"The Neverending World Tour" was the
umbrella name used to describe a series of
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
s by Swedish
pop duo
Roxette
Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second a ...
. The name was derived from the title of the duo's debut single, 1986's "
Neverending Love
"Neverending Love" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 8 July 1986 by EMI as their debut single. The track was originally written in Swedish by Per Gessle, as "Svarta glas" ("Black Glass"), for recording artist Pernilla Wahl ...
". Their sixth and final concert tour, it took place from 23 October 2009 until 8 February 2016, and consisted of 17 separate legs which saw the duo performing a total of 256 concerts in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East,
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
and Asia.
It was their first concert tour in over eight years, following vocalist
Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...
's
brain tumour
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...
diagnosis in September 2002. That diagnosis led to the cancellation of Roxette's planned appearance at the 2002
Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held annually in Belgium (since 1985), the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, the United States and Sweden. The co ...
concert series. "The Neverending World Tour" began with the band performing at the 2009 edition of that series, followed by a seven-date warm-up tour of Europe the following year, and more extensive tours in support of studio albums ''
Charm School'' (2011) and ''
Travelling
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can ...
'' (2012). Despite those two albums being released over the duration of the tour,
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
s primarily consisted of many of their
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
; Fredriksson was unable to remember the lyrics of new songs because the illness impacted her
short-term memory
Short-term memory (or "primary" or "active memory") is the capacity for holding a small amount of information in an active, readily available state for a short interval. For example, short-term memory holds a phone number that has just been recit ...
.
The tour received generally positive reviews, with numerous publications praising Fredriksson's voice and the quality of Gessle's songwriting. It was also a commercial success; the band performed to over 2.5 million people by the time the tour concluded in 2016, with a confirmed box office figure of over US$24 million, based on 45 shows reported to ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''. The tour was due to be extended beyond 2016 as part of promotion for the duo's tenth studio album, ''
Good Karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...
'' (2016). However, these dates were cancelled when Fredriksson was advised by her doctors to cease all touring activity, due to poor health.
Background and conception
![Marie Fredriksson of Roxette live at Odderøya Live 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Marie_Fredriksson_of_Roxette_live_at_Odder%C3%B8ya_Live_2012.jpg)
The duo's seventh studio album, ''
Room Service
Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...
'' (2001), was promoted by their first concert tour in almost six years. Roxette were due to follow up this tour with a stint performing on the multiple-act
Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held annually in Belgium (since 1985), the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, the United States and Sweden. The co ...
concert series, which was to begin in October 2002 and would see the band performing throughout Europe with a live orchestra to over 630,000 attendees during 52 shows. However, on 11 September 2002, vocalist
Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...
fractured her
cranium
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
after collapsing in a bathroom in her home.
MRI scans
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...
later showed she had a
brain tumour
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...
in the back of her head. She underwent surgery to successfully remove the
malignant
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
tumour, followed by months of
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
and
radiation treatment
Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...
, Fredriksson was left permanently blinded in her right eye, and unable to read or write. She also could not speak for a considerable period of time afterward.
All promotional activity for the duo's then-upcoming
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
compilation
Compilation may refer to:
*In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler
**Compilation error
**Compilation unit
*Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products
*Compilation thesis
M ...
''
The Ballad Hits
''The Ballad Hits'' is the second greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 4 November 2002 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol Records. It was the first of a two-part series of "best of" albums released by the duo in q ...
'' (2002) was subsequently cancelled, along with their scheduled appearance at Night of the Proms.
Fredriksson and
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...
each released solo albums over the following years, briefly reuniting as Roxette to record two new songs for their 2006 greatest hits compilation ''
A Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs!''.
During the 6 May 2009 date of the "
Party Crasher Tour" at the
Melkweg
Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided into ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
– Gessle's European tour in support of his
same-titled 2008 solo album – he and his band were joined on-stage by Fredriksson to perform acoustic renditions of several Roxette songs.
Immediately after the gig, Gessle announced to Swedish publication ''
Aftonbladet
''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries.
History and profile
The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...
'' that Roxette would perform at the 2009 edition of Night of the Proms, which would begin on 23 October. That same date, Swedish newspaper ''
Expressen
''Expressen'' (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden, the other being '' Aftonbladet''. ''Expressen'' was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "''Expressen'' to your rescue".
...
