Nestled in the picturesque heart of Victoria’s wine country, the XXX Roxette Tour made a stop at the Rochford Winery to perform their very first open air concert of the year. Situated in the lush rolling green hills and surrounded by gorgeous vineyards, Roxette delivered another memorable show as part of the “A Day On The Green” concerts.

With temperatures hitting mid to high thirties (degrees Celsius) by the late afternoon, a slightly cooler evening breeze was a welcome relief but it was Roxette’s rockin’ performance that turned the heat back up!  This is first time Roxette have performed outdoors in Australia, and much like the wines made in the area, the show was a classic.

Vocally, it was vintage Marie. She was incredible. Now firmly in her chair, Marie was perhaps even stronger than last night’s Rod Laver Arena show. The slight difference this time around was more even more confidence. Marie seemed even more playful, winking to the crowd, pouting her lips, blowing kisses to the cheering fans. It seems that she’s now beginning to “own” the chair and the result is night and day compared to previous shows. Marie was nailing it all night and she knew it. Fist pumping at the end of certain songs, brimming with confidence, she rarely missed a beat. It’s the improvising she does that really solidifies her strong return vocally.

Per’s leg-stomping energy always keeps the crowd on their feet and his banter with Magnus is a lot of fun. One day we will truly find out what is Magnus’ favourite Roxette album.

The highlight of the night was probably the “Dressed For Success/Dangerous” combo – “Dangerous” seems to really pack a punch with the Australian audiences. “Crush On You” was tighter, “Watercolours/Paint” was flawless.

Christoffer’s rendition of local song “Waltzing Matilda” had the crowd in a frenzy which then led into an energetic “Joyride” that had the crowd whistling and singing along to all the words.

Once again, “that moment” in “Listen To Your Heart” was a show-stopper. It was simply powerful. Marie was very strong on “that note” at the end of “Listen To Your Heart” before Pelle crunches your ribs with that magnificent rolling drum part.

A slightly shorter show tonight with the band opting to skip “The Heart Shaped Sea” but the energy kept flowing resulting in an incredible atmosphere on a (very) warm Aussie Summer’s night.

The Setlist:

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. Almost Unreal
16. Listen To Your Heart
17. The Look

Next stop: Wollongong at the WIN Entertainment Centre – Monday 23^rd February