a-ha in Buenos Aires, 25 March
(Screenshots from YouTube videos posted by Martin F)

a-ha were finally back on stage last night, two years after the pandemic brought the Hunting High and Low tour to a temporary halt.

The 2022 tour kicked off at a sold-out Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina – the same city where they also opened their world tours in 2010 and 2015.

Morten in Buenos Aires
(Screenshot from YouTube)

“We’ve been waiting a long time to be back, I think it’s seven years since we were in Argentina. Thank you so much for bringing us back here. It’s been two years since we were on the road together and we all know what happened in between. So we might be a bit rusty. Forgive us for that”, Magne told the audience after the first few songs.

Although the first half of the show remained the Hunting High and Low album in its entirety, the running order of the songs had been switched around this time, starting with “Train of Thought” instead of “Take On Me” and saving the three big hits for the end of the album set.

The second half of the show included the world premiere of two new songs from the upcoming a-ha album True North, which is now set to be released in October. They are called “Forest For The Trees” (by Paul) and “You Have What It Takes” (by Magne). Paul has posted the lyrics to “Forest For The Trees” on Facebook.

In total the setlist included 18 songs, which is two songs less than the tour of Europe/Russia/Dubai in 2019-20, but the same length as South Africa, Australia (indoors) and New Zealand (indoors), and three songs more than the outdoors “Day On The Green” shows in 2020.

Magne in Buenos Aires
(Screenshot from YouTube)

One band member was notably absent last night; keyboardist and musical director Erik Ljunggren, who had become ill with Covid. Magne explained to the audience:

“We even lost a musician the day we arrived, to Covid. So he’s in isolation in the hotel. I guess you could see it as an invisible keyboard player over there. So we had to work all week to try to augment the show, to give you the best possible show we could under the circumstances.”

There was no large video screen used as stage backdrop, but instead the same basic light rig that was used on the tour outside of Europe in 2020. This could perhaps mean the video screen will only appear on the upcoming European tour.

Support band in Buenos Aires was local duo Desierto y Agua.

Paul in Buenos Aires
(Screenshot from YouTube)

 
The setlist
(YouTube videos by Martin F)
1. Train of Thought
2. The Blue Sky
3. Living a Boy’s Adventure Tale
4. And You Tell Me
5. Love is Reason
6. I Dream Myself Alive
7. Here I Stand and Face the Rain
8. Hunting High and Low
9. The Sun Always Shines on TV
10. Take On Me
– – – – – – – – – – – –
11. Sycamore Leaves
12. Forest For The Trees
13. You Have What It Takes
14. The Swing Of Things
15. Crying In The Rain
– – – – – – – – – – – –
16. Scoundrel Days
17. I’ve Been Losing You
18. The Living Daylights

 
Thanks to all fans in Argentina who has shared pictures and videos from the concert in Buenos Aires!

The tour continues at SND Arena in Asunción, Paraguay tomorrow, where the local band Deliverans will be supporting. On Wednesday they are playing at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile with The Cruel Visions supporting.

For the latest tour updates, follow me on Twitter.