Oslo Spektrum, 20 May

a-ha returned to Norway this week, playing at DNB Arena in Stavanger on Wednesday and in Oslo Spektrum on Friday.

Oslo Spektrum, 20 May

Unfortunately, Saturday’s second concert at Oslo Spektrum had to be cancelled on short notice due to Morten being diagnosed with acute laryngitis and needing to rest his voice. He sounded pretty good the previous night, although he reportedly also had some voice issues during the last couple of German concerts last week.

“Hello everyone. I’m so sorry that I can’t make it tonight. I hate it. And I’m very regretful that I’ve let you all down. That’s all I can say right now. I’m gonna sleep this thing off”, Morten said in a video message posted on social media.

a-ha manager Harald Wiik told Dagbladet that Saturday’s concert is the only one cancelled so far. “But we’ll have to continue monitoring Morten’s condition”, he added. Wiik said he’s working to reschedule a new date for the Oslo Spektrum concert, but it will take some time to work out when it’s possible to do so.

Oslo Spektrum, 20 May

Before all this, a-ha did a solid concert at Oslo Spektrum on Friday, to an appreciative crowd of both Norwegians and international fans.

“Dear Oslo. Thank you for giving us such a warm welcome at home, after a few months on tour. That’s really nice”, Magne told the audience before introducing “You Have What It Takes” from the upcoming True North album.

Another highlight in Oslo was the performance of “Here I Stand and Face the Rain”, which I’ve posted on YouTube.

Norway Rock Magazine has posted positive reviews of both the Stavanger and Oslo shows. “A most enjoyable evening in Oslo Spektrum, where we were reminded of the incredible amount of great songs this band has in its catalogue. Paul, Magne and Morten will remain giants in Norwegian music history, and there is much reason to look forward to True North being released in October”, reviewer Geir Amundsen writes about the concert on May 20th.

Oslo Spektrum, 20 May

The setlist has now increased from 18 to 19 songs. In Berlin on May 11th they started adding an extra song to the setlist each night, playing “Cry Wolf” for the first time since August 2018.

This continued with “Foot of the Mountain” in Hamburg on May 12th (first time since February 2020), “We’re Looking For The Whales” in Leipzig on May 14th (first time since May 2016), “Analogue” in Cologne on May 15th (first time since March 2020) and “The Blood That Moves The Body” in Stavanger on May 18th (first time since August 2018). In Oslo on Friday it was back to “Foot of the Mountain”.

Update 24/5:
Unfortunately it turned out that the second Oslo Spektrum concert can not be rescheduled. The following message was posted on the official site:

We will unfortunately not be able to reschedule this show. The reason being that there is no equipment and personnel available for a show this size on the available dates. We have turned every stone to make it happen, but it is simply not possible. We know a lot you of have waited for years to see the show and that this is a big disappointment, and we are very sorry to let you down. Tickets will be refunded via Ticketmaster according to their standard terms.