Roxette XXX Tour – Madrid, Spain (Palacio Vistalegre) – May 13 – #27

After a most awesome opening gig in Milan last Sunday, the European tour leg’s second show happened in Madrid. Many started wondering if Spain can beat Italy. People are loud there, too, but it felt like Milan was a tough act to follow. Not that it makes sense to compare one concert to another, since each gig is special and unique. The venue in the Spanish capital was a much bigger one, appr. 6000 people attended the show. The concert wasn’t sold out, but the arena looked quite packed.

Lots of fans had been waiting all day outside the venue to be the first ones to enter Palacio Vistalegre in the evening. This was the first Euro show with the support act Eskobar. (Read the interview Judith did with them some days ago.)

Roxette was to hit the stage at 21:30, but the show started only appr. 30 minutes later. Mañana (=tomorrow) is a frequently used word in Spain, they love taking it easy, but you shouldn’t be late when there is another show mañana in another city. Fans started worrying about the setlist being shortened because of the delayed start and they were right. 17 songs were played, the band skipped Almost Unreal.

The most common expressions regarding the concert used by the Spaniards are ”grandes” and ”conciertazo” meaning the band was absolutely great and it was an awesome concert. Per was extremely energetic, jumping and stomping even more than in Milan and joking all the time. Marie and Dea charmed the audience with a perfect Watercolours In The Rain performance. Magnus and Chris were so much on a high that at a point Magnus even fell on his bum and Chris dropped his guitar. Haha, pure rock & roll! Christoffer played ”Viva España” as the intro to Joyride and it worked very well with the cheering Spanish crowd.

Spanish fans never disappoint, they were singing their hearts out during the whole show and all the international fans who also attended the concert joined them. They were onehelluva loud crowd! As usual, Spanish hardcore Roxers prepared some fun. Instead of wigs this time they were wearing chicken hats. It surely made the band smile and we’ll probably get to see them in some short vids on Roxette’s Facebook page.

Per & Co. after the show:

MADRID! OH YEA! Fab gig tonite in front of the loudest crowd since I don’t know when! We had a blast and even did a jam session at the very end of Listen To Your Heart. Unexpected. Even for us!!! Thank you everyone who made this an everlasting memory for all of us!!!! Vids tomorrow. Barcelona as well. Cheers! /P&Co

Next gig is on Thursday (14th May) in Barcelona, Spain.

Articles and photos

Instagram: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14;

diariovasco.com
es.noticias.yahoo.com
mercadeopop
Live Nation ES
hola.com

Videos

It Must Have Been Love
Watercolours In The Rain / Paint
Fading Like A Flower

Instavideos
Sleeping In My Car
Spending My Time
The Look

The bow

 

Setlist

roxette_in_madrid
Pics by Tiina Pitkänen (1; 2)

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

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

 

Thanx for the contribution, Nina Wolfframm.

Solsken’s report from Barcelona

Our reader Solsken sent us his personal review for Roxette’s Barcelona concert. Thanks!

BEFORE THE CONCERT
The waiting outside Palau Sant Jordi was really a long one, although I got there quite late. We had to give it all during the rain and due to the relatively cold weather for what Barcelona is. I was later told that such a rainy waiting was something common for several Rox concerts during the year. I just made us fight for what we desired – be there as close as possible to the band, which was achieved after some running and some annoying multiple-checking of the ticket for the show. The selection of which cameras enter and which not was also somewhat ridiculous, especially as mine stayed outside. It doesn’t matter, it’s all recorded in my head.

THE CONCERT & THE BAND
What can I say – a Roxette concert, from the 4-5th row: it can only be a magical experience with these songs and this band. I think Marie almost never struggled with the lyrics and delivered, what a woman, admire her strength!!! Once again I was impressed by the energy Per shows on this tour. I read somewhere (a stupid journalist?) that he has learned all the typical guitarist movements, but in fact they were his own movements which we know so well and I personally like a lot and expect to see. So he was full of energy and so interactive with the audience.

He also had a great gresture toward Marie he came after Perfect Day, and we were shouting “Marie, Marie”. Great musician and a great show by him personally. The same is the case for Magnus and Helena’s jumping during The look – they went so crazy… and great to watch. And what about Mr. von Lundquist: he can make an amazing guitar solo on every song: his versions of The Look, 7-27, and She’s got nothing on sound such rockingly great to me!

Of course, you always miss what you know can happen – like Sould depp & Watercolours in the rain, but you can’t always get everything you want… Oh, I almost forgot: I hadn’t seen the new lights and they really are not something excessively bombastic (which I think would be unnecessary), but they fir the songs very well and I personally enjoyed them very much – a very good decision. Chris’s Barça anthem really made the people go crazy, as well as Per reading (rather than speaking) Catalan!!! During that second episode is when the “Gessle, Gessle” shouting started.