'' reported that the duo had been recording material for a new Roxette album since May 2009. Marie also joined Per on stage again on 10 May 2009 at the Cirkus in Stockholm.
Tours and recordings
![Per Gessle-Roxette at Bospop festival The Netherlands 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Per_Gessle-Roxette_at_Bospop_festival_The_Netherlands_2011.jpg)
The band performed a series of seven warm-up shows throughout Europe,
beginning on 4 August 2010 at Leif's Lounge – a music venue at Gessle's own
Hotel Tylösand in
Halmstad
Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Socia ...
– and concluding on 12 September at the
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
Ice Palace
An ice palace or ice castle is a castle-like structure made of blocks of ice. These blocks are usually harvested from nearby rivers or lakes when they become frozen in winter. The first known ice palace (or, rather, '' ice house'', ледяной ...
.
Roxette's eighth studio album, ''
Charm School'', was released worldwide from 11 February 2011. Deluxe editions of the
CD included a bonus disc containing 12 tracks recorded live in Halmstad, Saint Petersburg and
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
during the 2010 tour. The "Charm School World Tour" began on 28 February 2011 and saw the band performing in Europe, Asia, South America, South Africa and the Middle East.
They performed at
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
on 15 November, their first concert in the United Kingdom in 17 years, they last played Wembley on 15 November 1994.
Their ninth studio album, ''
Travelling
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can ...
'', followed on 26 March 2012. It was a successor to 1992's ''
Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
'',
although, unlike that album – which was recorded in various locations and settings throughout the world during their "
Join the Joyride! Tour
The "Join the Joyride! World Tour" was the third concert tour by Swedish pop duo Roxette. Their first tour to incorporate dates outside of Scandinavia, it was launched in support of their third studio album, '' Joyride'' (1991), and saw the band ...
" – ''Travelling'' was primarily recorded in studios in Sweden in-between legs of the "Charm School World Tour". "Roxette Live: Travelling the World" was less extensive than the preceding tour: it began on 14 February and lasted seven months, taking the band to Australasia and Asia, North and South America, South Africa and Europe.
The first gig of the tour, on 11 February at the
Vector Arena
Spark Arena (also known as Auckland City Arena, and formerly as Vector Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The venue is located at Quay Park, Parnell, New Zealand, Parnell, very close to Britomart Transport Centre and The S ...
in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, was cancelled when Gessle became ill during the flight from Stockholm;
it began instead two days later in Australia.
Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
promoted the tour, after multiple local
concert promoter Tour promoters (also known as concert promoters or talent buyers) are the individuals or companies responsible for organizing a live concert tour or special event performance. The tour promoter makes an offer of engagement to a particular artist, ...
s in the country refused to work with the duo.
Tickets for their 16 February show at the
Sydney Entertainment Centre
Sydney Entertainment Centre (later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the E ...
sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale to the public. The band went on to perform to over 100,000 people during their ten Australian shows.
By the end of 2012, they had performed 153 concerts to a total audience of 1.5 million people.
Roxette ceased all touring activity in 2013, with Gessle rejoining Gyllene Tider to release their sixth studio album, ''
Dags att tänka på refrängen
''Dags att tänka på refrängen'' is a studio album by Gyllene Tider, released 24 April 2013. The album topped the Swedish Albums Chart and was certified 2× platinum in the country.
Track listing
# "Det blir aldrig som man tänkt sej" – 2: ...
'', that April, while Fredriksson released her eighth solo album, ''
Nu!
''Nu!'' ( en, Now!) is the eighth and final studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, released on 20 November 2013 by Parlophone in conjunction with Fredriksson's own Record label, label Amelia Music. It was her first album of ...
'', later that year in November. Fredriksson and Gyllene Tider each toured separately in Sweden to support their releases.
A live CD and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
/
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
box set
A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists and bands ...
, ''
Live: Travelling the World'', was released on 6 December 2013. The set consisted of footage from three concerts from the South American leg of "Roxette Live: Travelling the World". In 2014, Roxette began the "XXX – The 30th Anniversary Tour", with dates initially running from 28 October to 29 November and consisting of 15 concerts in
North Asia
North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographical terms and is coextensive with the Asian part of Russia, and consists of three Russian regions east of the Ural Mountains: ...
and Europe.
The release of a new greatest hits compilation, ''
Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits
''Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits'' is the sixth greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 3 November 2014 by Roxette Recordings in conjunction with Parlophone and Warner Music Group.
