Roxette In Concert

Roxette In Concert 2025 – Halmstad – 27th July 2025 – #25

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The last summer show on the Roxette In Concert 2025 tour happened at Brottet in Halmstad. It was the 25th gig on tour, also sold out.

The support act was Melodic Fluke, just like the previous day, and they played for appr. 30 minutes from 20:00. Roxette took the stage a few minutes after 21:00.

After Sleeping In My Car, Per greeted the crowd and said it was nice to be back. He thinks Brottet is Sweden’s most beautiful venue and it’s always fun to play there. Mr. G also introduced the newest member of the Roxette family, the absolutely incomparable Lena Philipsson. The crowd cheered her loudly.

The setlist was the same as the night before, so the gang stuck to 20 songs.

For the last show, the hardcore fans prepared with two flashmobs. One of them – based on Sandra Knospe’s idea – was to raise our hands in the shape of a heart during It Must Have Been Love. So when Lena dedicated the song to our beloved Marie, we raised our hands and kept them in the air for almost the entire song. At least the first 2 rows in the audience did. Dea noticed the action and she also formed a heart.

During the band presentation, the front part of the audience was preparing for the next flashmob: they were blowing up balloons. It was Basia Konarzewska’s initiative to bring back the balloons for Joyride. Christoffer played Kärleken är evig as the intro to Joyride and it was wonderful to see Per and Lena’s faces, and then the crowd’s sing along reaction was cool too when they recognized what song it was. After the intro, the fans were waving the balloons and released them into the air when it came to the lyric „in a wonderful balloon”. It looked fab! Here you can see videos of it from two different angles (1; 2).

When Per and Lena returned to the stage for the encore, Per thanked the band and their fantastic crew for this tour as it was the last show until autumn. He thanked the support act as well. Then someone from the audience shouted he should thank Lena too, so Lena was laughing and she thanked Per and Per thanked Lena. Then they performed Spending My Time.

For me it’s hard to say which of the last three shows was the best, so I would say the second Gothenburg gig and the two Halmstad shows are in my Top5, along with the best concert in Munich and another amazing gig in Madrid.

The energy during all the shows was wonderful both on and off stage. Hats off to Dea, Clarence, Christoffer, Jonas, Magnus and Norpan for their amazing instrumental and vocal contribution to the Roxette sound! All the love to Lena for accepting the challenge and giving us the opportunity to enjoy all our most beloved Roxette hits live again! She is the newest member of the Roxette family and has earned the love of the South African, Australian and European audiences.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the genius who wrote all these hits and who always has the best sense of what works best with the song catalogue. Mr. G, the driving force behind it all!

And last, but definitely not least, Marie stays with us and is not only remembered during It Must Have Been Love, but her spirit is there throughout the entire show. Pelle is not forgotten either, Norpan keeps his light shining. Marie and Pelle, forever in our hearts!

After the concert we bumped into Valdemar Wahlbeck (who played Per in the Sommartider movie), Ville Löfgren (who played MP) and Moa Bondesson (who played MP’s girlfriend). It was their first Roxette show and they were impressed by it. No surprise!

The party was over at Brottet, but Hotel Tylösand organized a Roxette-themed afterparty at Leif’s Lounge, so most of the fans went to the hotel to join the fiesta. Per and the band together with their guests (with Jonas Åkerlund among them) had a separate summer tour leg closing party, also at Hotel Tylösand, but at Leif’s Terrace. When the band members arrived, we were able to thank them for the wonderful shows and the memories we had made together.

The DJ at Leif’s was a bit hard to convince to play Roxette songs at a Roxette-themed afterparty attended by Roxette fans, but sometimes we managed, so he played The Look, It Must Have Been Love, Neverending Love and Dressed For Success. He inserted some Gyllene Tider songs as well and Ännu doftar kärlek by Marie and Kärleken är evig by Lena in between ABBA songs and songs from the ’90s. Towards the end of the party we asked him to play Sommartider. At first he refused to play it, but then he realized that he couldn’t go against our will. Haha. So the night ended with Sommartider at 3 am. It was lovely to party together, not only at the concert, but also after the show.