THE AUDIENCE
I can only talk about the ones that were in the front, since I was always looking forward, so that I don’t I miss a moment of the show, like when I was fighting with the camera. I think in the front row it was really lively with all the jumping, shouting and singing, which never stopped, expected for some tender moments like Marie’s Perfect day during which is sang in a different (not so crazy) well. I think we did quite well with It must have been love, Spending my time and during the first verse of Fading like a flower (‘cos Marie asked).

We also sang “na na na na na na” in the Beatles style, after singing it in the Roxette style first during The look. I was particilarly pleased that we could sing the whole two verses of How do you do while Per was playing (with) the single guitar chord; we then sang it once again during the “real” song. And I am also very pleasued about the attendence – 8.200 (I read it on Facebook) is a great number considering the late change of venue and the zero promotion, except from some free newspaper and a radio station once in a while.

So, as I said, we had the “Marie, Marie” & the “Gessle, Gessle” cheering, we also tried to sing Happy birthday when Clarence was presented, but I think it wasn’t really heard from the stage. The “TACK!” coloured sheets of paper that we held were, as RXB says, a really good idea. Thanx to the more organized and crazier fans for this!!! And we also sang “oe, oe, oe” (or “ole, ole, ole” or something like that) several times and Roxette seemed to like that continued reaction:))

THE AFTER PARTY
As you know, there was an after party organized I think by RoxSpain (I don’t know the people personally, so excuse me if I’m wrong; in any case Thanx for the organization). I am not usually the center of any party, but it was really great to have 2.30h (due to late arrival) of only Rox-related songs. And we got to hear some Charm School demos!! The music was perfectly selected and I really enjoyed people’s response to Opp Nox and Crash on you, which are among my personal favorites.

THE EXPERIENCE
Apart from all already said, I had the chance to meet the band at the airport and I can only say that they are such nice people!!!! And that those seconds, especially with Per, are something I will never forget.

Party after the concert in Madrid and Barcelona? We need your help!

Roxspain, the Spanish Fanclub, is working to organise an after-concert party in Madrid and Barcelona to celebrate the return of Roxette to our country. The party in Madrid would probably be the day before the concert. The one in Barcelona right after the concert.

We would like to know how many of you would assist to these parties so that we have an idea what kind of pub or disco we should book for that.

Please  go to the events we created on Facebook and click on “YES, I will attend”:

Madrid event

Barcelona event

or answer this poll.  Thank you!

 

[poll id=”3″]

Updated: Barcelona concert sold-out, got moved to bigger venue

Posted August 23: Both Ticketmaster.es and Servicaixa.com websites no longer sell tickets for the intimate Barcelona concert at Sant Jordi Club on 19th November 2011. This means that over 3,000 tickets are gone and the show is sold out. You still have a chance to see Roxette on the Spanish soil – in Madrid on 18th November. Palacio Vistalegre takes up to 14,000 people, so there are still some tickets left.

Thanks to Mariana Gumuzio for this information.

Update September 7: Great news for Spanish fans! Due to strong demand the concert got moved to the much bigger Palau Sant Jordi. This is what Live Nation Spain posted today:

CHANGE OF LOCATION OF ROXETTE’S CONCERT IN BARCELONA! Due to the huge demand for tickets by the fans of  the Swedish band, the concert of ROXETTE in Barcelona will be moved to PALAU SANT JORDI.

The tickets bought so far are valid for both the standing and the sitting areas.

NEW TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE ON FRIDAY 9TH AT 10!

Tickets can be purchased at the links mentioned above and directly at livenation.es.  Roxette played in Palau Sant Jordi both in 2001 and in 1994. The new location is right next to the initially planned Sant Jordi Club. The Club just takes up to 3,000 people, which is very little and was more or less clear that the concert would have to be moved. Palau takes, in comparison, up to 24,000 people, when all the seats are available.

More dates in Europe and other countries to be added to the Roxette World Tour 2011

In addition to the 2 dates in Spain, which were announced on Friday, we are expecting the rest of the tour dates to be announced in short. Per Gessle mentioned in various interviews in February that 25 more dates would be added to the tour.

Just like in November, when the tour was announced, Per Gessle told via his Facebook website that there would be more news “on March 14th.” However, yesterday afternoon he wrote this update:

No big press release today due to circumstances beyond our control. Anyway, between you and me, it was all about a six-week extension of the Rox tour, taking place between X and Y. More info will follow shortly I’m sure.

Cheers, P.

These are the dates we know so far:

– 16 October – Mannheim, Germany (not confirmed!!)
– 18 November – Madrid, Spain – tickets go on pre-sale March 16th and normal sale on March 18th.
– 19 November – Barcelona, Spain -tickets go on pre-sale March 16th and normal sale on March 18th.