Roxette

Roxette XXX Tour – Sydney, Australia (Qantas Credit Union Arena) – February 27 – #24

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When was the last time we wrote the actual gig was the best so far? Couldn’t have been too long ago, but this cliché has to be used again. After the Sydney Opera House gig, which was already a highlight during this leg of the tour, Roxette was able to provide thousands of people in the same city with an out-of-the-world experience tonight at Qantas Credit Union Arena. And you know they really did when die hard Roxers compare the concert to top South American ones and also when your Aussie Roxer friend calls you in Europe on your mobile just to let you know the gig was un-focken-believably awesome. Then you just feel you s.h.o.u.l.d.h.a.v.e.b.e.e.n.t.h.e.r.e.

Was it the effect of attending a fantastic Foo Fighters show yesterday (Per & Co., many Roxers and even more Sydney people attended that gig) or just being in a hyperactive mood today? Doesn’t really matter. The band was absolutely on fire! Marie rocked big time, acting a lot with the audience, being so powerful and her voice was in top top top shape. The crowd could see a hot hot hot Per who was bouncing around more than ever, jumping a lot in his own choreography, conducting all sing-along parts energetically. Mister Magnus showed he is a much better dancer than Michael Flatley and Christoffer’s Waltzing Matilda drove the whole arena crazy. Dea put all her energy into animating the crowd and her backing vocals sounded marvellous. Pelle was hitting the drums harder than usual and Clarence did magic on the keyboards. All roxtars on stage!

What about the crowd? They were the loudest, most clapping-jumping-dancing party people on this leg of the tour, constantly proving proudly they knew all the lyrics by heart. This was definitely a very important factor that made the band so damn good tonight. So much adrenaline and goosebumps all around!

The setlist got its 18-track length back and with The Look at the end, having a high pulse, it was the hardest thing to say goodbye to Roxette and leave the arena.

Per’s comment after the show:

SYDNEY #2 UPDATE: Wow wow wow! Whatasplendidevening!
We had a blast and it felt and looked like you did too!!! Overwhelming appreciation is what I feel right now. Wonderful farewell show in Sydney! LOVE TO COME BACK! ANYDAY!!! Newcastle tomorrow!! Then it’s bye-bye! /P.

Can Roxette do an at least as magical concert tomorrow as they did today? Next gig is on Saturday (28th February) at Bimbadgen Winery, Hunter Valley (A Day on the Green). That’s gonna be the last one in Oz. For a while.

 

Articles and photos

Instagram: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18;
Twitter: 1; 2;

Troy Constable Photography (fab shots)
Qantas Credit Union Arena (photos)

 

Videos

How Do You Do!
Christoffer playing Waltzing Matilda
Joyride
The Look

Instavideos:
Sleeping In My Car: 1; 2;
The Big L.
It Must Have Been Love: 1; 2;
How Do You Do!
Fading Like A Flower
The Heart Shaped Sea
Dangerous
Dressed For Success
Joyride: 1; 2; 3; 4;
Almost Unreal
Listen To Your Heart
The Look: 1; 2;

 

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

Extra:
Almost Unreal
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

 

Roxette XXX Tour – Sydney, Australia (On The Steps at the Sydney Opera House) – February 25 – #23

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When this once-in-a-lifetime show was announced in December last year, all Roxers felt very proud of Roxette. I mean how cool is that that they perform at the Sydney Opera House! OK, the gang didn’t play inside the building, but still, what an honour to have the chance to do a concert at the forecourt of such an iconic venue. Per thought so, too: “To play this show on the steps of the Sydney Opera House is an absolute honour and is sure to be a major highlight of the tour!”

It was raining cats and dogs during the day, but fortunately, it stopped by the time Roxette got on stage. Everyone was impressed by the view all around, both the crowd and the band. From the stage the Sydney Opera House and the beautiful audience on the steps could be seen and people who went to party with Roxette got to see a very cool stage set in front of them, as well as huge screens. The only thing I didn’t really understand why the screens showed all what happened on the colorful stage in black and white. Never mind. The stage background was different versus what we saw so far on this tour leg, but the lighting design was the very same.

