RoxetteBlog

Roxette XXX Tour – Vienna, Austria (Stadthalle) – July 08 – #50

July 10, 2015July 9, 2015 by Judith

Wow! What a show! I don’t know where to start. The band, the audience?

The audience was already quite in the mood for partying with Eskobar and got impatient when Roxette didn’t start at 20:30 sharp. But finally the lights went off and Marie and Per and the mighty band took the stage. The audience went wild, and that is wow with Austrian audience, who are usually a bit calmer. But who can resist to Roxette?!

I surprised myself crying when they started to sing Sleeping in my car. Yes, even if I have seen Rox a few times it is just pure happiness. Concert after concert. And when I turned around to see what was that loud noise coming from the audience I saw many people crying of joy too and just big smiles and happy faces. I turned around a few times after that during some big sing-alongs and … it is always a great feeling to see so many people enjoying your favourite band like that. Imagine how it must feel from the stage!

The entrance wasn’t perfect, so many people who had been waiting for hours didn’t end up in the first row. And some groups of friends were split, so it was the first concert (I think?) that I enjoyed a show on my own… But hey. Landed somewhere to the very right in front of Magnus, a side I hadn’t seen so far. And music connects so just had fun with my front row neighbours from Slovakia and Italy. I later found out many people who had been waiting since very early in the morning ended up 2nd-3rd row… But the awesome concert and all the energy and fun made up for it.

It was very hot in the Stadthalle and with Roxette the place was cooking. I hadn’t seen them play since Paris and I was positively surprised by the evolution and I was left with my mouth open a few times. What are they doing now? They just rock! Marie was super cool and crazy, adding lots of yeahs here and there, improvising, looking at everybody and flirting just the way she knows. Chris delivered awesome guitar solos that not only amazed the audience but also the guys and girls on stage. Did I hear Pelle improvising on She’s got nothing on too? Per as always jumping and moving and kicking (how many bruises does Chris have already? 😉 ). And again making eye contact. We love that! I am always amazed by all the energy he has and his big smile, which is just spreading to the audience.

One of the funniest moments was the Joyride intro. Chris played the Wiener Walzer. Per and Magnus started to dance (!) (not together), Marie was just all laughs playing air violin (!) and the others just laughing. Hope somebody recorded that!

All in all an awesome concert with an incredible loud crowd that just made me think once again Roxette is just the coolest funniest happiest best band ever! Pure fun! Thank you!

Per after the show:

VIENNA UPDATE! My Gosh, where will this end? Such a fab show tonite with the most wonderful crowd sweating almost just as much as we did!!! We had the best Wednesday imaginable, hope you did too! We’re so lucky to have these fab crowds all over the world, singing our songs and participating in the shows. Nothing would have been possible wthout you guys & dolls!!! The XXX European tour is soon over and we just want you to know that we’re truly blessed to have you all around!! Cheers, P.

Articles and photos

oe24.at
news.at
vienna.at
wegotit.at
kurier.at
krone.at

Videos

How Do You Do!
Joyride (including band presentation and Wiener Walzer intro)
The Look

Setlist

Sleeping In My Car
The Big L.
Stars
Spending My Time
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Crush On You
She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
The Heart Shaped Sea
Watercolours In The Rain / Paint
Fading Like A Flower
How Do You Do!
It Must Have Been Love
Dressed For Success
Dangerous
Joyride (intro: Wiener Walzer)

Extra
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

Roxette XXX Tour – München, Germany (Olympiahalle) – July 07 – #49

July 9, 2015July 8, 2015 by Kiwein

Certain things were cooking today. Two of them: Munich from the outside (36°C) and from the inside, or rather inside the Olympiahalle. 8300 enthusiastic people helped themselves with the heat and made the roof fly away at Roxette’s 49th show on this world tour in Munich.