Setlist

1. The Big L.
2. Sleeping In My Car
3. Dressed For Success
4. Crash! Boom! Bang!
5. Wish I Could Fly
6. Opportunity Nox
7. Fading Like A Flower
8. Vulnerable
9. Milk And Toast And Honey
10. Almost Unreal
11. Stars
12. She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
13. It Must Have Been Love
14. How Do You Do!
15. Dangerous

Band presentation

16. Joyride

Encore

17. Spending My Time
18. Listen To Your Heart
19. The Look
20. Queen Of Rain

Now 3 months off and the next stop is Budapest on 4th November! Check out all the tour dates and links to ticket sales sites HERE!

Photos in the article are taken by Patrícia Peres. More photos HERE!

Per after the gig:

Yoohoo! Amazing Sunday gig in Halmstad! 11000+ showing up. Fab vibe + super weather + band on its toes! Love this. Thanks for an amazing summer. See y’all in November but more pics + vids + love letters will pop up. Maybe some new music…. Stay tuned, folks!

Lena before the show:

Tonight it’s the last concert for this summer. This second tour with Roxette 2025. Thank you, Per, for bringing me along! It’s been a real joyride (well..literally haha, don’t know if I’ll ever bring back the keys…).

And thank you everyone for coming to see us. You’ve given us a lot of love. Sooo very happy about that, big kisses and hugs to you all! See you tonight!!

Lena after the show:

Amazing last show yesterday in Halmstad! I’ve had so much fun this summer. Thank you everyone for everything, thank you crew, musicians and production, you have all done a super job! Thank you Per and Åsa (all your photos!!) Thank you everyone who came to listen! Next tour around Europe in november-december 2025!

Roxette to announce autumn tour leg in Europe

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PRESS RELEASE – In 2016, Roxette did what we believed was to be the last ever concerts. Now, nearly a decade later, Roxette’s frontman, songwriter and founder Per Gessle picks up the torch and brings the iconic hits back to the stage. Joined by Swedish pop sensation and superstar Lena Philipsson, Roxette In Concert is set to embark on their highly anticipated arena tour across Europe this fall – following a series of exclusive shows and festival appearances this summer.

Tickets for Roxette In Concert go on sale Friday May 9th at 10:00 am CEST! (Live Nation, Ticketmaster)

The first leg of Roxette In Concert has just come to an end – and it has been a massive success. Kicking off with a groundbreaking performance in Cape Town, South Africa, the tour continued through Pretoria, and then moved on to nine unforgettable shows in Australia. The energy was electrifying, with over 75,000 fans singing along to the iconic anthems, proving once again the timeless appeal of Roxette’s music. The response has been extraordinary, with both critics and fans celebrating the powerful performances.

“We may only be in the first quarter of 2025, but Roxette is already the top contender for the best live show of the year.” – Sheldon Ang Media

“More than just a concert, it was a reminder of what live music is supposed to be: uplifting, electric, and unforgettable.” – Music Festivals Australia

“The setlist was a masterclass in hit-making, from the sweeping ballad It Must Have Been Love to the high-energy How Do You Do! and Joyride. The encore delivered peak nostalgia – Spending My Time and Listen to Your Heart brought the emotion, while The Look had the crowd on their feet. Closing with Queen of Rain, Roxette proved that even after all these years, their music still resonates.” – Newcastle Live

It’s been five years since Roxette lost Marie Fredriksson to cancer, a devastating loss that left family, friends, and fans in grief. Yet, their legacy lives on, with their songs continuously streamed, played, and enjoyed by old and new supporters around the world.

“The first leg of the tour has been an incredible experience. It’s been really emotional and powerful to reconnect with the fans and bring Roxette’s music back to the stage. The response has been overwhelming. Marie will always be irreplaceable, but I’m lucky to have found an amazing voice and brilliant performer in Lena Philipsson. I co-wrote Lena’s first major hit back in 1986, and she’s one of Sweden’s brightest stars.” – Per Gessle

“The first part of the tour has been absolutely amazing! Working with Per and performing these iconic songs has been a true joy. I’m so excited for what’s to come next.” – Lena Philipsson

Later this year, Roxette brings their impressive show to cities across Europe, offering fans a rare opportunity to relive the soundtrack of their lives – with a fresh, powerful live production and the same timeless magic that made Roxette one of the most successful pop acts of all time.

The highly anticipated arena tour will follow a select run of summer concerts across Europe, including several major festival appearances and four already sold-out shows in Sweden.

The live band features long-time Roxette collaborators and world-class musicians: Christoffer Lundquist, Magnus Börjeson, Magnus “Norpan” Eriksson, Dea Norberg, along with original Roxette legends Clarence Öfwerman and Jonas Isacsson.

