RoxetteBlog

“Joyride – The Musical” – be your you in Stockholm!

September 20, 2025September 20, 2025 by Patrícia Peres

Joyride – The Musical had its world premiere in Malmö almost exactly one year ago. The show became a huge success, selling out 84 shows between September 2024 and April 2025. I saw 8 performances of the Malmö version – including the premiere and the last show – and so I could judge how the musical evolved and how the audience loved it regardless of whether they were Roxette fans or musical lovers or just curious viewers. All shows ended in standing ovations.

Not long after the opening in Malmö, it was announced that the Roxette musical would continue its joyride at China Teatern in Stockholm, premiering on 11th September 2025. Tickets for 60 Stockholm shows until 20th December 2025 went on sale on 31st March 2025.

The set at China Teatern is directed by Guy Unsworth, who also directed the show at Malmö Opera. However, a new cast and ensemble were selected, for which the auditions started in October 2024.

Joyride in Stockholm is different compared to the Malmö version. Several new members have been added and Calle Norlén has, among other things, done a new script adaptation, but Jessica Marberger continues in the lead role as Stephanie. Another member of the cast who was part of the Malmö show is Emilie Evbäck. She was singing Opportunity Nox most of the time, but once in a while she also played the role of Meredith. In Stockholm she is Katie. Lucas Krüger joined the cast as Joe, Hanna Hedlund plays Meredith, Gary is played by Anton Lundqvist and Natasha is Pia Ternström.

I arrived in Stockholm two days before the premiere and it was lovely to see all the posters around the city promoting the show. The theatre was also dressed in Joyride with big posters on its walls and a banner on its facade.

There were several rehearsals during the week with invited guests and the main rehearsal was held on 10th September. In the evening it was raining, but we went to take photos outside the theatre, because with the lights on it looked even cooler at night. We expected the show to end at appr. the same time as in Malmö, so we were surprised when the staff opened the doors and we could hear it was already the finale. We stayed there to listen to it and waited for the people to leave the theatre. Per, Åsa and Marie Dimberg were there too and Per and Åsa joined us under our umbrellas while they were waiting for their taxi. We talked about the show and it turned out the Stockholm version is appr. 12 minutes shorter than the Malmö performance was. We didn’t want to ask too much about it, because we wanted to be surprised by the premiere. All we discussed was that the Stockholm show is quite different.

On 11th September, it was raining cats and dogs all day. The theatre staff built the red carpet area with a JOYRIDE sign, a photo wall and lots of heart-shaped balloons. Some tents were also set up to prevent people from getting soaking wet. Reporters and photographers stood next to the photo wall. Fans arrived first at the theatre – from Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and probably from some other countries as well. We were curious about who would walk the red carpet – which was dark grey (maybe because of the rain, so that it doesn’t look awful when you step on the red carpet with your muddy shoes). Guests were arriving and even if there was a roof above the carpet, most of them didn’t reach the photo wall, but entered the theatre at the first doors. This is how we – who were standing behind the photographers at the photo wall – missed seeing Micke Syd and his wife, Helena arriving, for example. (But we could say hi to Micke during the break at least.) We were very happy to see Micke Bolyos. Some fans stepped to him, talked to him briefly and asked for a photo as well. Dea Norberg was there too. Besides her clear relation to Roxette, Jessica is her best friend, so it’s obvious she came to see her in Stockholm too. Among the guests there were Tomas Ledin, Magnus Uggla, Fredrik Etoall, Thomas Johansson, Mats Olsson and more famous Swedish artists and celebrities. Jane Fallon wasn’t there at the premiere. She was in Stockholm in August and then she was interviewed by TV and radio. Lena Philipsson came with Marie Dimberg. She is friends with Hanna Hedlund, so she was probably also excited to see her friend on stage. Everyone was thrilled to see Per on the red carpet and he was said to appear there at 19:20 (the premiere was set to start at 19:30), but it was so busy everywhere, it was hard for him to get there on time. He was inside the theatre and because of the rain he came out to the photo wall from there. The bell was ringing already 3 or 4 times to signal the start of the performance, but Per still hasn’t gotten to the photo wall. I decided to get inside the theatre after director Guy Unsworth left the red carpet. It was already 19:30. Most of the people were already sitting inside. When I walked towards the entrance, I saw Åsa and Per started to walk towards the exit. Then I quickly decided to go back to the photo wall and check out what was happening there. Photos of Per and Åsa, as well as Gabriel and his girlfriend were taken. Marie Dimberg came out again too. PG was also briefly interviewed by a reporter for SVT. It all didn’t take longer than 3-4 minutes. Lena was also waiting for them so that they could all enter together and find their seats in row 8. Everyone else entered the theatre in the end and got to their seats inside, so the musical could start with a little delay.

