Posts Tagged ‘oslo spektrum’

Norwegian concerts and cancellation

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.

MTV Unplugged Tour update

Oslo Spektrum, 10 February 2018
(All pictures by Jakob)

a-ha’s MTV Unplugged Tour ended at London’s O2 Arena last Wednesday, 14 February. The 21-song setlist included the only tour performance of “The Killing Moon”, featuring special guest Ian McCulloch, making it the longest concert of the tour. McCulloch also joined the band on “Scoundrel Days”, like he did on the Summer Solstice album last year.

Oslo Spektrum, 10 February

Oslo Spektrum, 10 February

Oslo Spektrum, 10 February

The previous Friday, 9 February, they were joined on stage at Oslo Spektrum by special guest Susanne Sundfør, who sang with Morten on “I’ve Been Losing You” and “The Sun Always Shines on TV”. Since winning one of the a-ha talent grants in 2010, Sundfør has gone on to become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed performers in Norway.

While on tour with a-ha in Germany, Paul and Lauren took the opportunity to do some promotion for the new Savoy album. The interviews included Mucke und Mehr, Focus.de, bleistiftrocker.de and a video interview with Buch und Ton.

There was also a book launch of the German edition of “Tears From a Stone” at the Norwegian embassy in Berlin on 29 January, where Paul was joined by author Ørjan Nilsson. Together they were interviewed by the German edition of Rolling Stone magazine. While in Berlin, Paul also did a new interview with Richard Green for BBC Radio Devon, which was broadcast on 10 February and can be heard here.

Speaking of Berlin, an additional German concert on the Electric Summer tour was recently announced; it will be held at the Zitadelle Spandau in Berlin on 21 August. Tickets for the concert are available at eventim.de.

London setlist, 14 February:
1. This is Our Home
2. Lifelines
3. I’ve Been Losing You
4. This Alone is Love
5. Forever Not Yours
6. Analogue
7. Manhattan Skyline
8. Foot of the Mountain
9. Stay On These Roads
10. A Break in the Clouds
11. Memorial Beach
12. Over the Treetops
13. Living a Boy’s Adventure Tale
14. The Killing Moon
15. Scoundrel Days
16. Summer Moved On
17. Hunting High and Low
18. The Sun Always Shines on TV
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
19. Sox of the Fox
20. The Living Daylights
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
21. Take On Me

Oslo Spektrum shows announced for 2018

a-ha.com has announced two additional dates on the 2018 acoustic tour:

We are excited to share the news that a-ha will perform their acoustic set over two evenings at the Oslo Spektrum on February 9 & 10, 2018!

We’re told these shows will be the band’s only Norwegian shows on the acoustic tour, so don’t miss your chance to see a-ha perform these special arrangements live in their home town!

Ticket Sales
Fan pre-sale – March 30 at 9am CET
Regular on-sale – March 31 at 9am CET

Still no word on where the four concerts this June will be held, but all three band members have been rehearsing at Lars Horntveth’s Pooka Studio in Oslo over the last week. a-ha.com promises videos and photos from the studio to be posted in the coming days.

One picture posted by Horntveth on Instagram on Thursday shows (left to right) Even Ormestad, Paul, Karl Oluf Wennerberg, Magne and Morten Qvenild working on the acoustic set.

Update 30 March: A concert at the O2 Arena in London on 14 February 2018 has also been announced, with tickets going on sale 7 April. This will be the only UK date on the acoustic tour.

Special “Afterglow” concert announced

Afterglow

Afterglow

An additional concert in Oslo Spektrum on May 3rd was announced today, but this will not be your ordinary a-ha experience:

In Oslo Spektrum on May the 3rd, a-ha will clear away their normal stage-production to give room for a very different concert performance in collaboration with Void, a computational design studio working in the intersection between design, architecture, art and technology.

This is a unique one-off opportunity to see a very different a-ha show, where known musical material meets new use of technology to create an immersive experience out of the ordinary.

Void is also collaborating with Magne and Apparatjik on their upcoming Day Of The Dead performance in Bergen a month later, on June 3rd.

Read the whole press release, with a quote from Magne, on a-ha.com.