For many die-hards the day was also the day of goodbyes: Goodbyes to fellow Roxers who they won’t see now for quite a while and the goodbye to Roxette, who played their last show in Germany. So for many it was quite sad and true when Per Gessle said that this will be the last concert for a while in Germany and therefore certainly a night to remember. Some fans even think there won’t ever be another Roxette tour, so they were prepared for a sad goodbye anyway.

Per, though, couldn’t have been more right. He might not have known at this very moment that the Munich show could reach the Berlin league, but this hot and sweaty summer night became one to remember. The sweat didn’t stop the audience from dancing, shouting, singing. There was such a tremendous noise in the Olympiahalle that some people in the standing area turned their heads, looking around and wondering if this really could be the audience singing. It was! I don’t think I have ever heard German fans sing this loud. It gave many of us int the front rows goosebumps and forced us to go on and on with clapping, jumping and singing – besides the heat that had weakened us tremendously while waiting outside for the doors to open.

Munich is almost always a blast, but this night was very very special. So, now, after the German leg of the tour is over it is easy to choose the best two shows: Berlin and Munich. The audience in both cities was cooking, could never be stopped and came to the show for one main reason: to party together with their idols from the past.

It didn’t matter that not everything worked on stage and that the sound in the front rows wasn’t the best (it never is, I know that, but in this case, it was a bit worse than usual), it was enough to hear 8,000 people sing together. Again almost instantly when “How do you do” started and even more than at the other shows during “She’s got nothing on but the radio” audience and band became one. We tend to forget that “Radio” was a chartbreaker a few years ago, but the audience didn’t. So those two songs might have been the best tonight – they turned the last German show into a glowing memory for all of us!

Vienna tomorrow!

Per after the show:

MUNICH UPDATE: Oh yea, finishing the German leg of the tour in style. We had a blast tonight in front of a superb crowd, 8300 wild ones. So dear German friends, see y’all soon, it’s always a pleasure being here and enjoying your endless love, affection, beer and hospitality!!!! Danke schön! /P.

Articles and photos

merkur.de
Abendzeitung

Videos

Setlist

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

Seminar about Marie’s book at Göteborg Book Fair

July 7, 2015 by Patrícia Peres

It seems that a seminar related to our beloved artists is a must at the Göteborg Book Fair lately. It’s the third year in a row when a Roxette / Per Gessle / Marie Fredriksson book is out and there is a seminar about them. In 2013 it was Sven Lindström’s fabulous Roxette – Den osannolika resan tur och retur, last year besides a cool pop quiz (1; 2; videos) it was Per’s most awesome books, Songs, Sketches & Reflections and Texter, klotter & funderingar and this year it’s Marie’s long-awaited biography, Kärleken till livet.

It would be wonderful to meet Marie at the book fair, but it seems that it will be only Helena von Zweigbergk, the author of the book who will appear there and talk about the book. The seminar is on Saturday, 26th September. It starts at 12:30 and lasts for 20 minutes. See the seminar program at THIS link on page 51. Helena will surely share much information at the book fair.

The book’s actual publishing date is 14th October according to the publishing company Piratförlaget, but it’s still 7th October appearing at Ginza, Bengans etc.

MF_HvZ_photo_by_Mattias_Edwall — Helena von Zweigbergk & Marie Fredriksson Photo by Mattias Edwall

Roxette XXX Tour – Bad Kissingen, Germany (Luitpold Park) – July 03 – #47

July 6, 2015July 3, 2015 by Kiwein

More sweat. More awesomeness.

Outstanding.

Keep this band playing forever!

Per after the show:

BAD KISSINGEN UPDATE! Yes, another great concert in broad daylight (to begin with). Really lovely crowd. The heat was silly (hey we’re from Sweden, we’re not used to these temperatures!!!!) + lots of strange mosquitos the size of Pelle’s cymbals flying around…… but nevertheless a fab show!!! We loved every moment of it, I think you did too! Thanx for stopping by. Day off tomorrow, Formula One qualifying in the UK….can’t miss that…… Cheers, P.

