Roxette

Seeing Roxette live has been a dream of my sisters and I for many, many years. I think this is a band that binds us, across our 7 year age span, as the band that most brings us together for impromptu singalongs, and memories of car trips and video clips on Rage as kids. So when their first Australian concert date in some 17 years was announced for Sydney back in October, a massive weekend was planned around this very opportunity! And what a weekend, and gig, it was!

The anticipation built all day, as it had all week really, and we made our way to Tokio Hotel along Cockle Bay Wharf for per-concert drinks. The four sisters, plus Heath, Hemant, Kelly and Belinda all endured the tunes of this bar before requesting a Roxette song, and loved that half the bar squealed in delight!

Once we got to the Sydney Entertainment Centre, we were informed that the support act, 1927, had finished, having started at the time we assumed was for doors. Oops! And after listening to their tracks on You Tube and discovering that we knew quite a few!

As we took our floor seats, the atmosphere was buzzing inside the venue. When the group behind us sat down we joked with them about whether they were ready for a night of dancing...and were not convinced that they were. But we certainly were, given we had flown up for this show and waited for years for our chance to see them in action!

As the room darkened and then Marie and Per entered the stage, the crowd went wild! Opening with Dressed For Success was a huge start, being a favourite of...well, of everyone's, right?

To be honest, the vocal sound for this opening number was not strong, and I am not sure if the sound guys let Marie down, or whether she took a few bars to warm up, but the crowd carried the song for the start of it, as a room filled with voices who knew every word. Which was pretty amazing!

Hit after hit was then delivered for the next 2 hours, with songs like Sleeping In My Car, and The Big L interspersed with a couple of new tracks. Taking us back 25 years, and to Hollywood, Marie introduced the massive It Must Have Been Love, which again had the whole room singing.

After that initial shaky start, Marie and her amazing voice did not look back, and put in a brilliant performance for the night. She was engaging with the crowd, and her and Per looked like there were seriously having a great time throughout the show. I kept thinking what an absolute inspiration it is to have her even here with us, doing what she does, given her battle with a brain tumour and subsequent treatment and recovery for all those years. So incredible!

The second half of the show seemed to just throw down massive song after massive song, with Fading Like A Flower, Crash! Boom! Bang!, How Do You Do, Dangerous and Joyride all in a row, making this such a fun all dancing, all singing show! We had such a great time! Ha!

The first encore featured Spending My Time and Listen To Your Heart, as the crowd erupted with appreciation of this Swedish duo and their amazing band.

The second encore felt like a thank you and farewell, with a very energetic The Look and then the Church Of Your Heart to finish. Wow, what a night!

(Additional photos here)