• S Club 7 Celebrate Paul Cattermole on First New Song in 20 Years 'These Are the Days'

• S Club 7's Paul Cattermole Died of Cardiac Arrhythmia and Other Heart Issues: Death Certificate

• S Club 7's Reunion Tour to Continue Despite Paul Cattermole's Death

“That’s our brother right there, man,” Bradley McIntosh said at the show, glancing up at the emotion-stirring montage of images highlighting Cattermole throughout his life. “Gone, but you’ll never be forgotten. We miss you every single day.”

He added: “You know what we’ve been through this last year. It’s been so tragic, it’s been so sad. But we’ve got you guys. And we’re here for you, and we could not have done it without you guys.”

McIntosh performed throughout the night alongside his group mates Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Jo O’Meara, and Rachel Stevens. The montage played during their performance of “Good Times” and featured footage of Cattermole singing the deep cut from 2001’s Sunshine.

For the tour, S Club partnered with the British Heart Foundation to raise awareness and funding for research on heart conditions. “Thank you so much. It’s very special for us this evening obviously, we dedicate this performance to Paul and to the British Heart Foundation so thank you so much for being here,” Lee shared with the audience.

In her tribute to Cattermole, O’Meara added: “Thank you so much [for] all the messages and love and support you’ve all shown all of us and to Paul’s family. We are so grateful for every single one of you.” Before playing their debut single “Bring It All Back,” Barrett thanked the crowd, saying: “Thank you so much Manchester. Tonight is a celebration so let’s bring it all back for Paul.”

For Stevens, it was all a display of how far they’ve come and all that they have built over the past 25 years. “Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for all the love and support, all the incredible messages you’ve sent through this time, and all your support always,” she said. “We love you so much.”

Best of Rolling Stone

• Carrie Underwood Was a Teenage Metalhead: Her Best Hard Rock Covers

• All 237 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked

• The Who's 50 Greatest Songs

Click here to read the full article.