8th July, 1999. Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
To many, the appearance of the Corrs at Murrayfield was a mere sideshow for the internationally acclaimed Celine Dion. This was an ill-formed opinion and it was pleasing that this was never going to be the case. Without doubt the Lads and Lassies won acclaim for an energetic set as they wowed an audience from all over Scotland and Northern England. The age group was from six to sixty and the throngs of people making their way to the stadium brought traffic chaos to the roads. This probably explained why there was only around 30,000 inside the arena as 7pm approached. The local press tried to make out that the appearance of the Corrs was not that big an attraction but they couldn't have been more wrong.
It was a glorious, sunny day in the capital and every single bar, hotel and restaurant en-route was packed out with thirsty punters.
As 7.15pm approached the walkway to the pitch was suddenly beseiged by those eager to get a glimpse of the Corrs as they made their entrance. When it came it was swift and they shook hands with as many folk as possible before entering up onto a massive centre-pitch stage to warm reception. Andrea welcomed the crowd with a "Hello Edinburgh, Its lovely to be here tonight supporting Celine Dion, let's have a good time" and then they launched into an exhaustive and seemingly non-stop set which lasted for just around the hour mark. They played a good selection from both hit albums and were well received throughout. There were obviously a few Corrs fanatics in the seated area on the pitch as they were visibly in a frenzy during a gutsy rendition of "I never loved you anyway."
The giant video screens were a welcome addition, especially to the less privileged (me) stuck up in the big stands. The video camera men tended to focus on Andrea and Sharon but it was clear that Carloline was the favourite with the guys who made the most of any opportunity to whistle or shout their affections! There were good solid performances of "Runaway" and "Love to Love You" in the set, but to be fair each and every sound was expertly delivered with just enough of the raw edge in evidence to give that extra special bit that only a live gig can bring!
As the hour mark approached there was a lull and only those who knew what certain track they hadn't heard anticipated what was coming next. Andrea introduced each member of the band for their acknowledgement from the crowd. Then Jim gave Andrea her cue followed by Andrea shouting "We are so young" and to loud cheers and applause they blitzed their way through the biggest hit to date to finish on a real high. It was great to see such a rousing finish and a great reception from the crowd which I'd say was approaching the 45,000 mark.
It was sad to see them go, but pleasing to see the warm appreciation from all parts of the stadium for an entertaining stint. They left via the same walkway the rugby players make their entrance/exit from and again there were masses of fans offering their congratulations on a superb showing.
Celine Dion is also a superbly talented artiste and proved that during her stint on stage. It was nice to hear Celine Dion take time out to praise the Corrs for agreeing to support her in Edinburgh and also pay tribute to their talents. However, I kept thinking back to how much I'd enjoyed the Corrs. I'm sure many other Corrs fans out there can relate to the next statement:- The wait in the months before the event seemed to last forever, it was over all too quickly, but what a great buzz to see such talented musicians with such a brilliant individual sound. Can't wait for the next feeling to begin on that seemingly endless wait!
Drew