ROXETTE IN CONCERT – TOUR DATES 2025 EUROPE

  • June 12 – Bergen, Norway – Bergenfest
  • June 20 – Fredrikstad, Norway – Idyll
  • June 21 – Viborg, Denmark – Forever
  • June 23 – Munich, Germany – Tollwood (SOLD OUT)
  • June 27 – Madrid, Spain – Noches del Botánico (SOLD OUT)
  • June 28 – Mérida, Spain – Teatro Romano de Mérida
  • July 4 – Kestenholz, Switzerland – St. Peter at Sunset
  • July 12 – Weert, The Netherlands – Bospop
  • July 13 – Zottegem, Belgium – Rock Zottegem
  • July 17 – Pori, Finland – Pori Jazz
  • July 23 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Trädgårdsföreningen (SOLD OUT)
  • July 25 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Trädgårdsföreningen (SOLD OUT)
  • July 26 – Halmstad, Sweden – Brottet (SOLD OUT)
  • July 27 – Halmstad, Sweden – Brottet (SOLD OUT)
  • November 4 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Aréna (NEW)
  • November 6 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena (NEW)
  • November 15 – Valencia, Spain – Roig Arena (NEW)
  • November 16 – Barcelona, Spain – Sant Jordi Club (NEW)
  • November 18 – Leipzig, Germany – Quarterback Arena (NEW)
  • November 20 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom (NEW)
  • November 22 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena (NEW)
  • November 23 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle (NEW)
  • November 25 – Düsseldorf, Germany – Mitsubishi Electric Halle (NEW)
  • November 26 – Nuremberg, Germany – Arena Nürnberger Versicherungen (NEW)
  • December 1 – London, England – Wembley Arena (NEW)
  • December 4 – Linköping, Sweden – Saab Arena (NEW)
  • December 5 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena (NEW)

Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson on Efter fem

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Per Gessle and Lena Philipsson were guests on Efter fem, TV4 last Sunday. HERE you can watch Anna Brolin’s interview with them.

The program starts with people from the streets singing Roxette songs. Anna says there is no doubt that fans are excited about the upcoming Roxette tour that starts in Cape Town in February. She asks Per and Lena how it feels. Lena says it feels good now. They have started the rehearsals and she is focusing on planning now. She has already started looking at lyrics to try to get into it already now. Per says it’s a test for Lena to learn all the lyrics. PG thinks it’s easier for him, because it’s complicated to learn all the chords, but he has a relation to the lyrics, because he has written all of them. He says they have started acoustic rehearsals and it’s really exciting. Anna asks them if the rehearsals go well. Per says they haven’t argued too much. Lena confirms. Haha. She says it’s going well and they look to the future. There are many songs to sink your teeth into, but it’s fun. She is really looking forward to doing this.

Anna asks Per how it feels to bring the Roxette catalogue around the world again. Mr. G says it feels fantastic. It was quite a difficult decision. He has been wondering what he would be going to do with it or if he would leave everything alone. It has taken him many years to decide. The main point is that there is a whole world out there that still loves this music. He has written basically all the songs that Roxette has recorded, so they are very much his babies in a way. But the token only fell into place when he worked with Lena a year ago in connection with that thing [he points at the new album that is on the table in front of Anna], the Sällskapssjuk album… In the studio he realized how good Lena is. She could sing these songs.

Anna says she is very curious about that call that was made after, but before they get down to that, here comes a little background info about both Per and Lena’s career.

Johan Macéus talks about Gyllene Tider, their first three albums, then the first connection between Lena and Per in 1986 when Per wrote the song Kärleken är evig, Lena’s success at Melodifestivalen. The same year, Per recorded the song Neverending Love with Marie Fredriksson. They called themselves Roxette and Roxette soon became a success in Sweden. In 1989 they also broke through in the USA with The Look. It Must Have Been Love was in the movie Pretty Woman and became a worldwide hit in 1990. Over the years, Roxette topped the charts again and again, they toured all over the world and have sold around 75 million albums. Lena won Melodifestivalen in 2004. Now the two stars unite. Last spring, they released the song Sällskapssjuk together as part of Per Gessle’s newly released duet album.

