This was my first ever Corrs concert. and I was so excited when I got a second row ticket.  I had a good chuckle, though, when I saw that the name was misspelled as Coors while the concert was sponsored by the competition, Bud Light!  Forever the optimist, I kept checking Ticketmaster and then, less than a week before the concert, I got a front row seat!  Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

     I left home on Wednesday afternoon so I could spend a few days sightseeing.  Halfway through the 8-hour drive, I got a call from the office that there was a major catastrophe.  Fortunately, I had my laptop with me, so when I got to the hotel I was able to dial-in and fix the problem,  Unfortunately, it took all night!  Thursday was a dreary, damp day, so I used the day to get acquainted with the area and do a little shopping.  I was pretty beat, so after a good dinner I hit the sack for a good night’s rest.
     Friday dawned even rainier.  As a train-lover, I had planned to do some railroad photography.  Even though I did manage to get a few pictures between the deluges, I ended up spending most of the day doing reconnaissance for hopefully nicer weather on Saturday.  I made an interesting discovery Friday evening, though, while exploring and looking for a good place to go for dinner (first picture below.)
     My patience was rewarded, as Saturday started out with mostly sunny skies.  I spent most of the morning enjoying some great railroad action, until the clouds started threatening again.  I had some lunch and then headed for downtown and the area around Tower City.

     I walked down to the venue, but there wasn’t much to see yet.  Since it was still cloudy, I started checking out Tower City itself.  I took a short ride on the light-rail system and was favorably impressed.  Finally, the sun came out to stay, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!  An omen?  I walked back down to the venue and after a while a few other fans showed up.  Eventually there were about a dozen of us hanging around for a glimpse of the band’s arrival.  When they did arrive, they hustled out of the bus and into the venue quickly and I missed them completely.  I did get to listen to the sound check, though, and I could see my seat through a gap in the wall.  After a very satisfying afternoon, I went back to Tower City for a bite to eat and to prepare for what was to come.

     The time finally arrived and I knew it was going to be a great night.  The clouds had parted and the sky was crystal clear.  As I waited in line with my on-line ticket, I was ushered to a special entrance for “ticketFast” tickets.  I breezed through the camera check and I was inside!  I purchased a program and browsed through it while I milled around.  When I showed my ticket to the usher, she said, “Pretty good seat.”  What an understatement!  I was just to the right of Sharon and closer to Andrea than I dared dream.
     I didn’t know what to expect when Sophie B. Hawkins came out, and I wasn’t very impressed.  She seemed to try too hard and seemed unnecessarily loud.  Not my cup of tea, but she did have fans in the audience.  It gave me a good opportunity to practice with my relatively new digital camera under concert conditions.  I had been using it for several months already, but not in this type of situation.  I had purchased it expressly for the Corrs concerts since I knew I wouldn’t be able to take my large 35mm SLR into the shows. I was very happy with what I was seeing on the LCD display.
     Finally Sophie was done and the stage crew took over.  Her equipment was removed and Andrea’s microphone was placed dead center. Each performer got a towel, a water bottle, a cup of tea(?), and a set list.  Jim’s guitars were checked and arranged, Sharon’s violin was placed on its stand, the fog machine was turned on, and the anticipation became almost unbearable.   Then the lights were turned off and “Baby Be Brave” started playing...
     In the darkness I could see everybody taking their positions and I saw a shadow at center stage.  Then the lights came up and there was an angel in turquoise, less than 20 feet away!  The crowd was on its feet immediately and the band looked more than a little stunned.  We stayed standing until the first slow song, “What Can I Do,” and were back on our feet several times after that.  Unlike some of the more timid audiences, we sang along quite well on “Runaway,” and kept Andrea so engaged that she completely forgot to take her slippers off!
     Everything that has been written about the Corrs performing live is true.  They are amazing, much better than on a recording.  And it’s easy to see that it’s not a just a job for them, they are truly having as great a time as the audience.  And, of course, Andrea is phenomenal.  She puts so much energy and emotion into her performance; she is not just going through the motions.  With every song, it’s like she’s singing it for the first time.  During “Angel” you can tell they are celebrating their mother’s life, and especially during “Goodbye” it is clear that Andrea is singing to her mother.  And watching the way Andrea bounces around the stage during the entire show: it’s obvious why she needs a rest while Sharon does an emotional rendition of “No Frontiers.”
     I wanted to take so many pictures to preserve the memories, but I also didn’t want to watch the show through the camera’s viewfinder.  Being my first show, I missed a few choice shots because I didn’t know what was coming up next, but I am very happy with the pictures I got.  When I got back to the hotel, I immediately uploaded the pictures to my laptop so I could see them more clearly.  It was quite a while before I calmed down enough to fall asleep.  Truly a night I will never forget.