The theatre is much smaller and this way more intimate than Malmö Opera. The stage is very high, so if you want to see the big picture, you should sit in rows 6-9 for the best view, preferably in the middle. In Malmö Opera it was even better to sit on the balcony if you wanted to see the English subtitles during the show, but in Stockholm there are no subs. The dialogues are in Swedish, the songs are in English. Anyway, if you choose balcony, I suggest you pick a seat on „balkong främre” (front balcony).

China Teatern has an auditorium that holds an audience of 1,226 (549 on the parkett, 677 on the balcony). Altogether it’s appr. 300 seats less vs. the Malmö audience. So it’s rather the stage that is much smaller there, not the audience.

China Teatern’s stage doesn’t have space for a huge orchestra. The musicians had their place on the two sides, at balcony level. 2 of them + the conductor on level 1 on the right side, and 2-2 of them on level 1 left side and level 2 right and left side.

The letters of JOYRIDE are part of the stage set and used as creatively in Stockholm as they were used in Malmö. This is the first thing you see when you enter the auditorium and it looks really cool. I love that the playfulness is kept in the stage set.

Before the start of the performance, the Joyride whistle could be heard as a signal and a male voice was asking you to switch off your mobiles. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Per talking (like in Malmö), but it was a fun mobile alert. After the voice welcomed the audience at China Teatern at Joyride – The Musical, everyone was cheering loudly. Then the voice kindly asked you to switch off your walkmans and other digital accessories, even your brand new Nokia mobiles. Haha. Filming and taking pictures are not allowed during the show, but it is allowed to use your cameras during the finale. Then the voice introduced the conductor, the audience was cheering loudly again and the show could start.

Oh, not to forget that ’80s and ’90s songs are played before the performance, during the break and after the show. Songs by Madonna, Starship, Snap!, MC Hammer, just to mention a few.

The musical is played in two acts. As I mentioned before, it is shorter than in Malmö, but it’s not the songs that got less. It’s rather the dialogues that have changed a bit. They became more effective and some jokes were also changed for the better. There are other changes as well, like the pseudonym of Katie became Kelly instead of Lydia and Operation Drop Dead became Operation Hämnd (revenge).

The beginning is also different. It’s not only the fact that Stella is not sitting there on the stage floor writing a song, but it’s now a fragment of Joyride being sung by Stephanie, Katie and Stella (instead of It Must Have Been Love in the Malmö version). I find it a much better idea, cos it all begins where it ends.

The three main characters, Stephanie (Jessica Marberger), Katie (Emilie Evbäck) and Joe (Lucas Krüger) have amazing vocal abilities! There are three Stellas and on premiere night it was Edda Pekkari who played the role of Stephanie’s and Joe’s daughter. Her singing was fab! She got a big applause after singing The First Girl On The Moon. Then there is Meredith (Hanna Hedlund) with an oh so amazing voice! The ensemble singing together sounded wonderful too! Sing-along is guaranteed throughout the entire show!

The dancers are fabulous and even if I do miss some choregraphies from Malmö, I must admit the Stockholm choreos are very cool too. I also understand that some changes had to be made because of the smaller stage. What I miss the most is my most favourite scene when Stephanie is singing What’s She Like? Here it also gets an „aaaaaah” reaction from the audience when they realize the mannequins are moving. I find it beautiful. Another choreography I miss a lot is the dancers during Fading Like A Flower. I think it added a lot to the emotions of this power ballad, however, Emilie’s vocals are strong enough to demonstrate what she goes through in this scene.

The chemistry between Gary (Anton Lundqvist) and Natasha (Pia Ternström) is lovely. I liked their interactions a lot and their singing together, especially The Look at the opening of the second act. The grandpa (Donald Högberg) became one of my fave characters. Donald acts like a real grandpa. Cool, doing everything for his family and putting his granddaughter in the centre of it all.

Stars is treated better in Stockholm in my opinion. Maybe it sounds more magical because of the more intimate stage set. The How Do You Do! scene is extremely entertaining and it worked better with the new love triangle surprises. It fits the song’s playfulness even more. Haha.

The bigger stage with the orchestra made Spending My Time, Listen To Your Heart and Queen Of Rain more emotional in Malmö, but the vocals are awesome here too. It’s still amazing that it’s a guy who sings the big Marie ballads like SMT and QOR. Lucas did a wonderful job – especially his high notes are extraordinary. And Hanna singing LTYH is so powerful!