Per explains that the album is full of duets and one of them is with Lena. When PG worked with Lena in the studio, he felt that she was really good. Lena has all the qualities needed to be able to sing Roxette songs. It’s not the easiest thing, Per says. Anna asks him what qualities Lena has. Lena is laughing here, but Per says she has a personality and energy and she sings cleanly and nicely. She has everything a good singer should have.

Anna asks Lena if she agrees. Lena asks Anna if she really should answer that question. Haha. She says Roxette songs are quite extensive and demanding. They demand a woman.

Anna wants to know what made Per think that they should do something more together. PG says it was something he talked about before. It’s a decision that has taken a very long time to make and he needed these little things like feedback from the big Roxette audience around the world. Many have wanted this to happen. He notices from streaming numbers that Roxette is just keep getting bigger and bigger. Roxette is more than 30 years of his life. So when Lena came into the studio and he heard her singing, he thought, shit, that’s not a bad idea. He was thinking how he should ask her. He didn’t ask directly. A few weeks passed before they met again.

Anna turns to Lena and asks her how it happened. Lena says she was down there in Halmstad and sang this duet Sällskapssjuk. Actually, Per asked her if she would go to Halmstad or if she would rather record in Stockholm. Then Lena thought she would go down to Halmstad, because then she would be in Per’s environment and then they could bond a little and maybe have some dinner. It might lead to something more. Then afterwards, it didn’t take that long. Per says it was three weeks, Lena says it was a few days until Per contacted her and said they should meet, because he wanted to ask Lena a question. Lena doesn’t know what she expected. Maybe some tour together or some more songs together. She was very surprised when it was this particular question. She wasn’t prepared for that at all. Anna is curious what the question was exactly. Lena says it was a straight up question. Per asked her if she would like to join Roxette on tour. She was surprised and started thinking that it can be difficult, because then she has to sing Marie’s songs. She was wondering how it would be received. It’s not an easy task for another artist to step in and do it. Per was very excited and thought this would be fun. He told Lena that she should do her own thing. Then Lena was thinking for a little while and then she said yes. Per says it was a good decision.

Anna says they were digging a bit in the archives and found out that there is one thing that is common in Per and Lena’s creation of music. Both Per and Lena have created Sweden’s most famous na-na-na-na-na-nas. Here they show the two songs where they sing na-na-na-na-na-na. Per says he thought Anna was going to say that they had Sweden’s two strangest dialects. Haha. Lena says, that too. Haha.

Anna asks her guests what their relationship is to each other’s music. Per and Lena look at each other and they say na-na-na is apparently the secret link between them. Haha. Lena says they come from the same era and they have been in the music industry for a very long time. Per says the music industry is different today versus when they started. He adds that there is no 40-year age gap between them, they are both veterans. There are a lot of meeting points. Per doesn’t say it was better before, but it was different.

Anna turns to Lena and asks her about her relationship to Roxette songs in particular. These are very big songs, as she also mentioned before and they demand a woman. Anna is curious if there are any songs that Lena feels like it’s an honour to sing. Lena probably feels that with all the songs actually. She thinks the whole mission is like that, that she feels that it is important to shape up and do it really well. She absolutely feels that. It doesn’t apply to a specific song, it applies to everything. If she has to mention songs, then it’s the biggest hits, of course. That they make them so that it feels good and everyone is happy. It Must Have Been Love, Spending My Time, Dressed For Success.

Anna asks Per what the feedback from the fans was after the announcement was made and the dates were out. PG experiences a huge interest. One can see that in the ticket sales. People don’t really know what they are buying. Lena adds that it’s more like a pig in a poke. Haha. Per thinks it’s cool, because Lena is a magically talented singer and she is also magically good on stage. So if you don’t know who Lena is and you go to Melbourne or to Perth and see Roxette next year, you’ll be shocked at how good it is. Per is completely convinced of that.

Lena says she always finds it difficult when expectations are set this high. She doesn’t really like it, but she will do her best. She can’t do anything other than do her best. People around the world don’t know who she is. So she leans towards the fact that she is also Swedish and that it was Per who has chosen her, so it’s his fault. You can always blame it on him. Haha.

Anna says the tour starts in Cape Town, then they go to Pretoria, then around Australia, Munich and there are a few dates in Sweden, but only in Halmstad and Gothenburg. She asks what happened to Vetlanda. Lena is wondering too. Haha. Per says there will be more gigs in Europe next summer, but not all the dates are out yet. He can’t promise that Vetlanda will be there, but they can discuss it.

