Per Gessle

Roxette In Concert 2025 – Prague – 6th November 2025 – #27

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After one day off, The Roxettes performed at a fully packed O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. It was the first fully seated show and since the entire arena is huge, this time there were screens on the sides of the stage so that everyone could see clearly from the back too.

The doors opened at 18:30. I remember that at this venue the security team has always done a thorough job and they are stricter than the airport security check. Nothing has changed in 10 years since Roxette performed here the last time.

The support act went on stage at 20:00 for half an hour. It was a Czech singer, Klára Vytisková with her band.

The photographers were let in at 20:45 and the band came on stage at 21:00 sharp. Already by the first tunes of The Big L. it was hard to stay seated and it got even harder by every song. The security guys didn’t let us stand up. Some people tried in the front, in the back, on the sides, on the upper seats, they all were told to sit down again. Haha. Yeah, it was a burden.

When Per introduced Lena, she said it’s her first time in Prague. She was strolling around and it’s a very beautiful city. And now she feels super great.

Even if we had to stay seated, the audience went wild and was very loud and active. After Dressed For Success Per praised the crowd „you sound great by the way”. The energy on stage got even more powered by the off-stage vibes and it turned out to be an amazing combo. What a most fabulous gig it was!

During the band presentation Per introduced Magnus as a great guitar player who is terrible at Trivial Pursuit. Haha. To the question of how he is doing Magnus replied: „you know what to do in Prague… You drink beer, you drink beer and you drink beer again like 80 times in a row. I think I’ll be sober on Sunday.” Haha. It’s always a treat to hear Clarence play a snippet from Neverending Love while Mr. G is showing off his dance moves. The most wonderful Dea, backing vocalist pearl, always with a huge smile on her face, is so energizing everytime you look at her. Jonas coming back from his 15-year break was amazing last night too. Norpan, the new kid on the block enjoyed giving every single beat to last nite. Christoffer, the last standing hippie in Sweden played a wild version of a Czech folk song, Holka modrooká as the intro to Joyride.

When Lena and Per came back for the encore and played Spending My Time, some more people stood up and the security guys still tried to convince us to sit down, but by Listen To Your Heart they couldn’t stop anyone. People rushed to the area in front of the stage and those who stayed at their seats, stood up. It was wonderful to see the whole arena standing and having the best of it during the last 3 songs. Christoffer went so wild during The Look that he even threw his hat in the air at one point. Lena picked it up and gave it back to Chris later.

Per said goodbye to the crowd with these words before Queen Of Rain: „Thank you so much for an outstanding Thursday! Wow! We hope to see you very very soon again somewhere down the road. Take care of each other! Stay safe and sound in this crazy world! We love you! Thanks for your support!”

Live Nation, please, take a note: next time it’s very safe to have a standing area on the floor in front of the stage and keep the seats only for the upper floors in Prague. Haha. Thank you!

The setlist hasn’t changed, it was the same as in Budapest 2 days ago.

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

Next stop is Helsinki on 9th November! Check out all the 2025 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:

Prague! Wow! What an amazing Thursday!! Felt like we’ve missed each other!!! Thanks so much for making this a wonderful memory. Love to come back to this beautiful city!!!!

Lena after the concert:

Thank you so much Prague for an amazing evening! Hope to see you soon again

Per Gessle’s new single with Lena Philipsson is out!

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Per Gessle has released a new single, Bad Blood, with Lena Philipsson. The single contains two tracks (on the vinyl edition):

Side A             Bad Blood
Side B             Bad Blood (Extended Version)

Per and Lena’s paths already crossed in the mid ’80s when Per, among other things, wrote the lyrics to Lena’s breakthrough song Kärleken är evig. In 2024 Per released a single, the title track from his duet album Sällskapssjuk, where Lena was his partner. Now it was time again!

Amidst the whirlwind of the Roxette in Concert 2025 tour, there were rare breaks in the packed schedule where Per had the chance to return home to Tylösand. With him, he brought the inspiration, impressions, and energy from the road. Rather than taking a break, he seized the opportunity to channel it all into songwriting. Together with co-producer Alex Shield, Per penned this brand new song. Naturally, he invited his touring partner Lena Philipsson into the creative process, leading to a brand new duet. The track to emerge from this session is Bad Blood.

PG says:

Being on the road with Roxette again is such a treat. It’s fab to meet the fans and to perform with the classic Roxette players. And to have Lena Philipsson onboard, singing and fronting the band has been nothing short of sensational. She’s amazing!

Inspired by all this I wrote a new song together with Alex Shield and just had to make a duet with Lena out of it. So here we are with “Bad Blood”! New dice before the xmas season kicks in and the Roxette tour continues all over Europe. I love the groove with the guitars up front and a “Stonesy” feel to it all. Hope you’ll enjoy it too! Cheers!

Listen to the single on any streaming platform (e.g. Spotify HERE) and don’t forget to order the physical copy, 7″ vinyl that is also released on 7th November at Bengans!

