Today’s story time is how a global music sensation fell randomly in love with Brent Harvey.

For those who don’t know Andre Rieu is a famous Dutch violinist and conductor. He speaks five languages too! English, Spanish, French, German and of course Dutch.

He founded Johan Strauss Orchestra, which is known for performing classical concerts with a sort of joking and frivolous style… Lots of antics, if you're into that sort of thing.

Anyway, before his concert in November 2008, so much work went into Telstra Dome’s stage. It was like a real life size castle, with fountains, ice rinks, and dancers.

The show was billed as a 'romantic Viennese night.' The idea was that it had to not just look like Vienna, it also had to feel like Vienna.

Every single media organisation in Melbourne wanted to get in early to have a look at this castle.

Andre Rieu’s people had 0 interest. They’d sold enough tickets. The event was to be a complete surprise.

Still, the journos kept asking. Football clubs wanted to be involved as well. The event was going to be huge.

Finally, Rieu’s PR team relented 2 days before the concert. There would be ONE media event, and one media event only.

Etihad Stadium’s media and communications boss Bill Lane, who is the brother of Tim Lane and uncle of Samantha Lane, decided that the best cross promotion would be a media event which put Rieu and Boomer Harvey together.

North Melbourne was a tenant of the ground, so it made sense.

And it went well. Rieu received a North jumper and hundreds of journos, cameras and media types turned up. It was monstrous.

Obviously Rieu had no idea who Boomer was. To that point he’d only played 264 of his 432 games.

They shook hands and went their separate ways.

The concert was a huge hit. More than 38,000 people turned up. The set featured sweeping waltzes and a very special, crowd pleasing performance of Waltzing Matilda.

That was that… Or was it?

In 2016, 8 years later, Andre Rieu came back to the stadium as he was filming a documentary of his life. He couldn’t remember the concert, the stadium or anything about the ground.

He couldn’t even remember where the stage was with the life-sized castle.

But he walked out onto the middle of the ground. He threw his hands in the air. And at the top of his lungs screamed: BOOMER!!!

“Where’s my favourite player, Boomer?” Rieu is believed to have asked those around him?

Needless to say, everyone was shocked. The stadium staff thought it was a joke... But Rieu actually wanted to know where Boomer was.

And from then on, according to a source of mine who has been on tour with Rieu all over the world, whenever Australia gets mentioned… It’s not the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, the food, the culture, the coffee, Uluru, or even Fed Square or the MCG that he remembers.

It’s always just one word: BOOMER!