a-ha performed “Stay On These Roads” together with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra as part of the National Memorial Ceremony at Oslo Spektrum today, to remember the victims of the July 22nd attacks.
With them on stage they also had Karl Oluf Wennerberg on drums and Erik Ljunggren on keyboard. The song was arranged for orchestra by Kjetil Bjerkestrand.
If you missed the live broadcast, a-ha’s performance can be seen here. The whole 2-hour ceremony is available at nrk.no.
Posted in a-ha 
Tags: a-ha, kjetil bjerkestrand, magne furuholmen, morten harket, oslo spektrum, paul waaktaar-savoy 
Comments Off on a-ha perform at National Memorial CeremonyNRK announced on Wednesday, August 10th, that a-ha will be among the artists performing at a national memorial ceremony on August 21st, following the recent terror attacks here in Norway on July 22nd.
In a statement posted on a-ha.com, the band says:
“On 22 July, we, like everyone else in Norway and the rest of the world, were shaken to the soul by these actions of cruelty and violent provocation against everything we stand for. But we are also very proud to belong to a small country where people, politicians and the royal family worked together and showed solidarity in the face of such tragedy, and we are grateful to be asked to participate in the memorial ceremony.
We do this to honor those who have been torn away, to show appreciation to everyone who made an effort to help on July 22, and to express our sympathy to the survivors who now are left in sorrow.”
The band was asked by NRK on August 2nd if they would be willing to do a one-off performance at the memorial ceremony. “There was no doubt that they wanted to do it. They are grateful to be able to contribute”, a-ha manager Harald Wiik told Dagbladet.
The memorial ceremony is taking place at Oslo Spektrum and is only open for invited guests; survivors, family and friends of the victims, rescue workers and others. Government officials and members of the royal family will also be present.
Besides a-ha, other artists scheduled to perform include Susanne Sundfør, Leif Ove Andsnes, Karpe Diem, Dumdum Boys, Sivert Høyem, Jarle Bernhoft, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Ingrid Olava, Sissel Kyrkjebø and Åge Aleksandersen.
The 90-minute memorial ceremony, which starts at 3PM local time, will be broadcast live in Norway on the TV stations NRK1, NRK2, TV2, TV Norge, TV3 and online at NRK.no. It will also be broadcast live on the radio stations NRK P1, NRK P2, NRK P3 and Radio Norge.
For more info, read the news story and NRK press release posted on a-ha.com. There is also an official site about the memorial ceremony (in English) at regjeringen.no.
Posted in a-ha Tags: a-ha, harald wiik, oslo spektrum Comments Off on a-ha to perform at national memorial ceremonyThe list of nominees for the Rockheim museum’s “Hall of Fame” has already sparked a heated debate among so-called “music experts” in Norway. Still, at least everyone seem to agree that a-ha deserve their place on the list.
In a interview with the newspaper Dagbladet, Magne says that he appreciates the nomination:
“This is really great. a-ha is kind of existing in a “Hall of Fame” mode at the moment – after all we have nowhere else to be – so it’s a nice thing to be nominated.”
Dagbladet has also set up their own, highly unofficial, vote among their readers. a-ha is currently in second place, behind Jokke og Valentinerne.
“That’s cool, because I was certain that everyone were sick and tired of a-ha after everything that happened last year. So I would like to extend a big thank you to Dagbladet’s readers for their patience”, Magne says.
He doesn’t hide the fact that it’s good to be recognized:
“It’s important for us to feel represented in Norwegian music history, so in that sense it feels good.”
In other news, Morten apparently visited Moscow this weekend. He was there to speak/perform at a private event. Additional details were not available.
Posted in a-ha, Magne Tags: a-ha, hall of fame, rockheim Comments Off on Magne comments on “Hall of Fame” nomination
Rockheim – the Norwegian museum of popular music in Trondheim – is planning to induct five bands and artists into a new “Hall of Fame” of Norwegian music later this year.
The first 15 nominees were revealed at a press conference at the National Library in Oslo today, and among them is a-ha. Other nominees include Alf Prøysen, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Åge Aleksandersen, Lars Lillo-Stenberg and Anne Grethe Preus. The whole list can be seen here.
In the jury that decided on the 15 nominees were the musicians Marit Larsen, Øystein Greni and Janove Ottesen, among others. To be considered, the band or artist needed to have their debut album released more than 25 years ago.
Another jury consisting of 100 people (60 musicians and 40 people from the music business and media) are now going to have a vote to determine the final five to be included in the “Hall of Fame”.
The induction ceremony will be held at Rockheim on August 21st this year.
Posted in a-ha Tags: a-ha, hall of fame, rockheim Comments Off on a-ha nominated for Norwegian “Hall of Fame”Ending On A High Note entered the UK album chart at #43 this week, with 2,966 copies sold. It was actually in the top 15 in the first midweek chart update, so there was a significant drop in sales later in the week. Still quite good though, considering there doesn’t seem to have been much promo for it in the UK so far.
In Germany EOAHN is at #9 this week, and has now spent an amazing four weeks in the top 10 on the album chart. And after dropping down to #7 last week, it climbs to #4 in Norway.