A lyric video is also out at 15:00 CET today! Watch it HERE!

 

Bad Blood

You’d rather keep me in chains
And stay so cold cold cold
Than to face what has faded
Than to see me go

Bad blood
Hard silence
Foul feelings
Yea, when I turn around I’ll never return

You’d rather see me cry
Lock me behind that door
Than to face all the facts on the table
Well we’ve been here before, yea

There was a time you needed me
just to keep you warm
There was a time I know
you wouldn’t let me go
Now there is nothing but the simple truth
You don’t need me around anymore

Bad blood – Now you get the rest of me
Hard silence – I can’t take it no more
Foul feelings
Yea, when I turn around I’ll never return

Bad blood
Black thunder
Blue mornings
When I turn around I’ll never return

Well, you got the best of me, baby

 

WRITTEN BY PER GESSLE + ALEX SHIELD + ARILD WAHL + LUDVIG WALLMON

PUBLISHED BY JIMMY FUN MUSIC

PRODUCED BY ALEX SHIELD + PER GESSLE

RECORDED AT F1 MUSIC STUDIO, STOCKHOLM + T&A STUDIOS, HALMSTAD IN DECEMBER 2024 + JUNE 2025

ENGINEERS ALEX SHIELD + MATS PERSSON

MIXED BY ALEX SHIELD AT F1 MUSIC STUDIO, STOCKHOLM IN JUNE 2025

PER GESSLE LEAD VOCALS + KEYBOARDS

LENA PHILIPSSON LEAD VOCALS

CHARLA K BACKING VOCALS

ALEX SHIELD ELECTRIC + ACOUSTIC GUITARS, BASS GUITAR + KEYBOARDS + BACKING VOCALS

ARILD WAHL DRUMS

LUDVIG WALLMON ELECTRIC GUITAR

PHOTOS BY ÅSA GESSLE. ARTWORK BY WICKHOLM FORMAVD., STOCKHOLM

Roxette In Concert 2025 – Budapest – 4th November 2025 – #26

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After 3 months off, the Roxette In Concert 2025 tour continues with the autumn leg. The gang arrived in sunny Budapest, Hungary for the first gig of altogether 18 fall shows in Europe.

In the morning I had the chance to meet Per and he sent a greeting to you all. Don’t miss it! You can watch the video HERE!

The concert was held in Budapest Aréna, the same place Roxette played in 2011 and 2015 as well. There was a standing area in front of the stage and seats in the back, and the merch stand was set on the side of the standing area. You could buy T-shirts and the wonderful Fredrik Etoall photo book signed by Per.

The doors opened at 18:30 and according to the schedule, Roxette was set to go on stage at 20:00. I’m always happy when there is no support act, however, I must admit there were a couple of good ones in Roxette’s history. But never in Hungary, so fortunately, this time they / Live Nation skipped to invite an opening act.

The stage was already set. There was no LED wall in the background, but the big silver curtain and projectors. There is a difference in the setting of the band members vs. previous shows. Now Dea is standing next to Clarence and Jonas is standing next to Norpan. Norpan has a smaller, more compact drum kit and a plexi drum shield.

The audience was shouting for Roxette before the show and the gang entered the stage at 20:15. The crowd was in a sing-along mood and to my biggest surprise they sang along loudly not only to the greatest hits, but even to Vulnerable. That was amazing!

The setlist hasn’t changed, it was the same as on the last Halmstad show in July.

The band and Lena and Per were in top shape and it felt like they were still in the flow. They had much fun on stage. There were a lot of interactions among the band members and between the crowd and them.

Lena dedicated IMHBL to Marie of course, and fans shouted: „we miss you, Marie!” That was lovely.

There was a fun hiccup during How Do You Do! Before they played the song, Per said „let’s see if you remember this one”. Then he was looking at his prompter, playing the intro and he said „let’s see if I remember this one”. Haha. He only skipped „do you caress / honey my heart’s in a mess”, but the crowd knew the lyrics.

Before Joyride, Per introduced the band members and Christoffer’s intro to the song was Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt, a very popular Hungarian folk song that is even more important nowadays for those who want a change in Hungary. The audience sang along very loudly.

All in all it was a fab start into this tour leg. I loved the energy on and off stage. I never in my wildest dreams could imagine that Per would ever return to Hungary, but I’m so glad they chose Budapest for the kick off. Ah, welcome back anytime!

There are no new guitar picks on this leg of the tour.

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

Next stop is Prague on 6th November! Check out all the 2025 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:

Yea. Budapest delivered!!! Thanks everyone for stopping by and singing along! Always a treat to play here!!!! See you soon again!!

Lena after the show:

Thank you so much Budapest! First gig on the tour done! Now we’re heading off to Prague leaving beautiful Budapest for now! Hope to see you soon again!