I get goosebumps every time I hear Jessica sing What’s She Like?, Little Girl and It Must Have Been Love. She is wonderful in this role and I’m very happy she continues to play Stephanie.

Emilie sang Opportunity Nox in Malmö and Dangerous and Listen To Your Heart when she was Meredith. You could already hear then that her voice is outstanding. Now she sings Milk And Toast And Honey and Fading Like A Flower among many other hits and wow… She has amazing vocals! When Steph and Katie sing Crash! Boom! Bang!, IMHBL and Wish I Could Fly together… Aaaah… B.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.!

Regarding colours, the costumes were more colorful in Malmö. Stockholm got more „black and white”. Since Joyride is all about colours for me, I missed those ’90s colour vibes in the costumes, especially during the fashion-related scenes. Those should be more vivid in my opinion. However, the style of the costumes is still very much the ’90s. At the same time, I understand the dramaturgy of Katie’s flower-power dress changing to black and white at some point. Staying with the costumes, Meredith’s clothes are a bit too childishly comical for me. They are one step over being credible, but the character is fun anyway.

As a jukebox musical, Joyride felt even more complete now. It’s probably because of the more effective texts in the dialogues and a more intimate treatment of the songs.

There was no car at the end, but I loved the final choreo when everyone was singing Joyride. It hits hard and gets the audience in a dancing mood, jumping up from their seats right after the performance ends, to give a standing ovation and join the full company at the confetti-filled megamix party.

I still love the balance of how the songs are included in the two acts. There are so many hits in the first act and in the second act you realize one by one that indeed, there is this song too, and this one too, oh and that too.

Another highlight at the end of the show is the screening of Marie and Per from clips from the past. Here they are more clearly visible than in Malmö. And a heart drawn around Marie at the very end of this part is just aaaaah, so much love! Her presence is felt. Always!

The visual artistry in the background is wonderful throughout the entire show.

At the end of the premiere, creators – Per among them – were queueing to go up on stage one after the other. They took a bow, got flowers and left the stage before the orchestra finale came. Here the orchestra is visible only on the screen and it’s a recording of them shown, while they are playing live on the sides of the stage. You can watch the curtain call of the premiere HERE.

I’ve been wondering how difficult it could be for a director to put the same show on a very different stage, to see it with fresh eyes and make differences that might make the whole experience better. Well, „better” might not be the best expression. „Different” fits more. At points I might have sounded like this or that was better in Malmö and this or that was better in Stockholm, and it’s impossible not to compare the two versions, but I think the correct thing to say is that the two versions are different and both of them are pure awesomeness. And I think Guy Unsworth did a great job with both of his Joyride directions.

I didn’t want to make the same mistake as in Malmö – to not go and see the next shows right after the premiere –, so I bought tickets for the next 3 performances as well and I could see the musical 4 times in a row this way. I could also see another Stella, Saga Rapo, who is also very talented and she has a wonderful voice too. I must say that show by show, the gang got tighter and tighter, leaving the stress of the premiere behind. On Saturday they had a double showtime day – one performance started at 15:00, the other at 19:30 (Per and Åsa came to see this show too). That’s very exhausting, especially for the dancers, but you could see they all loved being part of it. There was less confetti at the end of the afternoon show to make it easier to clean the auditorium, but it was as much fun to see the musical in the afternoon as it was in the evening.

It was interesting to experience that Stockholm crowds are more reserved not only at concerts. It also applies to the theatre. Haha. Lovely. And again, it was not better or worse, it was just different. Of course, the audience was clapping and singing along here too, and laughing out loud and cheering, just in a more moderate way.

My heart is still full of love when I think about this musical. Jane Fallon’s fantastic novel, Got You Back, Roxette’s most awesome hits, the wonderful orchestration of the songs, the amazing cast and ensemble and all the creators. Hats off to everyone involved on and off stage! You deserve all the standing ovations and you will earn it on the upcoming shows as well, I’m very sure about it. It’s an amazing piece of art, this feel-good musical.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, even if I added this phrase in the title as well. The fashion show scene, where Opportunity Nox is sung, has an important message: be your you! I like how this part is added.

If you saw the show in Malmö, make sure you see it in Stockholm too. It’s fun to see the differences and of course, it’s amazing to hear all the songs in this setting as well. Make sure you buy the beautiful program booklet. You can do that before the show, during the 25-minute break or even after the performance. It costs 80 SEK. It’s in Swedish, but it’s very nice indeed. And if the photo wall is still there upstairs with the camera, make sure you take a hello you fool pic in front of it.

