Finally I got the chance to see Roxette live, one of the bands that was a part of the soundtrack of my life in the 90s. I guess “Joyride” and “Crash! Boom! Bang!” were among the albums I most listened to during that time. I have a lot of memories attached to the songs.
On the 30th Anniversary Tour, Per and Marie presented a two-hour show full of hits. It’s amazing to see how many they’ve got! And I’m not talking about hits like “Oh, I remember having heard that one some time ago on the radio”, but rather hits like “I don’t know why, but I know every word of this song and it’s so familiar, it feels like home”. Fact is, the Olympiahalle proved that these were hits of the second kind because during most of the show it felt like every single person in the venue was singing along. Unfortunately, the sound in the first rows was horrible. I can’t remember ever having such a bad sound in the Olympiahalle before. You could hardly hear the vocals. So fortunately, you could hear the audience!
Although I knew that Marie had had a brain tumor and fought cancer successfully, I was still saddened about her condition. She sat during the whole show and obviously had huge trouble walking. She also looked very thin and fragile and struggled with the high notes. It’s sad to see a power woman like her marked by life like that. However, at the same time it’s also inspiring to see her carrying on despite her fate. I just hope she still loves what she does and is not pushed on stage by some greedy manager. But maybe I’m just a little paranoid in that aspect…
In any case, it was a wonderful evening full of awesome songs! So quoting another Swedish pop sensation: “Thank you for the music, Marie & Per”!
music, the world & me 