Firstly – some perspective. By the early/mid 2000s, commercially speaking, Roxette were almost a non-entity in Australia. Few people had heard of Room Service let alone bought it. The Ballad Hits and The Pop Hits came and went barely making a dent in ARIA Top 100 and it wasn’t before long that the “Roxette” section in the CD rack at record stores was quietly removed leaving “Roxy Music” to now sit side by side with “Diana Ross”. Of course the ironically titled “It Must Have Been Love” would pop up on radio from time to time, but it was clear that Roxette’s Australian chapter had come to a quiet end – and no amount of Dancing DJs remixing “Fading Like A Flower” nor DHT’s atrocious attempt at “Listen to Your Heart” could reinvigorate the nation’s interest in the Swedish duo nor their back catalog.

So tonight was further vindication that Roxette and their incredible songs are evergreens of the pop world and thankfully, the band are here to stay with a legacy set to continue for years to come!

I had to keep turning to my right to see the giant Harbour Bridge to really believe that this was happening. Roxette? On Sydney Harbour? Incredible. The amount of times I’ve cursed that bridge, sitting on it during peak hour traffic – was now a symbol of the success of Roxette’s Australian XXX Tour!

The show itself was tight and shorter than others. Unfortunately a few annoying sound and technical issues would pop up throughout the night but the majority of the crowd didn’t notice nor care. Fair enough.

Marie set a ridiculously high benchmark at Rod Laver Arena and at the Yarra Valley, so it was always going to be a tall order to match that effort. Nonetheless, there was an overwhelming amount of goodwill and love for her as Marie gave it her all!

Per and Magnus took a selfie on stage with the Opera House in the background – clearly even the band themselves had to take a moment to really absorb the enormity of what they were experiencing!

Overall, a fun night and a truly historic feat for this little old band from Sweden that decided to give it a crack in 1986. Congratulations!

The Set List:

01. Sleeping in My Car
02. The Big L
03. Stars
04. Spending My Time
05. Crash! Boom! Bang!
06. Crush On You
07. She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio)
08. Watercolours in the Rain/Paint
09. Fading Like A Flower
10. How Do You Do!
11. It Must Have Been Love
12. Dressed For Success
13. Dangerous
14. Joyride
15. Listen To Your Heart
16. The Look

Next stop: Qantas Credit Union Arena – Friday 27th February