COUNTDOWN TO WEEKEND CORRS CONCERT
COUNTDOWN TO WEEKEND CORRS CONCERT
By: JOHN McCUSKER
Thousands queue overnight for tickets
CORRS fan, Lee Canning was catching up on sleep this week after queueing for a marathon 13 hours to ensure he got tickets for the band's free gig in Omagh this weekend.
Student Lee (15), from Victoria Bridge was first in line for a share of the 30,000 tickets issued for the Millennium launch event in the town's Showgrounds on Friday night.
Around half the complimentaries were reserved for the people of the Omagh area. And right across the North, record shops were innundated with requests from fans hoping for a glimpse of the Dundalk based four-some.
All tickets were snapped up within hours of going on distribution at the Leisure Centre on Saturday morning.
Hundreds had camped out overnight to make sure of their place when the chart-toppers kick-off nationwide celebrations this weekend.
By the time booths finally opened at 9am, overnight revellers from pubs and clubs as well as young and old who had risen with the dawn - had swelled the crowd to several thousand.
Heading the queue was Plumbridge High School student, Lee, who had arrived at 8pm the previous evening armed with flask, sandwiches and sleeping bag.
By the time Council staff began distributing the tickets, bleary eyed Lee was eagerly looking forward to breakfast and a 'few hours kip.'.
"It was well worth the wait. I never thought you would see the Corrs playing, here especially at a free concert, so it was staying up all night for
"My mother, Julie is a big fan of Jim Corr, so I'll be keeping one of the tickets and giving her the other" he said.
On realising fans were getting only two tickets, instead of the expected four, mum Julie had also joined the queue.
"My daughters Kelsie (13) and Courtney (11) also wanted to come along to the show, so now there will be tickets for us all" she added.
While they waited, the hoards of fans who snaked around the Leisure Centre's track provided their own amusement.
Many had brought along barbecues and the smell of sizzling sausages soon began to make mouths water. Others had organised parents to provide a shuttle service of burgers and kebabs in order to satisfy the early morning appetite.
Meanwhile, a few budding Daley Thompsons took part in a 400m challenge event cheered on by the hoard of spectators.
Collette Daly, from Donaghmore queued for over three hours with her daughters, Sinead (9) and Marie (8).
"We had an early start but it was worth it just to see the look on the girls' faces when they got their tickets. Sinead is a big fan of Andrea Corr, so it has really made her day" she added.
Cousins Andrina Kelly (16) from Mountfield and Catriona Loughran (16) from Cookstown stayed up all night and joined others in a chorus of Corrs hits.
Catriona said "I man aged to get a ticket for my aunt who just loves the group. It's wonderful just to be part of the Millenniun festival and I think next Friday night is going to b really special for the people of Omagh."
Sixteen-year-old Leah Gormley from Lammy Crescent in Omagh joined the queue after finishing work at Giovanni's Pizzas.
As part of girl-band 'Excel', Leah chose the Corrs 'Don't Say You Love Me' as part of their routine for a recent audition in Belfast. "I really like Andrea, as she comes across as being a very natural performer" she added.
Frank Sweeney, Head of Arts and Tourism, who was on hand to oversee the distribution process, said he hoped as many people as would get tickets to the performance.
Council Chief Executive, John McKinney, meanwhile, praised the organisational skills of his staff who had worked non-stop throughout the week to make sure things ran smoothly.
"A lot of effort has gone into setting this whole thing up, but I believe the event itself is a good omen for the way ahead" he added.
By: JOHN McCUSKER
Thousands queue overnight for tickets
CORRS fan, Lee Canning was catching up on sleep this week after queueing for a marathon 13 hours to ensure he got tickets for the band's free gig in Omagh this weekend.
Student Lee (15), from Victoria Bridge was first in line for a share of the 30,000 tickets issued for the Millennium launch event in the town's Showgrounds on Friday night.
Around half the complimentaries were reserved for the people of the Omagh area. And right across the North, record shops were innundated with requests from fans hoping for a glimpse of the Dundalk based four-some.
All tickets were snapped up within hours of going on distribution at the Leisure Centre on Saturday morning.
Hundreds had camped out overnight to make sure of their place when the chart-toppers kick-off nationwide celebrations this weekend.
By the time booths finally opened at 9am, overnight revellers from pubs and clubs as well as young and old who had risen with the dawn - had swelled the crowd to several thousand.
Heading the queue was Plumbridge High School student, Lee, who had arrived at 8pm the previous evening armed with flask, sandwiches and sleeping bag.
By the time Council staff began distributing the tickets, bleary eyed Lee was eagerly looking forward to breakfast and a 'few hours kip.'.
"It was well worth the wait. I never thought you would see the Corrs playing, here especially at a free concert, so it was staying up all night for
"My mother, Julie is a big fan of Jim Corr, so I'll be keeping one of the tickets and giving her the other" he said.
On realising fans were getting only two tickets, instead of the expected four, mum Julie had also joined the queue.
"My daughters Kelsie (13) and Courtney (11) also wanted to come along to the show, so now there will be tickets for us all" she added.
While they waited, the hoards of fans who snaked around the Leisure Centre's track provided their own amusement.
Many had brought along barbecues and the smell of sizzling sausages soon began to make mouths water. Others had organised parents to provide a shuttle service of burgers and kebabs in order to satisfy the early morning appetite.
Meanwhile, a few budding Daley Thompsons took part in a 400m challenge event cheered on by the hoard of spectators.
Collette Daly, from Donaghmore queued for over three hours with her daughters, Sinead (9) and Marie (8).
"We had an early start but it was worth it just to see the look on the girls' faces when they got their tickets. Sinead is a big fan of Andrea Corr, so it has really made her day" she added.
Cousins Andrina Kelly (16) from Mountfield and Catriona Loughran (16) from Cookstown stayed up all night and joined others in a chorus of Corrs hits.
Catriona said "I man aged to get a ticket for my aunt who just loves the group. It's wonderful just to be part of the Millenniun festival and I think next Friday night is going to b really special for the people of Omagh."
Sixteen-year-old Leah Gormley from Lammy Crescent in Omagh joined the queue after finishing work at Giovanni's Pizzas.
As part of girl-band 'Excel', Leah chose the Corrs 'Don't Say You Love Me' as part of their routine for a recent audition in Belfast. "I really like Andrea, as she comes across as being a very natural performer" she added.
Frank Sweeney, Head of Arts and Tourism, who was on hand to oversee the distribution process, said he hoped as many people as would get tickets to the performance.
Council Chief Executive, John McKinney, meanwhile, praised the organisational skills of his staff who had worked non-stop throughout the week to make sure things ran smoothly.
"A lot of effort has gone into setting this whole thing up, but I believe the event itself is a good omen for the way ahead" he added.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1301
Published Date: 02-Sep-99
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