The place looked so fantastic that Per even joked with the crowd they (the band) wouldn’t mind if the crowd turned their backs towards them to watch the beautiful view. Actually, the view was so stunning Per and Mister Magnus couldn’t help taking a selfie in the middle of the stage with the Opera House in the background. It was before they started to play Crush On You, when they usually have their conversation about Magnus’s fave Rox album. They didn’t give that discussion a miss this time either.

The acoustics of the site were quite good, so not only the band, but the crowd sounded awesome, too.

Regarding the setlist, it seems the more steps are involved, the shorter the setlist gets. The Heart Shaped Sea and Almost Unreal were left out, so the band charmed the audience with only 16 songs.

Per after the show:

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE UPDATE: Wow, what a gig! The most beautiful setting ever? Could be! Great show tonite, super crowd and no rain!!!! Who can ask for more? Thanx for showing up, all you beautiful people!
See you Friday at the Quantas Credit Union Arena. Prepare to kick ass! /P.

Can you believe that only 2 shows are left on this leg of the tour? Next gig is on Friday (27th February) at Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney.

 

Articles and photos

Instagram: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24;

gettyimages.com (photos)
thedailytelegraph.com.au (review)
amnplify.com.au (photos)
dailymail.co.uk (review with photos)
theaureview.com (photos)
smh.com.au (review)
maytherockbewithyou.com (review; photos)
Troy Constable Photography (beautiful photos)

 

Videos

Spending My Time
It Must Have Been Love
Watercolours In The Rain / Paint
Fading Like A Flower
Crush On You
Joyride
Listen To Your Heart

Instavideos:
Per’s ”Good evening, Sydney!”
Spending My Time: 1; 2;
It Must Have Been Love: 1; 2;
How Do You Do!
Fading Like A Flower
Christoffer’s Waltzing Matilda performance
Joyride: 1; 2;
Listen To Your Heart: 1; 2;
The Look: 1; 2; 3;
The Look from a far-away balcony

 

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

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

 

Roxette XXX Tour – Wollongong, Australia – February 23 – #22

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The seventh show of this leg of the tour happened in Wollongong, not too far away from Sydney. The crowd there was not the most animated of all, but they still enjoyed the gig, just not as loudly and actively as other Aussie audiences. At least during the first half of the concert. They didn’t feel like getting up from their seats until they heard the real greatest hits. One can judge Per / Roxette for doing greatest hits shows instead of playing e.g. one album per concert, but it’s really those evergreens that make the wider audience sing along louder and make some moves. Marie, Per and the band put full energy into their performance and for the second half of the concert they succeeded in getting most Wollongong people on their feet. From then on, big part of the audience were shaking their booties till the last guitar string sound in The Look. Hopefully, Mister Magnus is doing fine after he fell over at the end. There he laughed, so surely there are no issues.

After having a rest for one show, The Heart Shaped Sea was performed again, so the setlist was the same as in Melbourne.

Per after the concert:

WOLLONGONG YEA! Superb gig tonite, especially the second half which became “a splendid time guaranteed for all”! A few mistakes musically on my behalf (and I guess the keyboard-player had OD’d on green tea or something during The Big L…).
Outstanding crowd. Thanx all of you for stopping by and sharing these beautiful moments with us. See y’all next time! /P.

Next gig is on Wednesday (25th February) in Sydney. That’s gonna be a special show, On the Steps at the Sydney Opera House.

 

Articles and photos

Instagram: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5;

rockclub40.smugmug.com (photos)

 

Videos

Instavideos:
It Must Have Been Love
Dressed For Success: 1; 2;
The Look: 1; 2;

 

Setlist

Roxette_in_Wollongong
Pic by Celestte Williams

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:
Almost Unreal
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

 

Roxette XXX Tour – Yarra Valley, Australia – February 21 – #21

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As we already wrote about it, tonight’s concert was sold out in the Yarra Valley. Approximately 11,000 people went to see Roxette at Rochford Wines. Those walking around the place could bump into Roxette lyrics everywhere, since the organizers of A Day On The Green put signs including the lyrics to several spots (1; 2; 3; 4). The DJ playing Sommartider before the show was a real surprise both for the die hard fans and for the band & crew. The song didn’t have much effect on the rest of the Australian audience though.

