Trip to Sydney to see Niall Horan

Chloe Karis
Mar 21, 2018
2 min read

Updated: Oct 24, 2021

Yes, I bought a ticket to see Niall Horan before I had a plan to get to Sydney.

Harbour Bridge and Opera House in Sydney, Australia — Photo by Chloe Karis

A four-day spontaneous holiday in Sydney with my mother. The trip briefly got mentioned when Niall Horan announced his intimated Flicker Sessions Tour. One show in Sydney Australia, at Enmore Theatre. Which is a 1,600 capacity venue. Was I stupid enough trying to get a ticket? Yes. July 14 2017, I got a ticket and had fifty-eight days to find my way to Sydney. August 16 flights were booked - twenty-three days until we were going to Sydney.

It was my first time being in Sydney. The Opera House looked just as beautiful as it does in images you see online. The Harbour Bridge fascinated me the most. I searched up the history behind it while on a ferry. I found out from when construction started to when the bridge was officially opened; it took a total of nine years. The water surrounding the city buildings looked more beautiful than the blue sky during the days we were there. Bondi Beach was how I imagined it to be; full of people, soft sand and dark cyan sea with big enough waves that had surfers riding on them.

Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia — Photo by Chloe Karis

Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Australia — Photo by Chloe Karis

September 10, the day arrived that brought me to Sydney, to see Niall Horan perform his unreleased album. He had only released two singles by this point. It was going to be a different experience going to a concert not knowing any of the songs, but two. I started to line up at 11:30am for check-in. We than walked around Newtown and explored the unique shops. It reminded me of South Yarra a bit, with the independent stores and cafes. Before I knew it, I was lining up again at 4:30pm, ready for the show. 6pm doors opened and we were let into the theatre. I couldn’t, and still can’t comprehend how close I was to the stage. Niall’s band came out on stage and started the introduction and that is when the screams begun. Faded yellow and blue lights flashed on; the screams got louder when he walked out on stage in a white Fleetwood Mac t-shirt, black jeans and his acoustic guitar. The highlight of the show was towards the end when it was just him and the crowd. He sung a One Direction song that never got played while he was in the band on tour. He let us sing a high note and we butchered it. His head fell to the side and his body leaned back as he was laughing at us. He wanted a redo, to which we once again butchered the high note. When the show was over I went towards the barrier asking for a set list, I did not get one but instead got one of his water bottles. I lined up to buy myself some of his merchandise, and went outside and told my mother all about the show.