A boy originally from Newry had his “dream come true” when he sang with his favourite rock band in Australia in front of 20,000 people.
Charlie O’Flynn (9) was picked out of the crowd in Sydney during the performance by US duo Twenty One Pilots on Sunday
Mum Michelle told the Belfast Telegraph: “He’s known about them since he was quite young.
“He found out about the band through his older cousin when we were back home in Ireland about six years ago.
“Charlie is a mega fan. He knows all the lyrics and he knows all the songs.
“Every day going in and out of school, that’s what we listen to, Twenty One Pilots — every single day, it’s Twenty One Pilots.”
A beaming Charlie with his Mic
She added when the family learned the group was touring Down Under they “just had to get tickets”.
They saw the band in Melbourne on Saturday, and were in the crowd again in Sydney the following night.
After seeing someone pulled from the audience to sing at Saturday’s gig, Michelle made it her mission to get her son up on stage.
She explained: “We knew that we would be standing in Sydney.
“We were sitting way up the first time, and kind of sussed out the area (the second time) and sussed out where you need to be to get close to the band.
“In Melbourne they took up a little girl on the stage to sing, so we thought if we could get down there, that looks like a good area to be in.”
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After picking their spot Michelle, Charlie and sister Kayla (13) noticed a member of the band’s crew who chose the girl to sing in Melbourne. They realised “this was the guy to look out for”.
Charlie and Kayla made posters and bracelets for the show. As the family waited for the performance to begin, they were singing the band’s lyrics and waving their signs.
Michelle said: “There was a bit of a buzz going on in our little area, so the crew members probably spotted us then.
“But it wasn’t until the concert started, about two songs in, that one of the other crew came over and just handed Charlie a guitar pick.”
Left to right: Michelle Murphy, Darren O’Flynn, Kayla O’Flynn, Kayden Quigley and Charlie O’Flynn
After a few more songs Michelle was approached by a member of the crew who asked if Charlie would like to sing on stage.
She added: “About five minutes later another guy came down and asked if these were my kids.
“He said there’s a part in the concert where they bring up a young person in the crowd to sing a part of the chorus.
“He had walked the whole bottom floor, and although there were other children, he said the kids seemed the most enthusiastic.
“This was Charlie’s dream come true, you know.
“He was just so happy. He said: ‘I can’t believe I actually was standing there singing beside my favourite rock star’.
“We’re still buzzing after it two days later.
“When he was finished, and it was time to go off the stage, the whole stadium then started chanting his name — he must have had about 500 high fives and fist bumps from everyone, it was just absolutely amazing.”
The next day Charlie was even recognised by someone staying in their hotel, as well as a number of people on the famous Bondi Beach.
Apart from a couple of lines in a school play, Michelle said Charlie had never been on stage before.
She said: “He had a role in A Christmas Carol, but he had maybe like two or three lines to say.
“His sister would be more of the one who would be acting, so this was definitely his biggest audience.”