The whole scenery was quite picturesque. Roxette started playing in the sunset. The weather was hot, more than 40 degrees, so no surprise Per posted the question ”First time in shorts on stage???” before the concert. You guessed it, he was too coward to wear shorts during the performance, but at least he left the glam rock jacket backstage. He could have joined Marie in white though. This was their first open-air concert since long and on this tour leg this was the first one with screens on the sides, so that everyone in that huge area could clearly see what was happening on stage.

What was happening on stage? Magic! Yeah, again. Marie was sitting this time, too and she was – as expected – on a high and Per was bouncing around as usual. The band helped the crowd feel the weather even hotter than it already was. Actually, the security guys wanted to make the audience sit, but you can’t help jumping up from your seat when you hear those Rox tunes. You just can’t. So the security team gave up and let the crowd party.

The setlist tonight had even more of a festival length. Compared to the past 3 concerts they now left out The Heart Shaped Sea, so in the end it was 17 songs performed.

PG after the show:

A DAY ON THE GREEN UPDATE: Truly magnificent evening. Thanx everyone for making this such a memorable night. We had a blast in spite of the crickets trying to kill us!!!
Day off tomorrow, flying to Sydney! Vids coming up eventually, dears! /P.

Next gig is on Monday (23rd February) in Wollongong, Australia.

 

Articles and photos

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

Rochford Wines – Yarra Valley (photos)
A Day On The Green – LUSH Images (photos)
festivalsofaustralia.com (photos)

 

Videos

It Must Have Been Love

Instavideos:
Joyride
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)
Watercolours In The Rain / Paint
Fading Like A Flower
How Do You Do!
It Must Have Been Love
Dressed For Success
Dangerous
Joyride

Extra:
Almost Unreal
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

 

Roxette XXX Tour – Melbourne, Australia – February 20 – #20

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Some hours before showtime Per promised ”hitting Melbourne hard tonite”. And they did! Most Roxers who attended several gigs during the New Zealand – Australia leg of the tour said this concert was the best so far. We hear it quite often when it comes to Roxette, don’t we? Even those who saw them at the same venue almost exactly 3 years ago said tonight was something more special. I tend to believe them.

Marie again decided to be sitting during the whole show, so one could be very sure about the fact that her singing would be extra sensational. She sings her heart & soul out gig by gig. Per and the band were also full of energy and rocked the stage, acting a lot, paying a lot of attention to Marie. The crowd loved every minute and showed how to party, standing and dancing from the very beginning instead of sitting in their seats. They also knew the lyrics well enough to sing along each and every song.

Many in the crowd mentioned this is how a band should sound live and Roxette should teach other groups how to do it right. It’s oh so true!

There was no change in the setlist vs. the last 2 concerts.

Per & Marie & Co. about the outstanding concert:

MELBOURNE GIG SUMMARY. We had an unforgettable evening tonite. Thanx for showing up all you 9000 Roxers. i know you had a good time judging by your faces + the noise you made singing!!!! Truly fantastic. What a lovely Friday! Lots of love from P&M&Co.

Next gig is on Saturday (21st February) in Yarra Valley (A Day on the Green), Australia. A big part of tonight’s Rod Laver Arena party Roxers will probably show up also at Rochford Wines to see the band again.

During the concert, the number of InstaRoxers became 1000. In case you are not following Roxette on Instagram yet, click here to reach their account that was created only a week ago or look for @realroxette on insta.

 

Articles and photos

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

Carbie Warbie (photos); more photos from CW
amnplify.com.au (photos)
theage.com.au (review)
rockclub40.ning.com (review + beautiful photos)
amnplify.com.au (review)
thedwarf.com.au (review + 60 beauty shots)
stkildanews.com (review with 1 photo)

 

Videos

Sleeping In My Car
Spending My Time

Instavideos:
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Fading Like A Flower
How Do You Do!
Joyride
The Look
Marie & Per waving goodbye

 

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

Extra:
Almost Unreal
Listen To Your Heart
The Look