Preface – A quick hi from Chris!
Hi everyone, it’s Chris again, it’s been a long time since I’ve signed into this blog but I hope there are still some interested in this little corner of the internet. With all the short scripted social media posts we have nowadays, I still think an old-school blog is as refreshing as ever. This time however, it’s not my dulcet keyboard tones you’ll be reading, instead I’m presenting to you all a wonderful blog by a wonderful fan who has finally experienced one of my most favourite things to do, seeing The Corrs live. If you’re here, then you probably don’t need this little intro from me, but for the sake of history, The Corrs announced a single gig in 2022, in Australia. For those of us in Europe, that’s a whole world away, but it’s a amazing opportunity for those a little further south to see the band live again for the first in a very, very long time! Mentari from over on The Corrs Club was able to make the journey from Indonesia to Australia, not only for the gig itself, but also the Q&A meet and greet before it, and… well, I’ll leave the spoilers out! So, enough from me, over to Mentari. It’s worth stating up front, everything from here in is written by, and belongs to Mentari, copyright of photos etc. included, with the exception of the photo by Dean Tindale of One World Entertainment, HardCorrFans is simply lucky enough to be hosting this beautiful recap!
Introduction
The title says it all. That particular line from “What Can I Do?”, one of the many Corrs songs I grew up listening to, was on my mind right from the very start.
Truth be told, I don’t remember exactly how long I had been waiting. Far too long, it felt like, and the aching had always been there. I’m not proud to say that there have been moments of jealousy, and I still remember clearly that when the band’s one-off Royal Albert Hall concert in 2017, preceding the release of Jupiter Calling, was announced, my immediate reaction was, “Great, just another gig I’m going to miss.”
As happy as I was with all those clips from the concerts and the band’s new songs, at the same time I felt sad looking at photos and footage featuring fans having fun as the band performed on stage, with some having travelled from overseas. I longed for the experience myself, that much was clear. I badly ached for it. Yet it seemed that the likelihood became less and less every single day. Travelling to Europe, while not completely impossible, would be rather difficult in so many ways, and I was—and still am—in no position to fly over there on a whim. Safe to say, my only hope was that somehow the band would make their way to the Southern Hemisphere, and I did not see that happening soon. At all.
And for a while, I was convinced that I was right. That I needed to prepare myself to make peace with the fact that I would never see my favourite band, whose music was instrumental in helping me survive a particularly dark period of my life, on stage. That I would simply have to live without knowing what it’s like to see for myself the magic they bring together, that it would all forever remain a dream…
Waking in the wonder of a sunrise…quite literally
…until 29 August 2022 came. I woke up that morning to an influx of notifications on my phone, and several in particular caught my attention. There were multiple messages and one missed call from Julia, one of the dearest friends I have had the pleasure to bond with thanks to our shared love for The Corrs, and our exchange went like this:
Naturally, it took me minutes to fully understand what’s going on. I opened Instagram, and my eyes grew wide.
The Corrs are coming to Australia in November this year.
I checked all of the information, and instantly I had my doubts. There would be a meet and greet the night before the concert for the sum of $500, and the concert itself would be held in the Hunter Valley region, over 200 km from Sydney.
Having previously lived in Australia (albeit in Western Australia, where I had the pleasure of meeting Sharon in 2015 when she was touring the country with America), I knew that much distance from a state capital would mean this would not be easy. It would be quite a bit on the expensive side. I spent the next couple of days thinking hard, whether I would be able to make the trip. Plenty of fellow Corrs fans that I’m regularly in touch with told me to go for it, knowing all too well how long I had been waiting for this. All I could say was along the lines of, “I’ll do my best.”
I don’t remember how exactly I made my decision to go, but soon I found myself making arrangements. I discussed everything in great lengths with my good friend and fellow fan Aaron, who lives in Queensland and was also dying to see the band, and it was quickly agreed that we’d travel together from Sydney. I had him booking A section tickets (because, needless to say, we absolutely had to go all out after all this waiting business) while I booked my meet and greet ticket (not without a sigh every time I remembered the price…), flights, and accommodations in both Sydney and the Hunter Valley. Of course, there was also a visa situation to take care of. Much to my surprise, it all went far quicker and easier than expected. Immediately I thought, as cheesy as it sounds, does it mean the stars are finally aligned?
Note: the M&G was originally planned at Carriageworks in Eveleigh, but the venue was eventually changed to Ovolo Woolloomooloo near the Sydney Harbour.
