Ending On A High Note - Farewell to Amsterdam
A-Ha live at the HMH, Amsterdam on 10-10-2010.
The support Jimmy Gnecco, and his band Ours which helped him to perform his first released solo-material, had just flown in the other day, maybe in the same plane as the one where Solomon Burke died in just before landing. They were given a change to start up the crowd with a performance of fourty minutes. As said they played material from Jimmy's first solo album The Heart, which sounded very promising for a first listen.
At nine o'clock the lights went out and a classical intro was played, after that a keyboard tune followed with Morton singing short phrases over it as if he was practising his voice. Then the band came on and opened with The Sun Always Shines On T.V. It took them three songs, in which Morton wore his sunglasses, to get into the mood. With Scoundrel Days the voice was warm and the band relaxed as if to say the professional photographers are gone it is time to start the party. What followed was a show with a lot of greatest hits and some nice unexpected albumsongs.
Halfway through the concert a three song acoustic set was played with the new single Butterfly, Butterfly (the last hurray), albumtrack (seemingly) Nonstop July and the Everly Brothers cover Crying In The Rain.
Was the set before the acoustic intermezzo mostly eighties orientated, except for The Bandstand, from their 2009 album Foot Of The Mountain, after the acoustic intermezzo, it was mostly songs from their last four albums after 2000. Unfortuantly the worse performance of a track was one of my favourite song of the last period Minor Earth Major Sky. It was played inspireless, without fire. Something I didn't miss during most of the performance, where they played enthusiastic and with compassion.
At half past ten they left the stage and a video was played on the screen, showing pictures of album sleeves, singles and band. After this the band returned for the first three encores. During The Living Daylights the crowd got a change for some audience anticipation time, some sing along, while Paul stirred up the crowd, and a card with Amsterdam was shown on the screen with footage from the crowd.
The last encore was their first hit Take On Me that lanched their career in 1985. Then it was over, 25 years of A-Ha music finished in nearly two hours. A last goodbye, a last farewell, the stage went empty, the lights got on, and the crowd woke up and left the hall. An icon of the eighties will gone to rest, although the band tours for another two months through Europe to end their career during a three night performance at Oslo in early December.
Band:
Morton Harket - Vocals, guitar, percussion
Magne Furuholmen - Guitar, backing vocals
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy - Keyboards, backing vocals
with:
Karl Oluf Wennerberg - Drums
Erik Ljunggren - Keyboards, bass
Setlist:
The Sun Always Shines On TV
Move To Memphis
The Blood That Moves The Body
Scoundrel Days
Stay On These Roads
Manhattan Skyline
Hunting High And Low
The Bandstand
We're Looking For The Whales
Butterfly, Butterfly (the last hurray) (acoustic)
(seemingly) Nonstop July (acoustic)
Crying In The Rain (acoustic)
Minor Earth Major Sky
Forever Not Yours
Summer Moved On
I've Been Losing You
Foot Of The Mountain
Cry Wolf
Analogue
The Living Daylights
Take On Me
The support Jimmy Gnecco, and his band Ours which helped him to perform his first released solo-material, had just flown in the other day, maybe in the same plane as the one where Solomon Burke died in just before landing. They were given a change to start up the crowd with a performance of fourty minutes. As said they played material from Jimmy's first solo album The Heart, which sounded very promising for a first listen.
At nine o'clock the lights went out and a classical intro was played, after that a keyboard tune followed with Morton singing short phrases over it as if he was practising his voice. Then the band came on and opened with The Sun Always Shines On T.V. It took them three songs, in which Morton wore his sunglasses, to get into the mood. With Scoundrel Days the voice was warm and the band relaxed as if to say the professional photographers are gone it is time to start the party. What followed was a show with a lot of greatest hits and some nice unexpected albumsongs.
Halfway through the concert a three song acoustic set was played with the new single Butterfly, Butterfly (the last hurray), albumtrack (seemingly) Nonstop July and the Everly Brothers cover Crying In The Rain.
Was the set before the acoustic intermezzo mostly eighties orientated, except for The Bandstand, from their 2009 album Foot Of The Mountain, after the acoustic intermezzo, it was mostly songs from their last four albums after 2000. Unfortuantly the worse performance of a track was one of my favourite song of the last period Minor Earth Major Sky. It was played inspireless, without fire. Something I didn't miss during most of the performance, where they played enthusiastic and with compassion.
At half past ten they left the stage and a video was played on the screen, showing pictures of album sleeves, singles and band. After this the band returned for the first three encores. During The Living Daylights the crowd got a change for some audience anticipation time, some sing along, while Paul stirred up the crowd, and a card with Amsterdam was shown on the screen with footage from the crowd.
The last encore was their first hit Take On Me that lanched their career in 1985. Then it was over, 25 years of A-Ha music finished in nearly two hours. A last goodbye, a last farewell, the stage went empty, the lights got on, and the crowd woke up and left the hall. An icon of the eighties will gone to rest, although the band tours for another two months through Europe to end their career during a three night performance at Oslo in early December.
Band:
Morton Harket - Vocals, guitar, percussion
Magne Furuholmen - Guitar, backing vocals
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy - Keyboards, backing vocals
with:
Karl Oluf Wennerberg - Drums
Erik Ljunggren - Keyboards, bass
Setlist:
The Sun Always Shines On TV
Move To Memphis
The Blood That Moves The Body
Scoundrel Days
Stay On These Roads
Manhattan Skyline
Hunting High And Low
The Bandstand
We're Looking For The Whales
Butterfly, Butterfly (the last hurray) (acoustic)
(seemingly) Nonstop July (acoustic)
Crying In The Rain (acoustic)
Minor Earth Major Sky
Forever Not Yours
Summer Moved On
I've Been Losing You
Foot Of The Mountain
Cry Wolf
Analogue
The Living Daylights
Take On Me
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