3am: Filan fine after back pain cure.

Byline: WITH JESSICA CALLAN, EVA SIMPSON AND CAROLINE HEDLEY

A WESTLIFE gig hit a snag when band member Shane Filan was struck down by a terrible back pain. The Irish star was in high spirits before the performance, but just hours before the show his back just locked up.

The band - whose album Allow Us To Be Frank came out yesterday - were all set to sing to a sell-out crowd as part of Radio City FM's birthday bash at Liverpool's Empire last week.

A source told us: "It was looking touch and go. The guys are such professionals they were desperate to get out there and perform, but poor Shane was really suffering." In a bid to get the 25-year-old singer back to full health, organisers rushed in an emergency masseuse.

"She arrived with just half an hour to spare, but she worked wonders," says the source. "Shane's back pain disappeared and he was able to join the lads on stage for the gig."

Along with bandmates Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne, Shane performed a set from their new Rat Pack covers album.

An insider at the event said: "The lads were great. It was hard to believe that only a short time earlier the concert was almost off."

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BACK TO WORK:Shane