Release
The compilation was ...
'' on 11 November, was timed to coincide with these concerts, except in Australia, where ''
The RoxBox!: A Collection of Roxette's Greatest Songs'' was released on 6 February 2015—four days before the beginning of a tour there.
Roxette continued touring throughout 2015, performing their first concert ever in New Zealand on 7 February. The tour concluded a year later with a series of shows in South Africa; their 8 February 2016 performance at the Grand West Arena in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
proved to be their final show. The duo's tenth studio album, ''
Good Karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...
'', was released in June 2016. It was due to be promoted with further concerts throughout Europe over the proceeding months. However, all of these concert dates were cancelled when Fredriksson was advised by her doctors to stop all touring activity, due to poor health. She released a statement which said: "Sadly, now my touring days are over and I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful fans that
ave
''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
followed us on our long and winding journey."
By the end of the tour, Roxette had performed to a total of 2.5 million people (excluding
music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
appearances) in over 50 countries.
Critical reception
![Roxettehalmstad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Roxettehalmstad.jpg)
Neal McClimon of ''
The Hague Online'' gave a positive review to their 18 November 2009 Night of the Proms performance at the
Rotterdam Ahoy
Rotterdam Ahoy (formerly known as Ahoy Rotterdam or simply as Ahoy) is a convention centre and multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Opened originally in 1950, the current complex consists of three main venues: a fairs an ...
, saying that they were given the "warmest welcome of the night. The fact that
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
had to cancel their previous tour due to Marie Fredriksson's well-documented
llnessseemed to resonate with the audience,
nd they weregreeted by a crowd that offered thanks, warmth and love." He contrasted Roxette with other acts performing on the tour, writing: "There was one thing that stood out for me as they sang: they looked to be having a lot of fun, and it
asgreat to see a band actually looking as though they wanted to be there." ''
Time Out Dubai
''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide.
In 2012, the London edition becam ...
'' said that the duo "put on a phenomenal performance" for their 20 May 2011 concert at the
Dubai World Trade Centre
The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) ( ar, مركز دبي التجاري العالمي), historically called Sheikh Rashid Tower, is a 38-storey and a height 184 m skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which was erected in 1979. It is a purp ...
, but said the show was spoiled by the poor
acoustics
Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
at the venue. They were also disappointed by the "lacklustre" crowd and asked: "If you want to stand and stare at your
BlackBerry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
, what's the point of buying a ticket?"
The 2012 tour also received positive reviews. A writer for AusPop complimented the set list of their 14 February performance at the
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Brisbane suburb of Boondall, Queensland, Australia. The centre is managed by ASM Global.
The arena has an array of seating plans which facilitate the comfort of ...
, particularly the "near-flawless finale of mega hits", although was critical of the inclusion of "7Twenty7" – an album track from 1999's ''
Have a Nice Day
Have a nice day is a commonly spoken expression used to conclude a conversation (whether brief or extensive), or end a message by hoping the person to whom it is addressed experiences a pleasant day. Since it is often uttered by service employee ...
'' – "one of their least successful albums in Australia, which ultimately had everyone back in their seats." Their gig four days later in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
was praised by the ''
Herald Sun
The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
'', which said: "From opener '
Dressed for Success
"Dressed for Success" is a song by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released in Europe, on 3 August 1988 as the lead single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). Following the international success of "The Look" – the album's ...
', they had one of the most rapturous reactions the
Rod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year.
History
Replacing the ...
has seen in years."
''
The West Australian
''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' praised the entire band, writing that they "owned"
Challenge Stadium
Perth Superdrome, known as HBF Stadium under a commercial naming rights arrangement, is a sports complex in Perth, Western Australia. It is home to the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS). The venue is located in the suburb of Mount Cl ...
during their two concerts at the
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
venue at the end of February. Fredriksson's performance at the
Manchester Arena
Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights s ...
on 4 July was singled out for praise from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''s Dave Simpson, who said that "the poignancy she invests into their more wistful lyrics suggests
hat performance ispart of her recovery."
In a review of their 31 August show at the
Bell Centre
Bell Centre (), formerly known as Molson Centre (), is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montr ...
, the ''
Montreal Gazette
The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...
'' praised Gessle's songwriting, saying: "There's much to be said for the way
ehas been able to take the eternal beauty of the
I-IV-V chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...
