By Cara Sulieman
FANS of Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell started queuing for tickets TWO DAYS before they went on sale.
A group of around 20 admirers were patiently waiting outside the Usher Hall in Edinburgh tonight (Friday) and many had been there since Thursday.
Mainly ladies, they came armed with padded deck-chairs, sleeping bags and waterproofs as they waited for tickets to go on sale tomorrow morning (Saturday).
Anne Meehan, 64, and her husband Peter had travelled from Northumberland to bag their favourite front row seats, arriving at 9.30pm on Thursday.
“Fell in love”
Anne said: “I have lost count of the number of concerts we have been to, it is well over 150 now.
“I first went to see Daniel in Newcastle about 20 years ago. We didn’t used to go to as many but then we started queuing for tickets and it just got more and more.
“I keep all my tickets and if they are good seats I take note so I know what to ask for next time.
“The first time I heard Daniel I was on a bus trip and the driver put on a tape of Irish music. He was on it singing ‘I Need You’ and I just fell in love with it.”
And Anne has met Daniel a number of times – the singer has got to know his most loyal fans by chatting to them after his shows.
“Just lovely”
Anne added: “One night after the show I said to Daniel ‘You didn’t play I Need You’.
“The next night he got up on stage and said ‘I got told off for not playing this last night’, and then he sang ‘I Need You’.
“It was just lovely.”
The couple have travelled from their home as far as Brentwood, Essex, and Aberdeen to watch the singer.
They have made the trip across the sea to Killerney, Ireland, to see Anne’s idol.
Peter added: “It is nice to see different parts of the country. You see towns that you would not see otherwise.”
“Worth it”
Another staunch supporter of the Irish heartthrob is Gael McLeod, 51, from Edinburgh.
Although she has only seen the singer in the capital, she always queues to ensure she gets the best seats.
Gael said: “I like to sit in the front row, you have to queue for them. We have all worked out who is sitting where so there is no fight over them.”
And she said that they were all well prepared for the cold weather and rowdy Friday night revellers.
She added: “We know what we are doing now – we have queued so many times before.
“I have got my layers on and hot drinks in my flask.
“We have had problems before with the crowd on a Friday night but it is not so bad this year because of the building works in front of the Usher Hall.
“You only get an hour’s sleep here and there but it is worth it for Daniel O’Donnell.”
Tickets for the show on May 7 go on sale at 9am tomorrow morning (Saturday).
