The Spanish heat adventure continued in Mérida, Spain last night. Roxette performed at the STONE & MUSIC Festival as the closing act of the festival’s 10th anniversary edition to crown the event.
The venue was simply wonderful, the ruins of the Amphitheatre of Mérida, a Roman amphitheatre completed in the year 8 BC. What a setting!
A couple of hours before the show, at 19:45 Roxette had the honour to receive the Via Musicorum Award in Mérida. Per shared some pics and a vids from the ceremony (1, 2, 3) and you can see some content on the festival’s social media sites (1, 2) as well. Per dedicated the plaque also to Marie of course and he said it’s a privilege to be here.
Via Musicorum is an initiative launched in 2021 by the STONE&MUSIC Festival and Mérida City Council.
Per unveiled the vinyl on the Mérida Music Trail. The event was attended by the president of the Badajoz Provincial Council, Raquel del Puerto, who highlighted the STONE&MUSIC Festival’s commitment to quality music and the value of a band like Roxette, whose songs form part of the vital soundtrack of several generations. The event was also attended by Catalina Alarcón, Councilor for Social Services, Senior Citizens, and Housing of the Mérida City Council.
Roxette’s vinyl is the 26th to be added to the Music Trail, and can now be seen alongside those of national and international artists such as Deep Purple, Tom Jones, Status Quo, Europe, Andrea Bocelli, among others.
The piece in question – of which Per received a replica – was designed and crafted by local artisan workshop Terracota Mérida. Each plate features a vinyl record representing the tiles of a Roman mosaic, with a circular bronze plaque in the center. The plaque bears Per’s signature along with the date of the concert.
The work is framed in polished black granite and features the band’s name sandblasted in gold, as well as the festival logo and that of Mérida City Council, giving the work a visual balance in keeping with the urban environment.
The concert started at 22:15. The temperature was still very high, but it didn’t matter. The band found a devoted, wild sing-along audience in front of them and they were also in top shape on stage. Everyone had so much fun! Even if there were seats, no one really used them. Haha.
There was no curtain with the Roxette logo, no LED wall with the projections, but the beautiful ruins of the amphitheatre and the lights provided the backdrop. ¡Maravilloso!
The setlist was the same as in Madrid, including Christoffer’s intro to Joyride (Paquito el Chocolatero).
Setlist
- The Big L.
- Sleeping In My Car
- Dressed For Success
- Crash! Boom! Bang!
- Opportunity Nox
- Fading Like A Flower
- Almost Unreal
- Stars
- She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
- It Must Have Been Love
- How Do You Do!
- Dangerous
Band presentation
- Joyride
Encore
- Spending My Time
- Listen To Your Heart
- The Look
- Queen Of Rain
Now a couple of days off and then the next stop is Kestenholz, Switzerland on 4th July! Check out all the tour dates and links to ticket sales sites HERE!
Pics in the article are stills from STONE & MUSIC Festival’s social media videos.
Per after the concert:
Oh yea! A hot sweaty evening in Merida, Spain. Beautiful crowd, had a fab time in this amazing setting. Love to come back!!!!
Lena after the show:
Yes! Everything went well yesterday! The heat was on and we had a great gig at this fantastic venue! Such a beautiful place! WOW! Thank you!