Review: 'Unconditional' love for Cork from Picture This at Musgrave Park
Picture This - The Secret Headliner at the Crane Lane
The ‘Unconditional' love between Picture This and their Cork fans was evident on Saturday night as the Kildare band played to an adoring crowd at Musgrave Park.
After a dull day in Cork city, the sun began to shine just as concertgoers made their way to the stadium on Tramore Road to see Picture This in action.
A bit of sunshine always elevates an outdoor gig and the atmosphere while walking to the Saturday night concert was almost as electric as within the walls of Musgrave Park.
Couples strolled hand-in-hand as gangs of friends laughed and sang while making their way into the busy venue. A blend of different generations made up the crowd, highlighting the universal appeal of the pop/rock four-piece band. However, the largest cohort were groups of excited teenagers.
Once inside, there were plenty of people clutching plastic pint glasses and tins of gin, waiting in anticipation to hear some of the band’s biggest hits – many of which have dominated Irish charts and radio stations over the past ten years or so. After all, even those who are not fans of Picture This could sing along to the anthem, ‘Take My Hand’.
UK singer Callum Scott got the crowd going early in the evening. His hit ‘Whistle’, featuring DJ Joel Corry had every person in the standing area moving.
Picture This, made up of Ryan Hennessy, Jimmy Rainsford, Owen Cardiff and Cliff Deane, took to the stage just after 8.30 pm as the crowd gravitated closer to the front.
The band started by spray painting the word ‘Cork’ on a fake car that sat underneath the drum kit (their new album is called Parked Car Conversations) - before launching into ‘Act of Innocence’ followed by ‘Unconditional’.
“Cork we fucking love you. It’s good to be back,” Hennessy said.
“It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been here,” he added before promising the crowd that they would have the “best night” of their lives.
Fans went wild as the lead singer ran from one side of the stage to the next, gesturing for them to cheer. And cheer they did. As well as clap, jump and sing along to every single word.
The first lyrics of ‘LA House Party’ were enough to get everyone singing while the chorus had even those in the seated area up on their feet.
But of course, it was ‘Take My Hand’ that received the best reaction.
Almost a decade after the success the debut song, Picture This has over 450 million streams. In 2018, they became the first band to sell out a whopping five nights at Dublin’s 3Arena.
Their continued popularity was evident at Musgrave Park as fans sang their hearts out to some of their most popular tracks as well as some new songs.
The legendary Sting – alongside Blondie – are next to take to the stage at Musgrave Park on Tuesday.
