Roxette XXX Tour – Locarno, Switzerland (Moon and Stars) – July 10 – #51

Concert No. 51 took place in a beautiful setting in Locarno. The last time Roxette played at the very same place, Piazza Grande was almost exactly 4 years ago, 14th July 2011. That was a sold out show with more than 12,000 people in the crowd. This time (according to Corriere del Ticino) appr. 6,600 people went to see Roxette. Actually, the huge main square looked so full, I can’t imagine how more people could fit there. Most of them were standing on the ground, but since there are houses, those who live there watched the show from their balconies. How cool is that! Wouldn’t we all want Roxette to play under our balconies if not in our living rooms?

After some disastrous and messed up inlets on this tour leg, the security team in Switzerland showed it can work in a much better way. Those Roxers who had been waiting in front of the open air venue all day could reach their well-deserved spots in the front row.

Roxette charmed the audience with their performance and yet another sweaty night it was for the band. Marie was shining and in top shape, Per was smiling all the time from ear to ear while jumping like hell. The band was very energetic, too and they animated the crowd continuously, however, the audience rather remained a bit reserved. The setlist got one song shorter than at the past few shows. It was again The Heart Shaped Sea that was left out.

Just like in Vienna an Austrian flag, in Locarno at the end of the concert a Swiss flag was thrown to the stage by long time Roxers Karin Rubischung and Jörg Zimmerli. Dea and Chris held it up, you can see it on this pic. Lovely!

To make sure everyone sees what is happening on stage, there were big screens on the 2 sides. Just like in Australia for the Sydney Opera House gig, the screens were showing everything in black & white.

Anders Roos, photographer of the upcoming XXX tour book this time fixed a camera to Christoffer’s guitar he is using during Dressed For Success and Dangerous. Quite curious about the result. We do hope we will get to see it one day!

Åsa is still on tour, so we can expect many cool videos appearing on Roxette’s Facebook page from the show.

Per’s words after the Locarno bonanza:

LOCARNO UPDATE: Allright!!! Could this be the most beautiful concert setting in the world? I dunno, but it sure makes your jaws drop when you’re standing on that stage!!! Wonderful crowd and a most asskickin’ band this hot Friday night. Thanx everyone for showing up, I dunno how many you were, looked like at least 10.000. Some sleep now, after some really stupid Pelle jokes, then it’s Zurich-time! See y’all tomorrow, folks!! Cheers, P.

Can you believe that only 10 shows are left and the European tour leg is over? My, oh my… Roxette stays in Switzerland for one more gig. Next show is in Zurich without a day off (11th July). Dear champagne lovers, don’t forget to party hard! 😉

 

Articles and photos

laRegione
Moon and Stars
Corriere del Ticino
demotix.com
rockon.it; on flickr.com
Roberto Finizio’s photos
Raffaele Photographer
photoanda.ch

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

Videos

She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
Fading Like A Flower / How Do You Do!

Instavideos
Sleeping In My Car
It Must Have Been Love
Dangerous

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 (intro: Vogel-Lisi)

Extra
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

 

Thanx for your help with the setlist, Karin Rubischung!

Roxette XXX Tour – Vienna, Austria (Stadthalle) – July 08 – #50

Vienna 2015
Pic by Micke N-S

Wow! What a show! I don’t know where to start. The band, the audience?

The audience was already quite in the mood for partying with Eskobar and got impatient when Roxette didn’t start at 20:30 sharp. But finally the lights went off and Marie and Per and the mighty band took the stage. The audience went wild, and that is wow with Austrian audience, who are usually a bit calmer. But who can resist to Roxette?!

I surprised myself crying when they started to sing Sleeping in my car. Yes, even if I have seen Rox a few times it is just pure happiness. Concert after concert. And when I turned around to see what was that loud noise coming from the audience I saw many people crying of joy too and just big smiles and happy faces. I turned around a few times after that during some big sing-alongs and … it is always a great feeling to see so many people enjoying your favourite band like that. Imagine how it must feel from the stage!

The entrance wasn’t perfect, so many people who had been waiting for hours didn’t end up in the first row. And some groups of friends were split, so it was the first concert (I think?) that I enjoyed a show on my own… But hey. Landed somewhere to the very right in front of Magnus, a side I hadn’t seen so far. And music connects so just had fun with my front row neighbours from Slovakia and Italy. I later found out many people who had been waiting since very early in the morning ended up 2nd-3rd row… But the awesome concert and all the energy and fun made up for it.

It was very hot in the Stadthalle and with Roxette the place was cooking. I hadn’t seen them play since Paris and I was positively surprised by the evolution and I was left with my mouth open a few times. What are they doing now? They just rock! Marie was super cool and crazy, adding lots of yeahs here and there, improvising, looking at everybody and flirting just the way she knows. Chris delivered awesome guitar solos that not only amazed the audience but also the guys and girls on stage. Did I hear Pelle improvising on She’s got nothing on too? Per as always jumping and moving and kicking (how many bruises does Chris have already? 😉 ). And again making eye contact. We love that! I am always amazed by all the energy he has and his big smile, which is just spreading to the audience.

One of the funniest moments was the Joyride intro. Chris played the Wiener Walzer. Per and Magnus started to dance (!) (not together), Marie was just all laughs playing air violin (!) and the others just laughing. Hope somebody recorded that!

All in all an awesome concert with an incredible loud crowd that just made me think once again Roxette is just the coolest funniest happiest best band ever! Pure fun! Thank you!