Articles & Photos

Mainpost

Setlist

Sleeping In My Car
The Big L.
Stars
Spending My Time
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Crush On You
She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
Watercolours In The Rain / Paint
Fading Like A Flower
How Do You Do!
It Must Have Been Love
Dressed For Success
Dangerous
Joyride (intro: Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer)

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

Roxette XXX Tour – Stuttgart, Germany (Porsche Arena) – July 02 – #46

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 by Kiwein

The first things that come to my mind when thinking about the Stuttgart show? Heat, 34°C outside, no air condition inside the arena, strange waiting lines outside by people who don’t know what a queuing order is, a door that opens much later than the other which means that half of the die-hard Roxers who waited there since 9 in the morning didn’t make it to the front row (things like that happen, yes, but it’s annoying, every single time), sweat, sweat, sweat, fainting people and more sweat.

How it’s possible that a concert can take place in an Arena without air conditioning when it’s THAT hot outside – I don’t know. It shouldn’t. It’s pretty dangerous to gather people in front of stage and not give them enough fresh air to breathe. This has to be said at this place. It’s not Roxette’s fault, of course, but it has to be said anyway. I have never seen any Roxer being that wet after the show. We looked like as we were in heavy rain but certainly not a concert. When somebody asks me in three years about the Stuttgart show 2015, I will most probably say: It was one of the best Roxette shows of the leg, but it was much too hot, really silly and dangerous.

Which brings me to my next point: the show! What a show! Wow! The heat most certainly did not affect the band and did most of all not affect Marie. She also had a hard time with the heat but her voice didn’t. This could have probably been the best vocal performance by Marie on this leg and it’s most definitely the second best show of the German leg after Berlin. Maybe the only reason why this show can’t top Berlin is that the last spark between audience and band didn’t catch fire. Don’t get me wrong – the audience was great, cheering, full of love and support and understanding, but Berlin is hard to top. It’s just a feeling, but what happened in Berlin is probably a “once in 100 shows” thing.

But Stuttgart comes close for sure. The band sweat their asses off, Per was soaked at the end of the show and he had even changed his shirt. Go figure!

Highlights tonight most certainly were Listen To Your Heart, Crash!Boom!Bang! and The Heart Shaped Sea which for me worked for the first time in seven shows that I have attended so far. Finally I could actually hear Marie. The song which is meant to be a duet found its way back to the duet. Thanks for improving this, guys!

Marie was in top top top shape, which means that some of her gestures and faces reminded of the 1994 Marie. There’s so much energy, determination and love for what she does in her and it totally showed today. She doesn’t have to stand or walk around to let it show. All she needs is her mic, a cheering audience and a good day. It was astonishing to witness these flashback moments. It’s all there in her and you get the most exciting concert when she has a day to show all this.

The whole band seemed even more energetic than in Mannheim, which also was a great show, but this one topped it for many reasons: audience, Marie’s top top top shape, the awesome sound that this arena provided (finally the music was louder again which meant we couldn’t hear ourselves singing which was different in Dresden and Mannheim) and an dialogue improvising Per who didn’t care about the heat and ran his ass off on stage. To say he was soaking wet is probably an understatement.

This show comes right after Berlin, no doubt. One of my highlights of the show was this dialogue:

Per: “We played here four years ago. Were you there?”
Audience cheering.
Per: “I was here.” (pointing at Marie) And you were here. I remember you.”
Marie: “And I remember you. Thank God.”

It says so much, it says a lot lot lot about Roxette, about everything around it, about Marie. Maybe it’s all you need to know when you attend a show.

Per after the show:

STUTTGART UPDATE: Oh yeah! 34 degrees on stage and the whole arena was cookin’!!! Fab gig tonight, folks. Thanx for stopping by and making us sweat a bit…… Lovely to see so many people having such a good time. Loads of familiar faces in the front rows! Nice!!!! The Rox machine moves with ease to Bad Kissingen tomorrow. Cheers! /P.

The next show is on July 3rd in Bad Kissingen.

Articles and photos

Photos by Marco Franzese
Stuttgarter-Zeitung.de

Videos

Setlist

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look