Get your tickets for the Stockholm shows HERE! I will still go back and see it again. Especially now that 32 additional shows have been announced for 2026. The ticket sales are going so well! This way it will be 92 performances altogether in the Swedish capital before the musical is on stage again in Malmö in the fall of 2026. I’m already excited about the next city that joins the JOYRIDE abroad! I’m in for a musical tour! Haha.

Cast

Lucas Krüger – Joe
Jessica Marberger – Stephanie
Emilie Evbäck – Katie
Hanna Hedlund – Meredith
Anton Lundqvist – Gary
Pia Ternström – Natasha
Donald Högberg – John
Edda Pekkari – Stella
Saga Rapo – Stella
Tara Perovic – Stella
Olle Roberg – Ensemble + Michael + US Joey + US Gary
Ulrika Ånäs – Ensemble + US Stephanie
Alvaro Estrella – Ensemble + US Michael
Alexandra Fors – Ensemble + US Katie
Kitty Chan Schlyter – Ensemble / US Natasha
Linda Holmgren – Ensemble + US Meredith
Niklas Löjdmark Chressman – Ensemble + US John + 2 cover Gary
Marcus Elander – Ensemble/dance captain
Emmie Asplund – Ensemble/swing
Hampus Engstrand – Ensemble/swing
Mateo Cordova Pomo – Ensemble
Felicia Loveflo Lindström – Ensemble
Oliver Gramenius – Ensemble
Emilia Berglind – Ensemble
Olivia Kungsman – Ensemble

Creative team

Producer: Nanette Hayes, 2Entertain
Executive Producer: Bosse Andersson, 2Entertain
Co-Producer: Vicky von der Lancken
Director: Guy Unsworth
Co-director: Johanna Hybinette
Swedish translation: Calle Norlén
Choreography: Jennie Widegren, Miles Hoare
Set design: David Woodhead
Lighting design: Palle Palmé
Sound design: Oskar Johansson
Costume design: Torbjörn Bergström
Mask & wig design: Sara Klänge
Musical supervisor: Joakim Hallin
Conductor / keyboards: Erik Brag Månsson
Bass: Mats “Limpan” Lindberg
Electric guitar / acoustic guitar: Magnus Bengtsson
Drums: Magnus Fritz
Keyboards: Jan Radesjö
Guitar: Nicklas Thelin
Cello: Andreas Lavotha
Cello: Tove Törngren
Cello: Emma Beskow
Violin: Karin Liljenberg
Violin: Kristina Ebbersten
Violin: Oscar Treitler
Technical Coordinator: Ted Silvergren

Produced by 2Entertain & Vicky Nöjesproduktion
Producer: Nanette Hayes
Executive Producer: Bosse Andersson
Co-producer: Vicky von der Lancken
Project Leader: Simon Pettersson and Jenny Gerdén
Company Manager & Production Manager: Nina Hammarklev
Marketing & sales: Sofia Ekskog and Sandra Wester
Finance: Linda Dahlberg
Ticket Manager: Elisabeth Johansson

Original and rights

Based on the songs of Roxette and the novel Got You Back by Jane Fallon

MUSIC AND LYRICS by Per Gessle
ORIGINAL BOOK by Klas Abrahamsson
NEW BOOK by Guy Unsworth
ORIGINAL DIRECTOR Guy Unsworth
MUSICAL SUPERVISOR Joakim Hallin
ORIGINAL PRODUCER Malmö Opera, Sweden

PUBLISHER / AGENCY Nordiska ApS / Jimmy Fun Music

All photos in the article have been taken by Patrícia Peres

The Gyllene Tider movie makes exclusive US & UK debuts

August 29, 2025 by Patrícia Peres

Sommartider – the almost true story of Gyllene Tider premiered in Swedish cinemas on 17th July 2024. The movie got Sounds of Summer as the English title (probably inspired by the 2003 compilation album of The Beach Boys) and after being available in Australia, now it makes exclusive US & UK debuts on Viaplay streaming service on 18th September 2025.

Watch the trailer HERE!

Close out this season on a high note with Sounds of Summer – a high-energy, music-filled and “almost true” story of legendary Swedish pop sensation Gyllene Tider, one of the most successful bands in Sweden ever. Fronted by Per Gessle, who would later become the co-founder of Roxette, the band lit up the charts with infectious pop-rock anthems like “Sommartider” (1982), “När vi två blir en” (1980), “Flickorna på TV2” (1980), and “Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly” (1980). Gessle himself was a consultant on the film, adding authenticity and heart to the story.