Per after the show:

VIENNA UPDATE! My Gosh, where will this end? Such a fab show tonite with the most wonderful crowd sweating almost just as much as we did!!! We had the best Wednesday imaginable, hope you did too! We’re so lucky to have these fab crowds all over the world, singing our songs and participating in the shows. Nothing would have been possible wthout you guys & dolls!!! The XXX European tour is soon over and we just want you to know that we’re truly blessed to have you all around!! Cheers, P.

Articles and photos

oe24.at
news.at
vienna.at
wegotit.at
kurier.at
krone.at

Videos

How Do You Do!
Joyride (including band presentation and Wiener Walzer intro)
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)
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 (intro: Wiener Walzer)

Extra
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

Roxette XXX Tour – München, Germany (Olympiahalle) – July 07 – #49

Certain things were cooking today. Two of them: Munich from the outside (36°C) and from the inside, or rather inside the Olympiahalle. 8300 enthusiastic people helped themselves with the heat and made the roof fly away at Roxette’s 49th show on this world tour in Munich.

For many die-hards the day was also the day of goodbyes: Goodbyes to fellow Roxers who they won’t see now for quite a while and the goodbye to Roxette, who played their last show in Germany. So for many it was quite sad and true when Per Gessle said that this will be the last concert for a while in Germany and therefore certainly a night to remember. Some fans even think there won’t ever be another Roxette tour, so they were prepared for a sad goodbye anyway.

Per, though, couldn’t have been more right. He might not have known at this very moment that the Munich show could reach the Berlin league, but this hot and sweaty summer night became one to remember. The sweat didn’t stop the audience from dancing, shouting, singing. There was such a tremendous noise in the Olympiahalle that some people in the standing area turned their heads, looking around and wondering if this really could be the audience singing. It was! I don’t think I have ever heard German fans sing this loud. It gave many of us int the front rows goosebumps and forced us to go on and on with clapping, jumping and singing – besides the heat that had weakened us tremendously while waiting outside for the doors to open.

Munich is almost always a blast, but this night was very very special. So, now, after the German leg of the tour is over it is easy to choose the best two shows: Berlin and Munich. The audience in both cities was cooking, could never be stopped and came to the show for one main reason: to party together with their idols from the past.

DSC00798
Photo by Kirsten Ohlwein

It didn’t  matter that not everything worked on stage and that the sound in the front rows wasn’t the best (it never is, I know that, but in this case, it was a bit worse than usual), it was enough to hear 8,000 people sing together. Again almost instantly when “How do you do” started and even more than at the other shows during “She’s got nothing on but the radio” audience and band became one. We tend to forget that “Radio” was a chartbreaker a few years ago, but the audience didn’t. So those two songs might have been the best tonight – they turned the last German show into a glowing memory for all of us!

Vienna tomorrow!

Per after the show:

MUNICH UPDATE: Oh yea, finishing the German leg of the tour in style. We had a blast tonight in front of a superb crowd, 8300 wild ones. So dear German friends, see y’all soon, it’s always a pleasure being here and enjoying your endless love, affection, beer and hospitality!!!! Danke schön! /P.

 

Articles and photos

merkur.de
Abendzeitung

Videos

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 (intro: Ein Prosit)

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look

Seminar about Marie’s book at Göteborg Book Fair

It seems that a seminar related to our beloved artists is a must at the Göteborg Book Fair lately. It’s the third year in a row when a Roxette / Per Gessle / Marie Fredriksson book is out and there is a seminar about them. In 2013 it was Sven Lindström’s fabulous Roxette – Den osannolika resan tur och retur, last year besides a cool pop quiz (1; 2; videos) it was Per’s most awesome books, Songs, Sketches & Reflections and Texter, klotter & funderingar and this year it’s Marie’s long-awaited biography, Kärleken till livet.

It would be wonderful to meet Marie at the book fair, but it seems that it will be only Helena von Zweigbergk, the author of the book who will appear there and talk about the book. The seminar is on Saturday, 26th September. It starts at 12:30 and lasts for 20 minutes. See the seminar program at THIS link on page 51. Helena will surely share much information at the book fair.

The book’s actual publishing date is 14th October according to the publishing company Piratförlaget, but it’s still 7th October appearing at Ginza, Bengans etc.

MF_HvZ_photo_by_Mattias_Edwall
Helena von Zweigbergk & Marie Fredriksson Photo by Mattias Edwall

 

Roxette XXX Tour – Bad Kissingen, Germany (Luitpold Park) – July 03 – #47

image
Photo by Kirsten Ohlwein

More sweat. More awesomeness.

Outstanding.

Keep this band playing forever!

Per after the show: 

BAD KISSINGEN UPDATE! Yes, another great concert in broad daylight (to begin with). Really lovely crowd. The heat was silly (hey we’re from Sweden, we’re not used to these temperatures!!!!) + lots of strange mosquitos the size of Pelle’s cymbals flying around…… but nevertheless a fab show!!! We loved every moment of it, I think you did too! Thanx for stopping by. Day off tomorrow, Formula One qualifying in the UK….can’t miss that…… Cheers, P.

 

Articles & Photos

Mainpost

Setlist

DSC00712
Photo by Kirsten Ohlwein

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 (intro: Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer)

DSC00708
Photo by Kirsten Ohlwein

Extra:
Listen To Your Heart
The Look