“zbig1” on the WOTM forum has put together the following list of all European countries where the live album has charted so far (Updated 15 May):
1. Norway – Best place #3, All places: 6-3-7-4-6 and 5 weeks in Top-10
2. Germany – Best place #3, All places: 3-7-8-9-14 and 5 weeks in Top-10
3. Poland – Best place #21, All places: 21-35-42-27-39 and 5 weeks in Top-50
4. Russia – Best place #24, All places: 24 and 1 week in Top-25
5. UK – Best place #43, All places: 43 and 1 week in Top-100
6. Switzerland – Best place #56, All places: 56-59-98 and 3 weeks in Top-100
7. Austria – Best place #61, All places: 61-72 and 2 weeks in Top-75
8. Belgium Wallonia – Best place #70, All places: 70 and 1 week in Top-100
9. Netherland – Best place #72, All places: 72-86 and 2 weeks in Top-100
10. Belgium Flanders – Best place #87, All places: 70 and 1 week in Top-100
11. Spain – Best place #92, All places: 92 and 1 week in Top-100
12. France – Best place #163, All places: 163 and 1 week in Top-200
And here’s how the DVD has performed in the music DVD charts around Europe
(Updated 15 May):
1. Norway – Best place #1, All places: 1-1-1 and 3 weeks in Top-10
2. Germany – Best place #1, All places: 1-1-1-1 and 4 weeks in Top-10
3. Austria – Best place #1, All places: 1-10-5 and 3 weeks in Top-10
4. Sweden – Best place #1, All places: 3-6-1-8-6 and 5 weeks in Top-20
5. Hungary – Best place #6, All places: 6-20 and 2 weeks in Top-20
6. Switzerland – Best place #6, All places: 6 and 1 week in Top-10
7. Ireland – Best place #7, All places: 7 and 1 week in Top-10
8. Netherland – Best place #11, All places: 20-11 and 2 weeks in Top-30
(Thanks to zbig1 and tryffel for the chart info)
Posted in a-ha Tags: charts, ending on a high note Comments Off on Ending On A High Note chart update
The CD version of Ending On A High Note – The Final Concert has entered the official German album chart at #3, which is an impressive result for a live album.
In Norway it entered the album chart at #6, before climbing up to #3 this week. Other first-week chart entries include #21 in Poland, #61 in Austria and #72 in the Netherlands.
The DVD entered the German music DVD chart at #1. In Sweden it entered the music DVD chart at #3, before dropping to #6.
Despite the two missing songs, the DVD/Blu-ray features a brilliant production. High quality filming and audio all the way, which can really be experienced in full on the Blu-ray disc. And although there’s not much bonus material, the 15-minute documentary is a nice addition.
In Norway, the reviews have been quite good. The newspapers VG, Dagbladet, Bergensavisen, Østlandets Blad and Romerikes Blad all give Ending On A High Note 5 out of 6. Trønder-Avisa even gives it 6 out of 6.
In the UK, Ending On A High Note will be released on April 25th. The four available versions can be pre-ordered from amazon.co.uk through the links on the left. And remember that all sales help support this site.
Posted in a-ha Tags: charts, ending on a high note Comments Off on Chart success for Ending On A High NoteThe first preview video clips from the Ending On A High Note DVD and Blu-ray from Oslo Spektrum are now available at Universal Germany’s website:
DVD trailer (w/ Stay On These Roads)
Scoundrel Days
The Living Daylights
Posted in a-ha Tags: a-ha, ending on a high note Comments Off on Preview clips from upcoming DVD/Blu-rayI’ve been contacted by Brad Hansen in Ireland, who is looking for three young actors to play the a-ha members in a low-budget music video:
“Ireland 2011: Morten, Magne and Paul lookalikes wanted in look, build, height etc to mirror their 1985 appearance as much as possible. This is a unique event, but with a low budget. If you know anyone in Europe, (closer to Ireland the better, to cut expenses), then please let them know of this. This is something by a fan FOR fans and a-ha themselves.”
The full casting call can be found at starnow.com.
Not only are they getting an incomplete concert, German fans will also have their DVD covers ruined by a big freakin’ rating symbol.
The tracklisting for the upcoming Blu-ray, DVD and 2-CD release of Ending On A High Note – The Final Concert has now been officially confirmed by a-ha.com.
Unfortunately, it shows that two of the songs performed at Oslo Spektrum on December 4th will not be included – “Bowling Green” and “The Bandstand”.
The omission of the Everly Brothers cover “Bowling Green” was to be expected, considering the technical difficulties during that song. But leaving out “The Bandstand” is a very disappointing and puzzling decision.
Considered by many fans as one of the absolute highlights of the 2009 and 2010 tours and performed at nearly every show, there is no doubt that “The Bandstand” should definitely have been included…
This means that there’s still no complete a-ha concert that has been released officially. The previous live DVD Homecoming – Live at Vallhall (2001) left out the live version of “Angel In The Snow” that was performed at Vallhall.
In addition to the CD, DVD, Blu-ray and Deluxe Edition (2CD + DVD), Universal will also release a CD single with two live tracks; “Summer Moved On” and “Scoundrel Days”. The German release date for the CD single is March 25th and it can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.de.
Cover of the CD single, with a picture of Morten on the synth drums taken during…”The Bandstand”.
Posted in a-ha Tags: a-ha, ending on a high note Comments Off on a-ha disappoint their fans with incomplete concert releaseSigned copies of Just Loomis’ a-ha photobook are now available from his official website at justloomis.com.
There are two pricing options; signed book with priority international shipping ($90.00) and signed book plus signed 8×10 print with priority international shipping ($225.00).
Loomis’ exhibition “As We Are” at the Stenersen museum in Oslo is open until April 3rd.