A little surprise, a little evening music
I tried not to get overly excited, as part of me was always worried about something going wrong, so it did not fully hit me that I really was going to see The Corrs until a couple of days before my departure to Sydney. Having spent my first day in the city recovering from the seven-hour flight from Jakarta, I decided the next day that I should go out a bit, do some sightseeing.
I expected nothing out of the ordinary, and my stroll along Darling Harbour and the Sydney Opera House went about as good as it could be. While having lunch around Darling Harbour, having just returned from the Opera House, I received a DM on Instagram from Xander, another fellow Corrs fan I first knew on social media and have talked quite often over the years, who is from the Philippines and lives in Sydney. It read: “[Jim] said they will perform at 7pm near Sydney Opera House.”
Oh.
My first reaction was utter silence, though I could feel my eyes growing wide—no joke—and I’m pretty sure my mouth hung open. I had been planning to go back to my hotel after finishing my meal, and thanks to my conversation with Xander that plan changed immediately. Soon after I finished I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself as I hopped on a ferry back to Circular Quay, where I was to meet Xander and from there we would head to the Opera House together. Of course, when the meeting happened I could hardly contain my excitement at finally meeting a fellow Southeast Asian Corrs fan whom I had known for quite some time thanks to social media!
We headed to the Opera House together while waiting for a few other Filipino fans who had travelled to Australia for the concert, and all the while we kept looking around because we had no idea where exactly ‘near the Opera House’ the impromptu performance would be. Xander tried contacting the Opera House’s information desk, only to find that it had already closed at this hour. Undeterred, we kept walking and trying to spot any familiar face, until I caught the sight of John Giddings, of Solo Music Agency who represents the band, with various equipment being set up in an adjacent spot.
Yep, I thought to myself while getting into position with my Filipino friends. This is some eureka moment alright.
The wait must have lasted under an hour, but to me it felt a lot longer. We knew we would have no problem getting in the front row for this impromptu performance, and we didn’t bother hiding how nervous we all were. I have said (or ranted, more accurately) so much about Indonesia and the Philippines being two of the band’s biggest markets outside Europe and how fans in both countries miss them dearly, and we had been waiting for so many years for this to happen—it has been almost 22 years since they performed in Jakarta and Manila as part of the In Blue Tour. We are going to see The Corrs, damn it, and we are ahead of schedule!
I remember being tired at that time, having walked so much under the sun during the day, but once Caroline, Jim, Sharon, Keith, and Anto arrived at the scene there was this sudden burst of energy which enabled me to run toward where the cars that brought them were parked. I had my phone and camera ready, only to receive a ‘no’ gesture from someone in their entourage, but I just shrugged and walked back to my spot. I called for Caroline, who turned her head towards my direction and smiled. I could feel warmth on my face, and it was almost as if all traces of exhaustion immediately faded away. That should be enough for now, I think. There will be a next time.
I was all smiles from start to finish. My favourite band, right in front of me, and I got to finally see them in all their glory from the very front row. Andrea was missing, as she was still on her way to Sydney, so the rest of the band played a number of instrumental pieces. The highlight for me was “Haste to the Wedding”, a fun traditional tune that I’m sure they had not performed live in almost 20 years. I tried to keep my hand steady as I was recording the whole thing, but of course I couldn’t help but move my body back and forth to the music. Sure, they looked tired (Sharon still had her boarding pass in her jacket :p), but they did their best and it was evident that they were having so much fun the whole time. It was finally happening—a day sooner than expected, sure, but I’m never one to say no to pleasant surprises.
Once they finished, they started making their way towards their cars and of course my first thought was it’s time. I ran along their group with my phone ready, fully knowing that they were in a hurry, and managed to catch quick selfies with Sharon and Caroline. My adrenaline still running high, I froze for a moment before getting myself back together and looking around—and finding Keith and Anto among the crowd. They really were among the friendliest guys I had ever met, and they genuinely looked excited to be there. I told them that I had travelled all the way from Indonesia for the concert, which seemed to impress Keith.
Wow. Just wow.
My head was spinning at this point. It felt like it all happened so quickly even though it didn’t…yet I was still overcome with disbelief. I just saw The Corrs perform some of my favourite traditional tunes. Within only a couple of metres from me. And I took photos of myself with them. I found myself tearing up in my hotel room later that night as it all started to fully sink in. It looked like all those years of waiting were shaping up to be well worth it, after all, and this was just the beginning.