Anna says Per was on many world tours, he knows touring life very well. She asks what tips he has for Lena regarding a world tour. Per says it’s not much different than touring in Sweden. It’s a prerequisite that you like to be on tour. He thinks that both Lena and he does. It’s great to meet people. You get an enormously positive energy from being on tour. But you also have to take care of yourself. Sleep properly. There is a lot of waiting. Waiting at airports and waiting for everything. Per turns to Lena and says she has to go to bed on time. Haha. Lena agrees that there is no difference. It’s the same routine anyway. You check in at a hotel, rest before the concert, you go to the venue, sit in the dressing room and get ready. Then you have to perform and do a good job. It’s the same, just further away. Per says everything is about the concert. That’s the priority.

Anna says Lena and Per have known each other for a very long time. PG corrects her and says they don’t know each other very well. They have had parallel careers, they have run into each other at the Grammys, stuff like that, but they haven’t hung out. Lena says maybe they do that now on tour.

Anna says Per talked pretty nicely about Lena musically. Now she is curious what Lena thinks is the brilliance of Per. Lena says she doesn’t know how many songs Per has managed to write. It’s incredible! It’s crazy! He has exactly the same energy all the time. He is just as curious, just as interested in working as always, in a tireless, fantastic way. One is just full of admiration for this. Per says Lena is so kind and thanks for her words. He adds that it means he is very old. Lena says it means he is very talented.

Anna asks Per what the allure of going on tour with this incredible song catalogue is. Mr. G says that the journey Marie and he got to take part in is absolutely fantastic. If you look back at those eight years between 1988 and 1995, their heydays, it’s an unimaginable journey. There is almost no one who has experienced it from Sweden. So it’s clear that Per is longing to go back to that time. Now that he has the opportunity to hopefully be able to do it again, it just feels super exciting.

Anna wants to know what he is longing for most of all. Per says you are longing to come to new cultures, new countries, cities and people who even you don’t understand what they say, because they speak other languages, but they know every single song, every line of lyrics that you have written yourself. It’s an amazing experience, no matter if it is in Buenos Aires or in Warsaw or wherever.

Anna asks Per if it can happen that when they hang on to this a bit more, some more music can come from the two of them. Per says they don’t know. Anna turns to Lena if there can be more songs like this duet they released. Lena says she has no idea. It is Per who is writing. She has no idea what the future brings. They start with the tour and they will see if it feels fun and works well. So far it has worked great and they have so much fun. Per agrees.

Anna thinks a lot of people are excited to see the concerts. She says one just wants to go to Perth and see this. Per says she should come.

Anna thanks her guests for coming to the show and wishes good luck with the hanging, bonding and Cape Town in February. Per and Lena thank her for that.

Stills are from the interview

Interview with Per Gessle in Halmstad NU

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Per Brolléus did an interview with Per Gessle for Halmstad NU, Halmstad’s new local monthly newspaper.

Per Brolléus thinks Marie would have said Per is an idiot if he doesn’t do this. He asks PG what he thinks.

Yes, well, that’s exactly what she had said. Just like that. She had declared me an idiot forever.

The guys are about half an hour into the interview and PB says PG has “written a song text” through his answers to all his questions about the tour, about Lena, about why, about feelings, about whether he knows this works and about the rest of the year before Roxette leaves for South Africa and Australia in February-March next year.

There is one thing that Mr. Gessle no doubt wants to be very clear about – the endless love for Marie. If she is not in every single answer, she is still there as a kind of sounding board or a little bird that nods or shakes its head. She is constantly present, even though it has now almost been five years since she passed away in December 2019.

Either you do it or you don’t. There are no other options if it’s supposed to be Roxette, sound like Roxette and be called Roxette.

That there comes a tour doesn’t feel very strange to Per Brolléus who “grew up” with Per Gessle, Gyllene Tider and Roxette. Per Gessle gives people what people actually want – without sacrificing his own artistic ability or, for that matter, his status. And now people obviously want Roxette. But, this would never have been relevant if it wasn’t for the duet album that Per has recently made.

Lena had agreed to make a song with me and when we recorded it, she knocked me out. Completely. Damn, what a voice she has!!!

Although Lena Philipsson never got to play in the same division as Gessle in the ’80s and, for example, never got to go on Rock runt riket (the 1987 tour with Roxette, Ratata and Eva Dahlgren and a new talent called Orup as support act), but Per and Lena’s paths have crossed a number of times.

