The last gig of the tour took place in Spiez, Switzerland on Saturday at the Seaside Festival. Beautiful surroundings, wonderful weather, a tight band and a loud audience made it a fab Saturday night and an amazing closing of the tour.
The stage was quite high, but at least during Church Of Your Heart we had the chance to see the whole band together. It has been one of the highlights of the concerts ever since COYH was added to the setlist.
There were such great vibes that even the security guys at the front joined in with all the clapping and waving coreography. You’ve got to love them!
Chris played Vogellisi as the intro to Joyride.
Thank you, Per, for still having the driving force, for your neverending energy, for your enthusiasm, for giving your babies a new life on stage and for bringing your most awesome music to us live again all around the globe! Things will never be the same, of course, but I’m so glad you found Lena and that you could start a new live chapter of Roxette. This amazing song catalogue deserves to be played live and to make people happy in this crazy world out there. Thank you for keeping these songs alive and, through them, keeping Marie’s memory alive as well.
Thank you, Lena, for accepting the challenge and for performing our most beloved songs with so much respect and passion! You can be truly proud of yourself! These songs are now part of your DNA as well. Dedicating It Must Have Been Love to Marie every night warmed my heart. And what I appreciate so much is that you never try to imitate Marie. You bring your own voice, your own personality and your own emotions to these hits, making them your own. Yet your vocal power and the way you connect with these songs show that you come from the same musical roots as Marie. It’s a beautiful combination of honoring what came before while creating something that is uniquely yours. Thank you also for giving Stars a whole new meaning. It has become one of the highlights of every gig.
Thank you, Dea, for your vibrant energy, your amazing backing vocals, for coming to the front, and for paying attention to every little detail! Your interaction not only with the band members but also with the fans is truly exceptional. Thank you for all the fun, the joy and the sparkle you brought to every show!
Thank you, Clarence, for your unmistakable touch on these songs! Always a joy to watch you play these hits live! And I think I’ve never seen you sing along to these songs as much as you have on this tour, it’s been a pleasure. Also thank you for playing the tunes of Neverending Love, it’s been another highlight of every concert. Just a tiny snippet of a 40-year-old song, yet one that made us so happy every single night.
Thank you, Jonas, for coming back after all these years and for picking up those guitars as if you’d never been away. I know you missed playing these songs over the years and we certainly missed hearing you play them. Yet you came back with the same unmistakable touch, as if there had never been a break at all. Thank you for bringing your incredible guitar riffs back to the stage and for creating that special 6-string magic night after night. It’s been such a joy to have you back!
Thank you, Chris, for your pure rock & roll hippie spirit, for your amazing talent on every instrument you played on tour, for all the local tunes that brought the crowds even closer to the gang and for those fun guitar battles with Per. Your flying moments are forever burned into my retina. Haha. Thank you also for creating Content Chris, bringing some backstage moments closer to us in your own fun and spontaneous way whenever you felt like it. Your energy, humor and pure joy of being on stage have been such a pleasure to watch throughout the tour.
Thank you, Magnus, for the amazing bass sound, for your always elegant yet fun presence on stage, as well as for your little stand-up comedy sessions every time Per asked you, “How are you, Magnus?” Haha. You always managed to make every band introduction unique and it was always a joy to stand in front of you in the audience.
Thank you, Norpan, for the beats, for bringing your own energy to the band and for being the new kid on the block who keeps the whole thing moving. And thank you especially for the beautiful tribute to Pelle during Listen To Your Heart. A wonderful way of keeping Pelle’s spirit alive on stage.
And of course, a huge thank you to the whole crew behind the scenes – for taking care of the gear, instruments, lights and sound, make-up, schedules, and for working hard every single day to make everything happen on time. Even with the tight schedules and shorter set-up times at festivals, you always made it work. It’s always fun to watch you setting up the stage and getting everything ready for another show. It’s also an enjoyable part of the whole concert experience.
And finally, thank you to everyone who gave this new live chapter a chance, whether you are a longtime hardcore Roxer or a newcomer. It’s always so much fun to be one of those voices standing in front of the stage, singing along to these amazing hits that never get old. I often say it’s worse than any drug, once you’ve experienced it, you just want more. And since every night is live, every night is special. I truly hope I get to experience it all again. ’Cos it all begins where it ends.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but as Per mentioned, it looks like the live adventure will most likely continue next year! I’m already looking forward to it!
Setlist
1. The Big L.
2. Sleeping In My Car
3. Dressed For Success
4. Crash! Boom! Bang!
5. Fading Like A Flower
6. Church Of Your Heart
7. Stars
8. She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
9. It Must Have Been Love
10. How Do You Do!
11. Dangerous
Band presentation
12. Joyride
13. Spending My Time
14. Listen To Your Heart
15. The Look
16. Queen Of Rain
Photos in the article are taken by Patrícia Peres. More photos HERE!
Per after the gig:
Amazing finale of the summer tour in magical Spiez, Switzerland. The perfect Saturday in my book! Thanx all you Roxers everywhere who made this year’s tour possible, can’t thank you enough for your endless support. New dice next year!
Lena after the show:
Thank you Spietz/Schwitzerland for an amazing Roxette gig yesterday! A perfect ending on a perfect summer!