Media

German promoter Marek Lieberberg joins Live Nation

by

4Not really Roxette news, but a little bit related in the end: Live Nation Entertainment is partnering with German concert promoter Marek Lieberberg to form Live Nation Concerts Germany, promoting concerts and festivals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – beginning January 1, 2016.

This is indeed news because it means that Marek Lieberberg leaves his own company “Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur” – the one agency responsible for the huge festivals “Rock am Ring” and “Rock im Park” in Germany and also responsible for the Roxette shows in Germany and the Party Crasher tour back in 2009. The Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur belongs to German ticketing company CTS Eventim.

The ticketing for Live Nation Concerts Germany will be in the hands of Ticketmaster Germany. Ticketmaster Germany will serve as the lead ticketing company for the new venture, which probably means that the tickets get a bit more expensive in Germany than they already are, but that is just my humble opinion.

According to their own statement, Live Nation offers more than 23.000 shows for 60 million fans in over 40 countries. The “Lieberberg deal” is supposed to add another 700 shows and two million fans.

Australian media about Roxette’s tour: TV, radio and contest

by

10172738_10152044402680178_3736147522337777958_nTour dates for Australia and New Zealand were announced this week and it seems Australians are very happy about the news! So here is a collection of what’s been going on this week on Australian media.

Newspapers have covered the news extensively, and are currently running a contest to win 10 double passes for each of the five Roxette concerts in Australia. You can find more details about the contest on News Corp Australia newspapers (state links: Daily Telegraph, The Advertiser, Herald Sun, Perth Now, Courier Mail).

And there were a few radio interviews with Per, like the one on KOFM 102.9 (see embedded audio below) radio or or Gold104.3 where Per revealed that he started writing new songs for Roxette some months ago and that they will get into the studio in August to record some new material and will start rehearsing in September. Per also explains he spends about 15-20 minutes a day updating Roxette’s Facebook page, and that he likes this kind of communication, “in the old days there was such a huge gap between you and the audience, nowadays you can interact with your fans in a total different way.” He also tells that he likes to know what fans think about this and that, “for me it’s pretty cool to find out what people are interested in, sometimes I ask people questions what they want to hear, and you get like 2000 answers, it’s fun to read.” Regarding Eurovision Song Contest 2014, Per thinks the winner song by Conchita Wurst’s “Rise Like a Phoenix” is a nice song, but he thinks the show is very long. Besides that, he wrote some songs for the Song Contest many years ago (without any big success).

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/149624368″ params=”color=0066cc&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Australian TV also reported about the come back of Marie and Per to down under:

 

The Today Show

 

 

News about the upcoming Roxette biography

by

As revealed some months ago, Swedish author Sven Lindström (“Att vara Per Gessle” in 2007) is preparing a new biography about Roxette. An interview with “Sydsvenskan” now confirmed the ongoing work. He visited Roxette at the South American tour and is now waiting for more interviews to complete the book for a likely release in 2013. Sven about the project:

It’s a pretty unlikely story, both about how they broke through, and how they came back a few years ago. There will also be an insight into the fans’ relationship to the band.

It is a dramatic story that this band has been through, and I think it will be quite surprising when you see the big picture. They have done a trip like no band in Sweden have done.

Source: Sydsvenskan | Thanks to Roxettecafé for digging this out!

Chat with Per Gessle on Aftonbladet

by

Per Gessle chatted with the readers of Aftonbladet.se yesterday afternoon. Here is the link to the full chat transcript.

And here some of the questions and answers summarized and translated into English (or not, since some were placed and answered in English):

Chefi: Any concerts in Sweden this year?

Per: No, they already played in Göteborg, Stockholm and Malmö last year, so time to take a little break. Nearest place: Copenhagen. (Except for the Orifame corporate show).

Aaryn: When are the USA tour dates being announced?

Per: Hi Aaryn. This month we hope. Some logistics have to be sorted out first, that’s it!

Mike: Chance to see Gyllene Tider on tour again?

Per: Sure! Just have to find the right time.

Beatriz: Per, I’ve been fan since I was a kid..I was in your last concerts (Madrid and Barcelona) in Spain, how does it feel to see that crowd screaming and jumping even without any kind of promotion? Cheers! Beatriz

Per: Hi Beatriz. We have the greatest fans on the planet! Without you guys this tour wouldn’t have been possible. Cheers!

Frida: Do you recognise the fans who go to many of your concerts?

Per: sure! Many belong to the “family”, some also come to different continents with us. It’s great to have them around.