Per Gessle releases new music with Lena Philipsson and continues the Roxette tour

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Amidst the whirlwind of the Roxette in Concert 2025 tour, there were rare breaks in the packed schedule where Per Gessle had the chance to return home to Tylösand. With him, he brought the inspiration, impressions, and energy from the road. Rather than taking a break, he seized the opportunity to channel it all into songwriting. Together with co-producer Alex Shield, Per penned this brand new song. Naturally, he invited his touring partner Lena Philipsson into the creative process, leading to a brand new duet. The track to emerge from this session is “Bad Blood”.

Per Gessle says:

Being on the road with Roxette again is such a treat. It’s fab to meet the fans and to perform with the classic Roxette players. And to have Lena Philipsson onboard, singing and fronting the band has been nothing short of sensational. She’s amazing!

Inspired by all this I wrote a new song together with Alex Shield and just had to make a duet with Lena out of it. So here we are with “Bad Blood”! New dice before the xmas season kicks in and the Roxette tour continues all over Europe. I love the groove with the guitars up front and a “Stonesy” feel to it all. Hope you’ll enjoy it too! Cheers!

The Roxette in Concert tour kicked off with a groundbreaking show in Cape Town, South Africa February 2025, followed by Pretoria and then headed Down Under for nine unforgettable performances in Australia. With over 75,000 fans singing along, the energy was electric, proof once again of Roxette’s enduring global appeal.

Summer brought a string of shows across Europe, giving fans a rare chance to relive the soundtrack of their lives. With a fresh, powerful live production and that signature Roxette magic, the band delivered night after night to roaring crowds. The response has been extraordinary, with both critics and audiences praising the performances as some of Roxette’s finest.

And the journey isn’t over yet. This fall, the tour continues, starting in Budapest and wrapping up in Norway before the year ends. The Roxette in Concert band features a lineup of world-class musicians and long-time collaborators: Christoffer Lundquist, Magnus Börjeson, Magnus “Norpan” Eriksson, Dea Norberg, alongside original Roxette legends Clarence Öfwerman and Jonas Isacsson.

Bad Blood will be released November 7th on Warner Music Sweden and 4th of November the tour starts in Budapest, Hungary.

ROXETTE IN CONCERT – TOUR DATES FALL 2025

Nov 4th – Budapest, Hungary – Papp László Budapest Sportaréna

Nov 6th – Prague, Czech Republic – 02 Arena

Nov 9th – Helsinki, Finland – Veikkaus Arena

Nov 12th – København S, Denmark – Royal Arena

Nov 15th – Valencia, Spain – Roig Arena

Nov 16th – Barcelona, Spain – Sant Jordi Club

Nov 18th – Leipzig, Germany – QUARTERBACK Immobilien ARENA

Nov 20th – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

Nov 22nd – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena

Nov 23rd – Frankfurt, Germany – myticket Jahrhunderthalle

Nov 25th – Düsseldorf, Germany – Mitsubishi Electric Halle

Nov 26th – Nürnberg, Germany – Arena Nürnberger Versicherung

Dec 1st – London, United Kingdom – OVO Arena Wembley

Dec 4th – Linköping, Sweden – Saab Arena

Dec 5th – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Dec 10th – Oslo, Norway – Unity Arena

Dec 12th – Ålesund, Norway – SBM Arena

Dec 13th – Trondheim, Norway – Trondheim Spektrum

Press photo by Susanna Tajik; Photos of Per and Lena on the sleeve by Åsa Gessle

PRESS RELEASE in Swedish

Nominate “Joyride – The Musical” for BroadwayWorld’s Sweden Awards 2025!

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BroadwayWorld is the largest theatre site on the internet, covering Broadway, the West End and beyond to 100 US cities, 45 countries and in 12 languages worldwide. With over six million monthly visitors, BroadwayWorld delivers complete up-to-the-minute Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theatre news.

Nomination period for their 2025 Sweden Awards is now open! You can nominate your favourites HERE! In 2024, Joyride was nominated in 11 categories and won 9 of them! Category 12 was Favourite Local Theatre where Joyride was played and Malmö Opera was a winner.

The 2025 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. BroadwayWorld’s editors have set the categories and now YOU get to nominate and vote for your favourites! Nominations are reader-submitted and will be open through October 31.

After the nomination period ends, BroadwayWorld’s editors will proof the list for eligibility and errors, then voting will begin in early November and run through December 31. Winners will be announced in January 2026.

The categories in which the Stockholm version of Joyride – The Musical (and China Teatern) can in any way be nominated are the following:

  • Best Choreography Of A Play Or Musical
  • Best Costume Design Of A Play Or Musical
  • Best Direction Of A Musical
  • Best Ensemble
  • Best Lighting Design Of A Play Or Musical
  • Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance
  • Best Musical
  • Best Performer In A Musical
  • Best Scenic Design Of A Play Or Musical
  • Best Sound Design Of A Play Or Musical
  • Best Supporting Performer In A Musical
  • Favourite Local Theatre

As a little help, check out the cast and creatives of Joyride – The Musical and nominate HERE!

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