(think "
Wild Thing" or "
Twist and Shout
"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...
") – one of rock's most basic and perfect statements – and use it as a foundation for his own
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
s, which still sound pretty fresh. Look no farther than 'Dressed for Success' or '
How Do You Do!
"How Do You Do!" is a pop rock song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album ''Tourism'' on 3 July 1992. The track was a commercial success upon release, topping the national singles charts i ...
' for confirmation."
''Rock Subculture'' applauded Fredriksson in their review of the band's 14 September concert in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
's
Nob Hill Masonic Center
The SF Masonic Auditorium (originally the Grand Masonic Auditorium and formerly known as the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium) is a building and auditorium located atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. The building was designed by Bay Area archi ...
, writing: "The fact that she can still put on an amazing performance like last night is simply stunning. If I had not known about her history, I would never have imagined that she had such challenges in the past and overcame them in such a way."
By the beginning of the "XXX – The 30th Anniversary Tour" in late 2014, Fredriksson performed the entirety of concerts while sitting on a chair on stage.
Will Gore of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said of their 13 July 2015 London concert that there were "any number of '80 bands who make a living from neatly-packaged nostalgia tours. But not many could sell-out
The O2 Arena on their own on a Monday night. ... Yet more than any other European band of that era, Roxette bridged the pop craft of their compatriots
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
with the rockier sensibilities of American counterparts
Heart
The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...
and even
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
. Their American success is easy to forget—four number ones between 1989 and 1991. Yet they became, unfairly, regarded as a pastiche almost as quickly." He contrasted this with Fredriksson's "current physical vulnerability" while performing on stage, which he called "a genuinely moving counterpoint to the charge of soullessness which often dogged Roxette's critical reception in the past. It might not be too late for a proper reappraisal."
Andy Rudd of the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' reviewed the same concert, and remarked that Fredriksson "still hit all the power high notes, despite remaining seated for all the gig." He went on to praise her "haunting" and "beautiful vocal tones". Similarly, Goldenplec writer Mary Sexton said of their 1 June concert at the
3Arena
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller music ...
in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
that Fredriksson was "sensational; her voice has a gorgeous timbre switching between her delicate head voice and her lower belt voice." Although she additionally noted that "during her solo moments, there are elements of dodgy intonation which may indicate why her voice is a bit lower in the mix. But make no mistake, she is a sensation, and you cannot possibly take your eyes off of her. Her tiny frame swells and fills the stage as she commands the audiences' attention." Annelise Ball echoed a similar sentiment in her review of their 20 February concert at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, saying that "Despite her evident frailty, Fredriksson's voice is as strong and lovely as ever." She concluded by writing: "Fredriksson, you deserve accolades not only for your exceptional talent but also for your strength, courage and grace under pressure."
Set lists
The songs performed during each leg of the tour changed considerably as it progressed, with Gessle initially singing the majority of tracks. He said: "We had to take it step by step. I sang maybe 60–65% of the songs to begin with, and then the more we played the more Marie could sing."
Each tour generally consisted of a "greatest hits"-type set list, as Fredriksson's illness "affected her
short-term memory
Short-term memory (or "primary" or "active memory") is the capacity for holding a small amount of information in an active, readily available state for a short interval. For example, short-term memory holds a phone number that has just been recit ...
, making it difficult to learn new lyrics, while the old hits are inked firmly in her brain."
Tour dates
Cancelled or rescheduled shows
Personnel
Information derived from "Roxette Live: XXX – The 30th Anniversary Tour" book.
Musicians
*
Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...
– vocals
*
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...
– vocals,
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
and
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
s,
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
* Per "Pelle" Alsing –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
* Magnus Börjson –
bass and backing vocals
* Malin Ekstrand – backing vocals and percussion
*
Helena Josefsson
Helena Marianne Josefsson (born 23 March 1978) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist in the band Sandy Mouche and has collaborated with Per Gessle, Roxette, Arash Labaf, The Ark and various other Swedish musical project ...
– backing vocals and percussion
*
Christoffer Lundquist –
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
*
Dea Norberg
Andrea Heléne "Dea" Norberg (born 3 March 1974 in Bräkne-Hoby, Sweden) is a Swedish singer and choirgirl who sang in most of Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest entries during the 2000s. Norberg has been involved in the Melodifestivalen house- ...
