Here’s the very latest report covering the only German concert in June this year. It tells the story of a German fan – Astrid Lenhard from Hanover, the 34-years-old sport-therapist, mother of two. You will see her travelling “with” Roxette all over the country and Europe.
Interview with Per Gessle is also included in this TV report.
If you don’t speak Goethe’s language, here below you will find English transcript of the whole interview.
Alex(reporter):
Hysteria around a popband. For her it´s the usual madness.
Astrid:
You get so much back from them and every smile, every glance makes me freak out.
Alex:
When the cultband is the topic, Astrid knows no limits.
Astrid:
Simply to board the plane and to fly to Spain for one concert, was really cool.
Alex:
„Scream-alarm“ around the swedish superstars and this for more than 25 years.
Per:
This is almost like a sect. Some fans drive with us everywhere and don´t skip a concert. This is pure madness.
Alex:
Two musicians, thousands of fans and an unbelievable hype.
Astrid:
The fans are just glad and share the same passion. It is so gigantic!
Alex:
Why does a pop band suddenly become a life task for fans like Astrid? Astrid Lenhard from Hanover, the 34-years-old sport-therapist is a mother of two little kids and actually she leads a normal life. Only actually, but in her life almost everything spins around Roxette.
Astrid:
They accompanying me now for 21 years, since my teenage time. I associate a lot with them and their music. I really have experienced a lot through and with them. Well, they have a relatively high priority in my life.
Alex:
Like Astrid, Roxette have enthused million of fans around the world for more than two decades and have dominated the charts, hit after hit. After a break of 10 years the Swedes are back, performing concerts all over the world. A spectacle, which Astrid won´t miss, because she hasn´t planned on that anymore.
Astrid:
More surprising and more gigantic is, what I´m allowed to experience right now. Therefore I try to make the best of it and to enjoy every concert and revive all what I have experienced during the old times.
Alex:
Roxette are on a big world tour and Astrid is on a world tour somehow, too. More than 10 shows she has joined up until now in Germany and Europe.
Astrid:
The furthest for me was definitely Barcelona. Simply to board a plane and fly over to Spain for one show, was really cool. Most certainly the craziest experience was the concert in Ischgl at the end of last year. I drove with a friend of mine 1200 km to Austria by car.
Alex:
Roxette are accustom, that fans like Astrid dont want to see only one show. We talk to the legend of pop Per Gessle about the very special relationships between band and fans. The fact that some fans concentrate their whole life on the group, is a riddle for the singer and composer.
Per:
Where do they get the money? It´s so expensive to travel around the world. On the other hand our fans are really, really faithful. We feel completely honored.
Alex:
Astrid belongs to these very special fans. She´s preparing her next trip, planning,’printing tour-shirts, buying concert-tickets, flights and hotels. But principally her husband isn´t included this time.
Astrid:
There are arrangements between my husband and I and he knows sometimes that I may come home after work and want to spend some time with my Roxette-friends on Facebook. We keep it that way and for him it´s okay.
Alex:
What that means, would to be clear on the next day. Astrid leaves at 6am for her next journey. The mother of two kids travels to concerts in Amsterdam and Kaiserslautern. The young family have to cope without mom. Astrid starts a newadventure of concerts together with her friend. More than 1000km, lack of sleep and much stress are now in front of her. But Astrid is entirely happy.
Astrid:
Well, I´m totally excited, I have goosebumps everywhere and I´m looking forward to it. I even get tears in my eyes, because I´m really looking forward to it. The whole weeks of preparations and the complete stress is over, which I had through the time of scheduling and yes, now I want to go straightforward to Amsterdam.
Alex:
First Astrid and her friend travel to meet another fan to Bad Oyenhausen by train. From there the clique drive directly to Amsterdam by car. Included the luggage is always the big wish of a meeting. Astrid wants to be so close with her idols.
Astrid:
When we arrive in Amsterdam we will then check out if there is a chance to meet them at the hotel or at the airport. And so we have to weigh up, if we want to meet them to get a photo or an autograph.
Per:
The fans are really dedicated to us. I don’t know exactly why, but the contact with the fans is always so special. They don’t come only to the airport, they follow us everywhere. That´s incredible!
Alex:
Even Astrid focussed on the airport with her friends. The correct terminal is quickly found, but there is no hint of her idols. The other fans have bad news for her.
Astrid:
We have missed Marie by around 5 minutes. It´s just frustrating, because she was in a fantastic mood, very kind and she hugged every fan. I´m freaking out! And I come 5 minutes too late. AAAAAAAAH!!
Alex:
But Astrid isn´t sad, last year she experienced what she had been waiting for her whole life: a personally meeting with her idols.
Astrid:
It was incredible to be allowed to shake hands & talk with each of them. This was unbelievable. I still draw on that, it´s almost one year ago. As soon as I remember the meeting, I get goosebumps all over my body and tears in my eyes. It was so great!
Alex:
Even for Roxette it is anything but self-evidently after more than 25 years, such a hysteria is still there.
Per:
Without the fans, without the support over the years Roxette wouldn´t be here anymore. Particularly after Marie got seriously ill in 2002, the participation of the fans was so overwhelming. That gave Marie so much power during this time.
Alex:
Exactly ten years ago the singer was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She lost part of her hearing, is blind in one eye and the doctors gave her only little odds of survival. Her fans suffered with her.
Astrid:
That was a big shock. I still remember when I got this message, I will never forget it. It was almost like almost my own family-member got seriously ill. I was shocked!
Alex:
But Marie doesn´t give up and wins the fight against the cancer. Even now she stands on the stage again. All the more Astrid is pleased about every Roxette concert. In Amsterdam Astrid makes it into the front row and enjoys every second of the show.
Astrid: That was fantastic! It was an incredible and gigantic concert. Per and Marie were in top shape. I´m still overwhelmed! This was a great concert.
Alex:
But Astrid doesn´t have time to rejoice. The next day she leaves early. Another concert, another city.
Astrid:
Now we have to get up so early. We travel further at 7am, in one hour we ´ll leave. We will meet some other fans and together we will drive southbound to Kaiserslautern to the next concert. Well, it would be round about 500km back to Germany.
Alex:
The journey takes 6 hours from Amsterdam to Kaiserslautern. Totally exhausted, but deliriously happy Astrid arrives at the stadion. Almost 7 hours she waits for the entrance to open. Meanwhile Astrid makes plans, how to get into the front row.
Astrid:
When the entrance opens, I hurry up to the security people as fast as possible, they rip my ticket. After that I run as fast as I can over to the place then quickly check out where the stage & front row is, search for a point and run straight for it.
Alex:
Astrid saves herself a place in the front row. The stress in the hours before have been worth it for her.
Astrid:
To be in the front row is fantastic, because I have direct eye-contact with them. So I can try to catch their attention with joy, shouting and laughing and so I always get something back. That means so much for me!
Alex:
Until the concert starts, the mother of two has to wait nevertheless for around 3 hours, but with the first note Astrid is unstoppable! Astrid out-ofcontrol. During the concert Astrid is absolutely in her element. And even Roxette recognize the activities in the front row.
Per:
In our concerts I see some hundreds of fans, who are always there. This is absolutely amazing. There is even a girl, who has seen 163 shows. I mean, what can I say, that´s crazy.
Alex:
Much too fast the show has finished for Astrid, but she doesn’t rest. Together with other fans the evening fades away at the hotel room and while Astrid remembers the most wonderful moments, she dreams about many more Roxette-concerts. Secretly the thirty-four-old makes plans for the next trip to see her favourite band.