Directed by Per Simonsson (Black Lake) and named after the band’s most enduring hit, Sommartider (Sounds of Summer) is a breezy, very inspiring 97-minute ride that follows Gessle from small-town outsider to pop trailblazer. It begins with his all-consuming love for music, and his bond with fellow musicians MP, Micke, Anders, and Göran. In their small town of Halmstad, these teenagers begin jamming together, sparking big dreams of pop stardom. Even with a sickly father dismissing Gessle’s ambitions and constant jibes about his singing or lack of a “real job”, Per becomes even more determined to prove them wrong.

Sounds of Summer captures the band’s highs and lows on the road to chart-topping fame – sweaty rehearsals, intimate local gigs, and recording sessions that would yield Swedish pop classics. We see their clashes with skeptical record executives in Stockholm, their early tours around Sweden, and their growing bond as friends and musicians. Their perseverance culminates in the runaway success of “Sommartider” in 1982, cementing their place in Sweden’s pop culture history. Although they officially disbanded in 1985, Gyllene Tider has reunited several times since.

With heart, humor, and plenty of toe-tapping music, Sounds of Summer is a love letter to the power of friendship, determination, and the thrill of chasing big dreams with your bandmates.

Sounds of Summer (Sommartider) was directed by Per Simonsson and produced by Nevis Productions for Viaplay. The standout ensemble cast features Valdemar Wahlbeck as Per Gessle, Ville Lövgren as Mats “MP” Persson, Phoenix Parnevik as Micke Syd Andersson, Lancelot Hedman Graaf as Anders Herrlin, Xawier Kulas as Göran Fritzon, and Ella Tiritiello as Marie Fredriksson.

Viaplay film, 1 x 97”, Swedish with English subtitles, 2024

Press release

Per Gessle on Nordic Rox – August 2025

August 13, 2025 by Patrícia Peres

Sven Lindström and Per Gessle are counting down the Top5 songs on their Swedish best of the ’80s list on the August episode of Nordic Rox. The guys recorded this show in Halmstad on a sunny day.

The first song they present is Girl Of My Dreams, a somewhat unique Swedish recording of a power pop classic. Per thinks it must be the last recording ever made by Dwight Twilley who unfortunately passed away not long ago. He was singing on a track by a Swedish band called Helikoptern, which means the helicopter. It’s a great track, and Dwight Twilley has always been one of Per’s big favourites. Sven thinks he was a fantastic songwriter and his ’70s and early ’80s stuff are amazing. Per agrees. It was a song by Bram Tchaikovsky from 1979. They are one of those forgotten heroes from the power pop age in England.

Iconic by Maja Ivarsson is next. It’s her latest single from her solo project. She is the lead singer of The Sounds, a great band that is out touring now in Sweden. Paint A Picture by The Hives comes next. It’s their latest single. They have a new album coming out in the fall and there are a few tasters from that. This song sounds excellent.

You Can’t Hurry Love by The Concretes is played next. Then comes Midnight Prayer by Bad Cash Quartet from Gothenburg, a song from 2003. Per loves this track.

After that, the guys play Fancy by Svenne & Lotta. It’s from one of Per’s favourite albums. He loves this song that was written by Bobbie Gentry. There are so many versions of it out there, but this is actually one of Per’s favourites. Lotta was born in the States, and you can hear that she really loved this style of music. She was a great singer in that era and she is still a great singer. This song is from 1970 when they made this cover. When PG was a kid, he had this song and he still loves it today. It made Sven think a little bit of Dusty Springfield’s Son Of A Preacher Man. It’s the same vibe. It’s a great track with great lyrics, and Per is really happy that they found it to play it on Nordic Rox. Sven says Svenne Hedlund was the singer and the godlike pop star in the Swedish ’60s, in the same group that saw Benny Andersson from ABBA on keyboards. That band was The Hep Stars. PG’s favourite band when he was 6 years old.

Getting down to the countdown, Sven and Per start with one of the biggest bands to come out of the Swedish punk rock movement: Ebba Grön. They made an album in 1981, Kärlek och uppror. It means love and revolution. It was a big album, which made them sort of mainstream. The opening track, 800°C is at a well-deserved fifth position on the ’80s countdown. Per thinks this track is really wonderful.

