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| Per Gessle @ Melkweg Amsterdam |
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Review of Per Gessle's performance at de Melkweg in Amsterdam.
Just like all the other venues Per Gessle has chosen for his Party Crasher Tour, de Melkweg in Amsterdam was a small, intimate venue which holds place for about 500 people. The room was filled but not to the extent that you had to crash into people all the time.
There was plenty of space for everyone to have a real good view at the stage. A huge part of the crowd were obviously fans who had 'grown' up with Roxette and were expecting a lot of dynamic interaction of Per. 30 + combined with 20 + or perhaps sometimes even more or less, all gathered in very good atmosphere to watch Per perform.
The first performer though was a very special, funny singer called Martinique, who, with a high-pitched voice (think Michael Jackson meets Mika), sang songs that were eerie, strange and often funny and dynamic. People enjoyed his short performance.
But of course the main stage was for Per Gessle and his band, and from the very first tones of 'The Sound of Music', the air was filled with a feeling of 'We want to party tonight!'
And boy, what a party it was! After so many years of absence on the international stage, Per brought the most amazing set of old and new songs, some less familiar with the Roxette scene but just as beautiful as the well-known hits they are so famed for.
Every single song of Roxette and of Per's solo album were sang by a man who obviously pours his heart and soul into his lyrics and into his music. His band of musicians enjoyed themselves just as much as he did, and his background singer was so dynamic she made this reviewer smile all the time. She was funny and cute in a glitter golden dress and brought extras to songs that were already often fantastic to begin with.
Roxette songs are of course (mostly) sung by Marie, but when Per sang them, he brought something to them that was different yet just as unique in its own way. Songs that came to this reviewer's mind while writing this review immediately are Wish I Could Fly which became almost eerie, Listen to Your Heart (absolutely beautiful!), Church of Your Heart, and most of all Queen of Rain, which, as a closing song became a highlight of the evening. Of course there was plenty of room for upbeat songs like Dangerous, 7twenty7, and the extremely underestimated Opportunity Nox.
Of course it wasn't all Roxette the band performed. A lot of songs came from Per's personal collection and were just as uplifting and gorgeous as the Roxette ones. Personal favourites here are I have a Party in My Head, which was just stunning, Drowning in Wonderful Thoughts About Her, and Late, Later On.
A full setlist of songs can be found below (courtesy of DailyRoxette).
However, as announced on DailyRoxette, and as known amongst the throng of fans (even though obviously not everyone knew about the big surprise), in the first encore, Per dryly announced that they had brought a friend ... Marie! When she walked on stage, cameras flashed, Marie delivered a big smile and hugged her old friend. She stood on the stage a bit awkwardly at first, and it was clear that the evening and her being there were quite emotional for all the band members. Then she sang It must have been Love along with Per in a very intense, haunting way.
It was clear that after all these years she had not lost her 'Look' and her musical touch. After that, a sweeping version of The Look followed. The audience went wild :). Per joked that one should not forget to bring his camera, and enjoyed the reactions to Marie just as much as Per's wife Asa, standing on the balcony did. She filmed the whole event, especially the audience, and was just as emotional as the crowd. Yes, tears were shed.
After that, the band left the stage with Marie, and became back for the second encore without her. Per closed the show as he had performed throughout: With a bang. The final song, Queen of Rain, left the room begging for more, but then it was over and the band left the stage.
Just like with the other performances Per again took his time for a meet & greet and the audience who knew about this waited patiently in line. Since we had met Asa last Saturday in Ghent as well, she remembered who we were and we spoke with her briefly. Poor Gabriel missed his dad and she had sent a couple of photos of her husband to him. They are very much looking forward to the Proms in Fall and have high hopes for the whole event. Per was friendly, patient and probably very tired too after such an emotional evening.
With this concert in the back of our heads, we are already looking forward to a beautiful Belgian Fall! Playlist:
Encore 1:
Encore 2:
ps, hope this entire playlist is correct since we didn't make notes on the spot! :) |