Jens Peterson, Aftonbladet’s journalist, did an extensive report from the Warsaw concert on 19th June this year. He has also interviewed Per Gessle about his plans around the current World Tour and attitude to social media websites like Facebook or Twitter. Here are the most interesting quotes:
Response from fans is huge. The films are viewed by between 70,000 and 100,000 people. We get 500-600 new friends on Facebook every day.
[Band and crew have wondered whether there is a risk to put out too much on Facebook, but] this fear I can give a shit about. If you like Roxette, you get information every day. And it’s fun to do it. I wonder what it would’ve been like if this was when I was growing up. When I loved David Bowie over everything else – just imagine I would have gotten so much information. Or Lennon.
Yes, I do [Facebook & Twitter] almost exclusively on computer. I have an iPhone at home. In Sweden, I use my iPhone and I surf on the net on the way from the airport. I spend quite a lot of time on computer every day.
[Being active in social media] is really unlike me, because I’m not super technical and not much interested in the web. I’m not interested in the media itself. But one must applaud YouTube.
It’s so easy [to film everything with an iPhone]. I film a lot and choose the best clips. There may be two or twenty movies a day.
I do not think so [I use Facebook and Twitter more than traditional media], but I’m doing as little press as possible. I have seen how journalists in the Czech Republic and Spain built articles they write on the facts from our Facebook page.
The successes of the first half of the tour means that Roxette will be travelling with a larger stage and more equipment. We need to improve it a bit for the autumn tour.
Source: Aftonbladet