Magnus Lindberg was one of Per’s label mates back in the days when he had his power pop group, Gyllene Tider. Magnus started out in the ’70s playing in a Swedish band called Landslaget, and then he turned into a singer-songwriter in the late ’70s and made a couple of albums that were really nice. Then it got sort of electrified, more energized on this album. He was really affected by the new wave scene and suddenly in 1981 he released this sort of new wave-ish style album called Röda läppar, which translates into red lips. It’s still a great album. He is a great writer, a great singer and he had a great band as well. Per says, unfortunately, he is not with us anymore, but we can still listen to his music, thank God. Sven wouldn’t say that it’s 100%, but he would assume that this might be the US premiere for Magnus Lindberg. They play Röda läppar in position number four. A wonderful song that stood the test of time pretty well.

After a solo artist, the guys are moving into the band territory. There is a great band from Stockholm in the third position. Reeperbahn had a couple of great tracks in the early ’80s. The single, Lycklig (happy) is from 1980. It was just a single, it’s not on any album. The band was really influenced by the band Television. They even looked like Television. Per likes them a lot and thinks they were really strong. 1980 was just when they got started with Gyllene Tider, and Reeperbahn was a great competition. Sven remembers Per once said that he thought their albums sounded really great, their early ’80s stuff. PG wanted to sound better on the recordings. Mr. G says that was always the issue with his band, that they didn’t sound good enough on the records. Never satisfied, haha. In the analog days, before the whole digital thing happened in the ’80s, you could really tell the difference between recordings made in Sweden versus recordings made in London or LA or New York. They didn’t really have the same equipment, or the knowledge for that matter. Sven says, except for a certain group in Stockholm, starting with A and ending with A. Per says ABBA sounded great, but if you listen to their early stuff from the mid-70s, it sounds very Swedish. After the digital revolution happened in the mid-80s, they played on equal terms. But Reeperbahn always sounded great and this song sounds fantastic even today, Per thinks. A song that definitely makes you happy.

Another band from Stockholm from 1980 is Docent Död (Dr. Death) on position two. Sven says, when he heard that group’s name, he thought they were an unlistenable punk band, judging the name. They had bands like Grisen Skriker and he thought that Dr. Death was in the same league. But it wasn’t. Per says they were a power pop thing and they made their debut in 1980 with an EP. Solglasögon (sunglasses) is one of the tracks, and it’s still one of Per’s favourite tracks ever coming out of Sweden, it doesn’t matter which decade you are talking about. A great lyric, a great band and a great attitude. Sven agrees. The song has a really funny lyric about this guy who keeps wearing his sunglasses everywhere. A lyric of the kind that is worth taking the effort to learn Swedish. Haha.

The guys are at the rightly honorable number one position. Sven says Per looks very embarrassed and explains that Per has got red cheeks now and he just wants to go out of the room and disappear somewhere. Per says it’s because Sven talked him into this and put a Roxette song, Roxette’s breakthrough song on the number one position. PG says he is much more modest than that. Sven laughs and says he leaves that uncommented. Haha. Regarding The Look, Sven thinks it’s hard to find a song that did a pop job as good as that song. It was Roxette’s breakthrough in the States without even being released there. It’s an amazing thing. It paved the way for four US number one songs. Per says it became the first number one in 1989. All the record labels turned Roxette down, including EMI. So this was brought to America through an exchange student who was in Sweden and picked up the Look Sharp! album that Roxette just had released. He became a big Roxette fan and when he went back to Minneapolis, there was a radio station, KDWB, with a show where the listeners could bring their own records and get them played on the air. So he brought the Look Sharp! album to the radio station and they of course didn’t play it. So he went back after a week to bring it home. Then fate came in and just when he was going to take the record back at the reception, the program director was there as well. He became interested in the record sleeve that looks like a newspaper. So the program director asked the exchange student what’s that and the exchange student said, it’s a Swedish band and he left the record there to put it on the air, but they didn’t play it. The program director thought they should listen to it, because it looked really cool. So they started to listen to the first song off the album and that was The Look. The program director loved the song immediately and said, let’s put it on the air. So they started playing it and the phone started to ring all the time. People wanted to know what song it was. They wanted to hear it again. That’s how Roxette got its first thing going in the States.

That is an amazing story, Sven thinks. Roxette had four US number one singles in the coming years. It was in Billboard magazine that there are 18 persons in history who have written more than three American number ones on their own. And out of those 18, only four people are from Europe. It’s Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, George Michael and Per Gessle. Per says he is in good company.