We come from the same era and I have written a few songs for her, including the lyrics to Kärleken är evig. And I know her as a damn good artist. But when we got into the studio… Well… Knockout. That voice!!!

After the knockout in the studio in Stockholm, Per invited Lena for dinner in Halmstad. There was food and wine and finally he asked the question: Do you want to go on tour with Roxette? And the answer from Lena? Per laughs and says:

She was shocked and got a few days to think it over. She probably  thought I was crazy. But…, it was not about Lena replacing Marie, i.e. trying to sound like Marie, but Lena being Lena and she would lend her artistic talent to the songs.

And she said YES, says Per in a long exhale.

She ticks all the boxes. She’s got it all, although of course she’s never done a world tour and stood in front of 10,000 wild fans in Sydney. But she has IT. Of course, I did a Roxette tour in Europe with Helena Josefsson, a fantastic singer who has been with me for ages. But she is made for that kind of setup as it was then. Stripped down arrangement with seated audience in an acoustic setup. Now it’s something else and Lena fits in there magically well.

The gang that Per takes with him is pretty much everyone who was there when it started in the late ’80s and onwards.

Jonas, Clarence and as many as possible from the old gang are there. Damn, Roxette should sound like Roxette should sound. And it should be as much Roxette as you can get.

We tested some songs, Lena and I. It sounded fantastic. An own voice, an own feeling.

And now Lena PH is having an international breakthrough at the age of 59. Per laughs and says:

Well, it’s absolutely wonderful.

Regarding the pilot tour he says:

Yes, I want to test the concept. I want to be 100% sure that it works before it becomes something much bigger.

So Australia and South Africa are just the beginning?

We’ll see. Offers are absolutely pouring in, but before I say yes, I really want to feel it first. When we released the news about the tour and about Roxette with Lena, the systems exploded, which is of course great fun.

He pauses for a few seconds, laughs at…

She gets paid quite well too.

Halmstad’s biggest star through the ages has a fully packed calendar: duet album, movie, musical, world tour.

I have videos to make for the songs from the duet album, then it will be exciting when the GT film premieres on 17th July. And then comes the musical at Malmö Opera, which premieres in September.

Per has no direct responsibility in the musical, calling himself a sounding board, but as a reporter Per Brolléus feels that he is not being completely honest here.

I’m involved in the song order and I’ve been down in Malmö and listened. Well, musicals are not my cup of tea, you know, when it gets so perfect. Because for good musicians it never becomes really good, you know what I mean?

Per Brolléus gets it. He was forced to go to some musical about Oklahoma as a child and has never gotten over that shock, so he understands it exactly.

As a last question, Per Brolléus asks Per Gessle, hand on heart, if there could be a test concert with Roxette at Tylösand this winter before they leave for the pilot tour.

It can happen. You never know.

But, honestly…!

Well, it’s quite good to test things before…

Halmstad NU can hereby reveal: there will be a test gig in Tylösand sometime in February 2025. Remember where you read it first.

All interview text is written by Per Brolléus for Halmstad NU in Swedish. Here it is a translation by RoxBlog.

Thanks for the hint regarding the article, Oliver Zimmermann!

Per Gessle talks about Roxette In Concert 2025 on Efter fem

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TV4 invited Per Gessle on Efter fem to ask him about the world tour, Roxette In Concert 2025. Watch it HERE! The program starts with showing a short part of the video to Sällskapssjuk, the duet single of Per and Lena Philipsson.

Program leader Tilde de Paula Eby likes the song very much, she says it’s a new collaboration between two giant artists that she really likes and it is released today. Tilde adds there is something else happening to Per and Lena, they are also going on a world tour. Per confirms and says at least they are going to South Africa and Australia. Tilde says it’s a world tour then. Per laughs and says it’s a big world out there. They were thinking of doing that at the beginning of next year and it’s quite exciting, under the name Roxette.

Tilde says it must be pretty emotional for Per to do this tour with someone other than Marie. PG says it is, of course. He has been toying with this idea for years, how to manage the Roxette catalogue in a good way. The great thing about the Roxette songs is that they still live on and there will be new people who like them. When you start thinking about it, there are really only two ways to go. Either you leave it at that or you move on. Per needed time to himself and also needed to find the right voice. When he recorded Sällskapssjuk with Lena – it’s a song from the duet album that will come out in the fall – then he realized that „shit, there it is”. He thought Lena would fit the Roxette songs perfectly. Per knows Lena is a big Roxette fan. Besides that, he has worked with her. Per has co-written her breakthrough song, Kärleken är evig in 1986. PG contacted Lena after the recordings of Sällskapssjuk and asked if she was interested. She was a little shocked, of course.