Tickets are available at billettservice.no. 845 kroner (£65). Standing room only.

a-ha to end ‘Cast In Steel’ Tour in Oslo

a-ha in Oslo Spektrum, December 2010

a-ha in Oslo Spektrum, December 2010
(Picture by Jakob)

A concert at Oslo Spektrum on Saturday 30 April 2016, was announced today. This will be the last concert of the Cast In Steel Tour according to the official site, and is to be held on the same day as the next a-ha fan convention in Oslo.

“It would have been very strange not to bring the tour back home to Norway. After all we’re touring with a big arena production and there have been lots of offers coming in here at home”, Magne tells VG today.

This will be a-ha’s ninth concert at Oslo Spektrum, and marks the 25th anniversary of their two opening concerts of the then-brand-new venue in January 1991.

“We have basically done it all in Norway; there isn’t much we haven’t tried, after having played everything from the gigantic concert at Frognerparken to small club gigs. Therefore it was natural to connect this to another anniversary”, he says.

Magne also says he’s really pleased with how the new album has been received:

“It’s fantastic to have the album go top 10 both in the UK, Germany and here at home, and it’s so exciting to see all the interest surrounding the band, 30 years after we started. We took nothing for granted in the years we were gone, but we’re sensing a very positive vibe around the band. This is the rewarding part of being an a-ha member; sold out venues, big enthusiasm and much affection from the fans”.

The a-ha.com member pre-sale for Oslo Spektrum begins Wednesday September 16 at 9am, while general tickets go on sale Friday September 18 at 9am.

Surprisingly, it looks like the concert will be seated audience only, with tickets for the first three rows costing 1500 kroner (£120). a-ha have never played a concert for an all-seated audience in Norway before, apart from the HHAL/SD concert with the Oslo Philharmonics in 2010. Not very rock n’ roll…

a-ha perform at National Memorial Ceremony

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.

a-ha to perform at national memorial ceremony

NRK 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.

Photos from Oslo Spektrum

Here is a gallery of some of the photos I took at the concerts in Oslo Spektrum. Click on each photo to enlarge:

The final concerts

a-ha - Oslo Spektrum, 4 December 2010

a-ha – in red, white and blue – saying goodbye at the end of the last concert, December 4th
(Picture by Jakob)

“one thing is certain: we did it together.
now a-ha will be a memory of a life we once shared.”

– read the whole message from Magne on a-ha.com

 

Picture by Jakob

Picture by Jakob

Fans from all over the world gathered in Oslo this past week to celebrate a-ha’s music, as the band played their last four concerts at the Oslo Spektrum arena.

Although it was a sad moment when the guys walked off the stage on December 4th, the overall atmosphere during these concerts was a joyful appreciation of a long and unique career.

For those of you who couldn’t be there, the last two nights were filmed and will be edited into a live DVD to be released sometime next year.

As a special surprise on the last night, and as a tribute to their first manager Terry Slater (1983 – 1994), they played an acoustic version of the Everly Brothers song “Bowling Green”. Slater, who was in the audience, was a musician for the Everly Brothers back in the 60s and wrote that song in 1967.

It’s up on YouTube here (thanks Chris).

 

Picture by Jakob

Picture by Jakob

Here is the full setlist from the last concert:

1. The Sun Always Shines On TV
2. Move To Memphis
3. The Blood That Moves The Body
4. Scoundrel Days
5. The Swing Of Things
6. Forever Not Yours
7. Stay On These Roads
8. Manhattan Skyline
9. Hunting High And Low
10. The Bandstand
11. We’re Looking for the Whales
12. Butterfly, Butterfly
13. Crying In The Rain
14. Minor Earth Major Sky
15. Summer Moved On
16. I’ve Been Losing You
17. Foot Of The Mountain
—————
18. Cry Wolf
19. Analogue
20. The Living Daylights
—————
21. Bowling Green
22. Take On Me

 

“Even though a-ha is sort of turning off the life support,
we’ll all be making music – the three of us – for years to come.
Hopefully we’ll see you guys, some other place.”

– Paul, on stage December 4th

 
OsloSpektrum_4dec10_4

 
Thank you, a-ha.
It’s been fun.

And so a new chapter begins…

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