The funny thing as well with the track The Look is that most of the lyrics Per wrote down just to keep the melody going and he didn’t ever improve on it. Per explains that he had bought a new synthesizer and he tried to learn how to program it. He started working on very simple things and he came up with this idea. To remember the rhythm of what he was doing, he just made up lyrics. Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer, she’s a juvenile scam. Just to remember the rhythm. He recorded it and then when he checked it out, it sounded really cool. Then he did the second verse in the same style. It was in a sort of I Am The Walrus gobbledygook style, which is fun. The idea with Roxette was that Per was a writer and Marie was the singer, so it was really weird that Per was singing on the breakthrough song. That changed of course over the years, because Marie was an amazing singer. So that song broke every rule in every way. That’s how it works in life, isn’t it?

Tin Foil Hat by The Men is played, then Big Girl by Peg Parnevik and The Next Place by Weeping Willows.

Sven and Per thank the listeners for joining them and the show ends with Cigarettes by Anita Lindblom, as usual.

Pics are from PG’s archives

Thanks for your support, Sven!

Roxette In Concert 2025 – Halmstad – 27th July 2025 – #25

July 29, 2025 by Patrícia Peres

The last summer show on the Roxette In Concert 2025 tour happened at Brottet in Halmstad. It was the 25th gig on tour, also sold out.

The support act was Melodic Fluke, just like the previous day, and they played for appr. 30 minutes from 20:00. Roxette took the stage a few minutes after 21:00.

After Sleeping In My Car, Per greeted the crowd and said it was nice to be back. He thinks Brottet is Sweden’s most beautiful venue and it’s always fun to play there. Mr. G also introduced the newest member of the Roxette family, the absolutely incomparable Lena Philipsson. The crowd cheered her loudly.

The setlist was the same as the night before, so the gang stuck to 20 songs.

For the last show, the hardcore fans prepared with two flashmobs. One of them – based on Sandra Knospe’s idea – was to raise our hands in the shape of a heart during It Must Have Been Love. So when Lena dedicated the song to our beloved Marie, we raised our hands and kept them in the air for almost the entire song. At least the first 2 rows in the audience did. Dea noticed the action and she also formed a heart.

During the band presentation, the front part of the audience was preparing for the next flashmob: they were blowing up balloons. It was Basia Konarzewska’s initiative to bring back the balloons for Joyride. Christoffer played Kärleken är evig as the intro to Joyride and it was wonderful to see Per and Lena’s faces, and then the crowd’s sing along reaction was cool too when they recognized what song it was. After the intro, the fans were waving the balloons and released them into the air when it came to the lyric „in a wonderful balloon”. It looked fab! Here you can see videos of it from two different angles (1; 2).

When Per and Lena returned to the stage for the encore, Per thanked the band and their fantastic crew for this tour as it was the last show until autumn. He thanked the support act as well. Then someone from the audience shouted he should thank Lena too, so Lena was laughing and she thanked Per and Per thanked Lena. Then they performed Spending My Time.

For me it’s hard to say which of the last three shows was the best, so I would say the second Gothenburg gig and the two Halmstad shows are in my Top5, along with the best concert in Munich and another amazing gig in Madrid.

The energy during all the shows was wonderful both on and off stage. Hats off to Dea, Clarence, Christoffer, Jonas, Magnus and Norpan for their amazing instrumental and vocal contribution to the Roxette sound! All the love to Lena for accepting the challenge and giving us the opportunity to enjoy all our most beloved Roxette hits live again! She is the newest member of the Roxette family and has earned the love of the South African, Australian and European audiences.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the genius who wrote all these hits and who always has the best sense of what works best with the song catalogue. Mr. G, the driving force behind it all!

And last, but definitely not least, Marie stays with us and is not only remembered during It Must Have Been Love, but her spirit is there throughout the entire show. Pelle is not forgotten either, Norpan keeps his light shining. Marie and Pelle, forever in our hearts!

After the concert we bumped into Valdemar Wahlbeck (who played Per in the Sommartider movie), Ville Löfgren (who played MP) and Moa Bondesson (who played MP’s girlfriend). It was their first Roxette show and they were impressed by it. No surprise!

The party was over at Brottet, but Hotel Tylösand organized a Roxette-themed afterparty at Leif’s Lounge, so most of the fans went to the hotel to join the fiesta. Per and the band together with their guests (with Jonas Åkerlund among them) had a separate summer tour leg closing party, also at Hotel Tylösand, but at Leif’s Terrace. When the band members arrived, we were able to thank them for the wonderful shows and the memories we had made together.