Meeting and greeting
The next day, I woke up with a smile (again—no kidding, I really did), knowing that I would soon find out if this evening was worth the $500 I paid a couple of months ago. I checked out of my hotel in Sydney and headed out to where I finally met Aaron, my soon-to-be concert buddy, and his wife Angela who had been staying in Singleton near the Hunter Valley.
Again, I was thrilled. I first talked to Aaron in 2015 on Instagram and Facebook, and we have been in close contact ever since and I consider him to be one of my closest friends. We parked the car Aaron and Angela had rented near Ovolo Woolloomooloo, the venue for the meet and greet, a couple of hours before the event was scheduled to start and we took a walk around the nearby Royal Botanical Garden and near the Opera House, where I showed them where the impromptu gig had taken place the day before.
Soon, we found ourselves preparing for the event, and I started to get nervous as hell, knowing that very soon I would get to see all of the band up close. I put on a brave face as we arrived at the venue, though I couldn’t help but keep fiddling with my suit jacket (pitch black, just like the rest of my attire bar the shoes, which seemed most appropriate for a Corrs event…). We took our seats in the front row(!), and I mentally kept counting down the minutes until the band was scheduled to arrive. There were free food and drinks, as included in the ticket, but I could hardly stomach anything—though I did chug a glass of sparkling to calm my nerves. While mingling, I met Darren from New Zealand—another fan that I’ve been friends with on Facebook for quite some time—and fellow CorrsClub member Wendy, whose cover of “Harmony” (a group project with some other CorrsClub members) I greatly adore!
Once I got back to my seat, I started counting down the minutes again, and I became even more nervous the closer it got. Not that I was totally unfamiliar with this feeling—I had been a mess too before seeing Sharon back in 2015, but that didn’t stop me from shaking anyway. No joke, my hands were trembling so bad. Then it was time, and I took a deep breath. When the band walked into the room, I froze for a second before realising that Andrea was right there just a couple of metres from me. I make it no secret that she’s my favourite Corr (though I have my fair share of love for Sharon and Caroline too!), and finally seeing her in person was…magnificent. She’s beautiful, that much is well known, and in person she truly left me stunned. Given that taking photos during the Q&A session was not allowed, I placed my hands firmly on my lap and then just stared at the band. My favourite band. Right in front of me. God!
I’m not gonna lie, I don’t remember clearly how the Q&A went. As ridiculous as this sounds, I was too busy staring in amazement. I told myself over and over again, this is really happening. The Corrs are right there. My wait is finally over.
It’s like a dream, although I’m not asleep.
The Q&A finished on time, which meant it was time for photo opportunities. Though no selfie/phone camera was allowed, each attendee got to take a photo (taken by the event’s official photographer) with the whole band. I wasted no time getting in the queue, and while waiting I met Yesisca, a fellow Indonesian who also had travelled for the concert and had previously met Andrea in Dundalk! Surprised and delighted at meeting another Indonesian fan—one that I had never met before, we talked while waiting in the queue and again I found myself discussing about how big the band were/are in Asia, especially Indonesia and the Philippines, and that the band really should include both countries when they go on a tour again *crosses fingers*.
When my turn finally came, I tried my absolute best not to make a fool out of myself in front of the band, the memory of having spilled Sharon’s drink in 2015 still fresh in my mind. I gave Sharon a nod, telling her, “We meet again. I travelled from Indonesia.” My heart jumped around even more when I approached Andrea, and I tried so hard to not show that my hands were shaking. I knew I did not have much time to talk to them, but I needed to say something. Nothing about the band’s influence in my life over the years could be eloquently expressed in such a short time and in so little words, and I quickly turned towards Andrea so we were now face-to-face, and the words just came out of my mouth very suddenly, without me even fully realising until much later: “Thank you. I love you.”
For now it should suffice, I keep telling myself. Here’s hoping that they know, somehow.
Bring on the night!
Again and again, my nerves were all over the place on the day. We drove around the region in the afternoon, and our excitement only grew when we drove by Hope Estate and saw the big stage being set up. This is really happening, I said to myself for the umpteenth time. That is where the magic is going to take place.
From our Singleton motel we took a shuttle bus, one of the many provided by the event organiser due to limited parking spaces, and through the trip—which somehow took (or felt, I wasn’t really sure) longer than our drive to Hope Estate earlier in the day—I again started counting down, all the while texting my Indonesian friends/fellow fans to help calm my nerves. Every few minutes or so I took a deep breath, telling myself to at least try to relax and prepare for this big occasion. I had so many things going through my mind, but one thing was certain: my time is here.
