Finally, after almost five years, it was time to go to concert again. I did all the necessary arrangements
on the net; ordering concert ticket, making reservations on flights and hotels, and looking at maps and
travel recommendations. The trip started with a 3 hour drive to the airport, then fly from Trondheim to Oslo,
changing plane and fly from Oslo to Berlin (Schonefeld), stay the night in Berlin and then fly from Berlin (Tempelhof) to
Bonn on the day of the concert. I took a taxi into the city and arrived at the hotel about 4 hours before the concert
was going to start. I thought I had plenty of time, so I decided to walk the route from the hotel to the venue, and maybe
have something to eat before the concert. So I picked up a city map, got a few good advices from the guy at the hotel
reception, and went for the walk. When I arrived at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle
where the concert was going to be held, people was already queuing up outside the gates! Oops, better hurry back to the
hotel and get ready for the show! After a quick shower I took a taxi back to the venue and found my place in the long line of
people waiting to get in. Standing outside, we could easily hear the band performing sound checks, and needless to say the
excitement was raised a few steps. Well inside the gates, I walked towards the scene and found a great spot about midway between
the stage and the sound technicians. Up front it was already packed with fans, and it was also beginning to get dense
where I was standing, under the big umbrella-like tent. And that's an important change from the concert in Globen, this time
we were all standing. No need to ask us to get on our feet here :-). After a rather loong warm up act, the concert finally
got started. Wow, what a fantastic feeling it was to see them live again!! Although they had some sound problems
in the beginning, the enthusiasm and response amongst the crowd was absolutely fantastic. The number of people in the crowd
here was much less compared to Globen in November 2000, but the response and noise level was considerably higher. Especially so
during Radio, where the singing from the crowd was so loud I could barely hear the music! Fantastic! I have never been singing
so much before, so my voice gave up after only a few songs *LOL*. And my hands became numb about half way through the concert
after all the clapping. The connection between the band and the crowd was great. Andrea would sometimes suddenly point the
microphone out towards the audience, and the response was quick, on cue and very loud! It was quite obvious that the band
and the crowd were having a fantastic time together. They also performed a few new songs from the soon to be released record
Home. This came as a big surprise to me. So different, but yet it sounded familiar. I'd never heard any of them before,
but I liked them straight away. So pure and heart felt, straight from the roots. Caroline was there too. Not busy banging the
drums as she used to, but rather taking it easy and let Jason do all the hard work. At one point during the concert (I don't
remember which song), Andrea walked to the front of the stage and looked in my
direction as she was singing. It felt like she was looking straight at me for several seconds. Now, I'm sure all the
people who stood around where I was standing felt the same thing, and no one knows who she was looking at, but those few
seconds it lasted felt like magic! My heart stopped, my ears failed, all that mattered was the sight of those beautiful
eyes :-). After two encores, the concert ended. This time I decided to go out after the gig, find a pub and hang out
with fellow Corrs fans. But the weather put an end
to those plans. When I came out from under the tent, it was raining more and more. I was soaking wet after only a few
minutes out in the rain, so I decided to head back to the hotel and call it a day. Back at the hotel, I went to bed
thinking about the concert and listening to the rain and thunder outside. I couldn't stop thinking about the gig, I
stayed awake for several hours thinking about what a great experience this had been, and how glad I was for having made
the decision to go to this concert.
The next day I caught my flight back to Berlin (Tempelhof). I had several hours to explore the city until my flight
back to Oslo. So I put my sunglasses on, found my place on the map, and started to walk around this historical city.
The weather was great, and after a looooong walk, many interesting sites, and a short dinner, I took a taxi to the
airport (Sconefeld) and went home the same route I came.
The set list was:
Only When I Sleep, Dreams, Angel, What Can I Do, Forgiven Not Forgotten, Runaway, Old Hag,
My Lagan Love, No Frontiers, Heart Like A Wheel, Queen Of Hollywood, Black Is The Colour, Radio,
Summer Sunshine, So Young, I Never Loved You Anyway, Goodbye -- Breathless, Toss The Feathers.
TS, October 1 2007.
The Corrs
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