Tilde says she can imagine that one can react to such a question both with total jubilation and also a little panic. She says they will talk further about how it was, but before that, she asks her colleague, Henrik Alsterdal to tell a little background info about Roxette.

Henrik shows pictures from the good old days and talks about the numbers: 80 million albums sold, 4 Billboard No. 1 hits, 19 songs on the UK Top 40 and over 600 concerts. Henrik also talks a bit about PG Roxette and the upcoming Swedish album and finishes by stating that Per goes on tour with Lena under the name Roxette and the first gig is planned to be in Cape Town next February. In Cape Town, where Per played his last Roxette concert with Marie in 2016.

Tilde says, when you listen to these songs, it’s like decades are flowing through your whole body. She can’t even imagine what it’s like for Per. PG says they had a fantastic journey with Roxette. The eight years between 1988 and 1995 were fantastic. They were on the US charts for almost four years without falling off. They just changed the song. It was simply an amazing time. He still has to pinch his arm. Tilde says it’s funny that Per, who has done so incredibly much, can still appreciate these things and feel that he has to pinch his arm. It’s unreal. Per says it’s unreal indeed. Their whole journey, coming from such a small country like Sweden at the time. Their record company marketed them as an American band in England, because they couldn’t say they were from Sweden. To succeed was incredibly difficult.

Tilde asks Per if it is on purpose that he and Lena will play the first concert in Cape Town. Per says it was not intentional, it just happened that way and it’s actually strange that it turned out that way. Maybe that’s a sign, PG says.

Tilde is curious if Per has mixed feelings about doing this. PG says, not at all. If Marie would still be here, they would have been out on tour all the time for sure. But she is no longer there. Like Mr. G said before, you either leave it at that or you move on and start a new chapter in the book.

Tilde wants to know how he asked Lena Philipsson. She realized that it must have been mixed feelings for Lena, wonderful and scary at the same time. Per says it was absolutely like that. She asked how she could replace Marie, but Per said it’s not the idea that she should replace Marie, but Lena should do it her way. This is about managing the song catalogue. Per understands that Lena was stressed about it. At the same time, he thinks she has a lot to gain from this. She is a superstar in Sweden, but she has never played in Australia, in South Africa, in South America or in the USA. For her, it’s also a big challenge. Per is sure that if you have never seen Lena Philipsson and don’t know who she is and see her on stage for the first time, you will be shocked. According to Tilde, Lena is incredible on stage. It’s like a persona stepping out of her. She has body language and an absolutely phenomenal voice.

Per says they tested some Roxette songs at home at his grand piano and it sounds magical when she sings Queen Of Rain, Spending My Time and Listen To Your Heart. Per thinks this could be amazing.

Tilde says Per talked about South America, Australia, South Africa, but what about Sweden. PG says, oh, he forgot about Sweden. Haha. There are no plans for Sweden yet, but it will surely come, if it works. They see the Australia and South Africa tour as a small pilot tour. They see how it feels and how it works. PG brings the old classic Roxette band with him. If it works, it would of course be a lot of fun to play in Sweden too.

Tilde is incredibly impressed by Per’s driving force and is wondering where it comes from. Per says he loves his work. He loves to write, to be in the studio, to be on stage. He loves to play his songs and to feel the positive energy that comes from the audience. You get so much back, he says. PG thinks he has the best job in the world, after Tilde. Tilde smiles and says they probably share the first place.

According to Tilde, besides being a lot of fun, it’s a lot of work and it’s quite tough to travel around. Per agrees, touring is a lot of waiting at airports and in traffic jams and all that. But the reward is when you are on stage. It’s fantastic. That one minute, 30 seconds before you go on stage and 30 seconds into the first song, it’s the magic minute. You travel to another universe then. It’s a great charge up and a fantastic blast. That’s wonderful. When Tilde hears how Per describes it, she wants to experience it.

Tilde finishes the interview by mentioning Per’s upcoming album, Sällskapssjuk that is released in fall and the title song that has been released today with Lena Philipsson. She thanks Per for coming on the show and Per thanks for the invitation.

 

 

 

Stills are from the interview.