A lot of things were a blur before the band came up, and to the surprise of no one I was, again, a bundle of nerves. When the party finally kicked off, however, the joy overcoming me was indescribable and I let it all out by screaming on top of my lungs. I was surprised that they started with “Give Me a Reason”, though I have no complaints at all especially with Sharon on the keyboards! Only minutes later I got teary eyed as they performed “What Can I Do?”, especially with the very line that pretty much describes the whole experience for me: No more waiting, no more aching…
Truth be told, I have forgotten some of the details, but one thing for sure is that there were moments where I couldn’t stop jump around screaming and then there were ones where I was busy bawling my eyes out. The overall highlight for me was “No Frontiers”, which I believe they had not performed live since the Borrowed Heaven Tour in 2004, and I was all confused seeing Andrea leave the stage and Caroline take the centre mic, totally not expecting that they would bring that beautiful number back. I missed seeing Caroline upfront, and I really hope we can hear more of her on lead vocals, and I have to say the surprise made me feel special as it was the first time they performed it for so long.
The rest…well, you can imagine. Overall, it was a very nice mixture of older and newer stuff, and they managed to include songs from all of their albums except Jupiter Calling (I would’ve loved to have seen “Dear Life”!). At one point Andrea took the keyboards and, again, I had no idea what was going on—until she started playing the first few notes of “Summer Sunshine”. I don’t know the word to describe how I feel about the song, but every time I listen to it I always feel that it’s mine, and I simply love everything about it. Appropriately enough, I screamed again once I realised what was going on, though I soon stopped and just…stared at the stage. With tears in my eyes. Even before the song ended, I found myself wiping my face with the sleeve of my jacket, and that was when it all kicked in: I’m at a Corrs concert. Finally.
All I can say (somewhat) eloquently about the rest of the night is that I couldn’t have asked for a better first Corrs concert. Everything, from start to finish, was just what I had hoped for, and to this day I’m still amazed that it happened, that I was there. I was shaking so much when I returned from the venue, and I spent a good few minutes sobbing as everything began to sink in. All those years of waiting almost made me give up hope and believe that my time would never come. Time eventually proved me wrong, and I’m forever grateful for that.
As I’m writing this, I’m less than a year away from my second Corrs gig, and yes, I’m already beyond pumped. I have bought a ticket for their concert at RAC Arena in Perth, the first leg of their upcoming Australia-New Zealand tour in 2023. Perth is a city so dear to me, and during my time there I used to daydream about seeing the band at RAC Arena though I always dismissed the possibility. Well, yet again time is about to prove me wrong, and I’m looking forward to experiencing the magic for a second time. Soon.
And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again.
A Huge Thanks from Chris
Well, wow! I’m sure you’ll all agree that was an amazing treat to read, and captured superbly the emotional rollercoaster that some of us oldies can only dream of remembering, I’m so glad The Corrs decided to do this single gig in 2022 for us all to experience the injection of excitement via the videos, chats, and photos doing the rounds, and I’m massively thankful to Mentari for taking the time out to write this blog for us. Equally, I’m really happy to see a 2023 Australian tour towards the end of next year, and, as someone who will be soaking up the atmosphere from afar again, a little bit jealous too. Still, I think it’s great that they are touring in the southern hemisphere, and even if I can’t make it, I’m delighted that this gives some other long term fans their first chance, or perhaps just another change to experience The Corrs live! Who knows, maybe I can twist some virtual arms and get another guest blog for us all to enjoy, like this one. Mentari – you don’t know what you’ve started 😉
Hard Corr Fans - Gig Blog 
Wow, this blog is a blast from the past Chris, and yes I remember Julia too, a great write up by her.
Oh wow, thank you Mentari and Chris for this new blog post. Having been at both events too, it was so wonderful to read Mentari’s thoughts and perspectives. What an incredible weekend it was, yet something I find so hard to put into words. Not much compares to the excitement of seeing your favourite band perform live. Can’t wait to do it all again next year!
Mentari, this was great — you really captured the excitement and emotions of your trip. I’m so glad you got to see them play live.
BTW, was “Aaron” Aaron Godwin? I have corresponded with an Australian Corrs fan in youtube comments sections, so I was wondering if that was the same person.
Yeah it was me. As beautifully expressed as this all is, the words don’t remotely do justice to how she was during the M&G and concert. It was a genuine pleasure to be with her during this time, watching her (as well as myself) experience something dear to us that we never thought would happen. She was almost climbing up me on a handful of occasions during the concert. It’s a few days I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.
Hopefully we get the chance to do it all again one day. Won’t be this year, but who knows what the future holds 🙂