The DJ at Leif’s was a bit hard to convince to play Roxette songs at a Roxette-themed afterparty attended by Roxette fans, but sometimes we managed, so he played The Look, It Must Have Been Love, Neverending Love and Dressed For Success. He inserted some Gyllene Tider songs as well and Ännu doftar kärlek by Marie and Kärleken är evig by Lena in between ABBA songs and songs from the ’90s. Towards the end of the party we asked him to play Sommartider. At first he refused to play it, but then he realized that he couldn’t go against our will. Haha. So the night ended with Sommartider at 3 am. It was lovely to party together, not only at the concert, but also after the show.

Setlist

1. The Big L.
2. Sleeping In My Car
3. Dressed For Success
4. Crash! Boom! Bang!
5. Wish I Could Fly
6. Opportunity Nox
7. Fading Like A Flower
8. Vulnerable
9. Milk And Toast And Honey
10. Almost Unreal
11. Stars
12. She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
13. It Must Have Been Love
14. How Do You Do!
15. Dangerous

Band presentation

16. Joyride

Encore

17. Spending My Time
18. Listen To Your Heart
19. The Look
20. Queen Of Rain

Now 3 months off and the next stop is Budapest on 4th November! Check out all the tour dates and links to ticket sales sites HERE!

Photos in the article are taken by Patrícia Peres. More photos HERE!

Per after the gig:

Yoohoo! Amazing Sunday gig in Halmstad! 11000+ showing up. Fab vibe + super weather + band on its toes! Love this. Thanks for an amazing summer. See y’all in November but more pics + vids + love letters will pop up. Maybe some new music…. Stay tuned, folks!

Lena before the show:

Tonight it’s the last concert for this summer. This second tour with Roxette 2025. Thank you, Per, for bringing me along! It’s been a real joyride (well..literally haha, don’t know if I’ll ever bring back the keys…).

And thank you everyone for coming to see us. You’ve given us a lot of love. Sooo very happy about that, big kisses and hugs to you all! See you tonight!!

Lena after the show:

Amazing last show yesterday in Halmstad! I’ve had so much fun this summer. Thank you everyone for everything, thank you crew, musicians and production, you have all done a super job! Thank you Per and Åsa (all your photos!!) Thank you everyone who came to listen! Next tour around Europe in november-december 2025!

Roxette In Concert 2025 – Halmstad – 26th July 2025 – #24

July 27, 2025July 27, 2025 by Patrícia Peres

The last two shows on the summer tour leg are two sold-out gigs at Brottet in Halmstad. HERE you can watch a video of how long the queue was before the gates opened. So cool!

The support act was Melodic Fluke and they played for appr. 30 minutes at 20:00. Roxette took the stage a couple of minutes after 21:00.

After Sleeping In My Car, Per greeted the crowd and this time he also took the opportunity to welcome all the international fans in English. After that he couldn’t go on with his talk, because the front row started to sing „Olé, olé, olé, olé, Roxette, Roxette”. It was fun!

Mr. G also introduced the newest member of the Roxette family, the fantastic Lena. The crowd cheered her loudly and shouted her name: „Lena, Lena, Lena!” She said she felt great, „who wouldn’t feel great when in Halmstad.”

The setlist was the same as at the second Gothenburg gig, so Wish I Could Fly stayed in the set.

During the band presentation, all members got cheered loudly by the audience. Jonas played a little bit of Iron Man by Black Sabbath as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. (Thanks for recognizing it, Daniel Rezmann!)

Christoffer played Ljudet av ett annat hjärta as the intro to Joyride.

Before Queen Of Rain, Per thanked the audience for coming and said he hopes they would have a further nice summer and „see you next time! Maybe tomorrow?” Haha. „Take care of each other, it’s a crazy world out there!”

This show is definitely among the best gigs on this tour leg. It couldn’t top Munich, but it was very close to that. The energy on and off stage was incredible! I must say that Lena is always fabulous, but last night it felt like she wanted to do extra justice to the songs in their hometown. She was outstanding! I think it was her most powerful performance in her Roxette history so far.

In the audience there was Mats Olsson, Sven Lindström, Jan-Owe Wikström. Anders Roos was taking photos during the concert.

Setlist

Band presentation

16. Joyride

Encore

17. Spending My Time
18. Listen To Your Heart
19. The Look
20. Queen Of Rain

Without a day off, the next and last stop on this tour leg is Halmstad on 27th July! Check out all the autumn tour dates and links to ticket sales sites HERE!