– backing vocals and percussion
*
Clarence Öfwerman
Clarence Öfwerman (born 22 November 1957) is a Swedish record producer, best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album ''Pearls of Passion'' in 1986 through to 2016's ''Good Karma'', Roxette's l ...
–
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
Management
*
Mikael Bolyos –
personal assistant
A personal assistant, also referred to as personal aide (PA) or personal secretary (PS), is a job title describing a person who assists a specific person with their daily business or personal task,. it is a sub-specialty of secretarial duties ...
to Marie Fredriksson
* Adam Bassett –
lighting designer
In theatre, a lighting designer (or LD) works with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and time of day for the production in response to the text while keeping ...
* Calle Brattberg – lighting designer
* Marie Dimberg –
artist management
A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of entertainer, artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee t ...
* Åsa Elmgren – wardrobe
* Tumppi Haaranen – assistant tour manager
* Smick Hall-Hardgrave – pre-production manager
* Bo Johansson –
tour manager
A tour manager (or concert tour manager) is the person who helps to organize the administration for a schedule of appearances of a musical group (band) or artist at a sequence of venues (a concert tour). In general, road managers handle tour deta ...
and coordinator for
Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
* Jakob Johnzén –
backline
* Robert Kelber – lighting director and programming
* Micke Lindström –
production manager
In the cinema of the United States, a unit production manager (UPM) is the Directors Guild of America–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non- ...
* Mats Nilemar –
business management
Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
* Mikael Noguiera-Svensson – backline
* Åsa Nordin-Gessle – personal assistant to Per Gessle
* Patrick Woodroffe – lighting designer
Production
* Abbe Ahlbin – sound technician
* Elin Arnelöv – truck driver
* Lottie Bremerhag – truck driver
* Mathias Gerstmann – bus driver
* Lars Jedermark –
rigging
Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts—''standing rigging'', including shrouds and stays—and which adjust the position of the vessel's sails and spars to which they are ...
* Per Johansson – pilot
* Thomas Johansson – tour producer for Live Nation Entertainment
* Lucas Lindholm – lighting technician
* Sam Pattinson – video content
* Gerth Pettersson – sound technician
* Bebban Pihlblad – lighting technician
* Mikael Sandelius – truck driver
* Fredrik Stormby – lighting technician
* Tina Vestin – travel arrangements
* Mattias Vidberg – truck driver
* Helli Windisch – bus driver
Opening acts
*
Darren Hayes
Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the frontman and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden until their disbandment. Their 1997 album ''Savage Garden (Savage Garden album), Savage Garden'' peaked a ...
– 2011 London show
*
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
* ...
– 2012 Australian shows
*
Hesta Prynn
Julie Potash (born March 20), also known as Hesta Prynn, is an American musician, singer, and rapper from Long Island, New York. She began her career in music as one-third of the all-female hip-hop group Northern State. After the band broke u ...
– 2012 New York show
*
Mim Grey
Miriam "Mim" Grey is an English singer-songwriter. Grey has worked with London-based DJs and producers such as Lee Cabrera (2005 single/EP, "I Watch You") and Kurtis Mantronik (2003 single/EP "How Did You Know"). Tom Jones described Grey as hi ...
– 2012 Manchester show
*
Glass Tiger
Glass Tiger is a Grammy Award-nominated Canadian rock band from Newmarket, Ontario that formed in 1983. The band has released five studio albums. Its 1986 debut album, '' The Thin Red Line'', went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the Uni ...
– 2012 Canadian shows
*
Boom Crash Opera – 2015 Australian shows
*
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
– 2015 Australian shows
*
Eurogliders
Eurogliders are a band formed in 1980 in Perth, Western Australia, which included Grace Knight on vocals, Bernie Lynch on guitar and vocals, and Amanda Vincent on keyboards.
* First edition (online copy):
* Second edition:
In 1984, Eurogli ...
– 2015 Australian shows
*
Eskobar
Eskobar is the name of a Swedish Northie(Northern Indie)/indie/pop band that was founded in 1996 some 30 kilometres north of Stockholm, in the small town of Åkersberga. The band features Daniel Bellqvist as its lead singer, Frederik Zäll on g ...
– 2015 European shows
References
Notes
Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neverending World Tour, The
Roxette concert tours
2009 concert tours
2010 concert tours
2011 concert tours
2012 concert tours
2013 concert tours
2014 concert tours
2015 concert tours
2016 concert tours
Concerts at Malmö Arena