| Dublin, Ireland 16th October 2002 By Andrew Byrne - Dublin |
Wednesday the 16th of October had little significance to me until 20:30pm, when I had to pinch myself to believe I was going to see A-HA in The Point theatre. I was full of nostalgia as this was my first ever A-HA concert and sitting four rows from the stage didn't help matters. When the band came on I could barely here my own voice ( and believe my own eyes) asthe band kicked of with the adrenalin rushing "Forever not yours". I have to admire Paul's guitar work, he seems to do thing's to that guitar that don't seem possible. An example of which flicking the string's with the plectrum and getting the littlest sound possible, but somehow making it fit nicely in to the song. He done this lovely on "Manhattan Skyline" which Mag's said was in memory of the September 11th disaster. Magne have to say looked like he was hanging out at "Bob Marley's" outhouse with reggae styled stone washed jeans and a hippy style top which someone from "Woodstock" would be proud to wear. Mag's used the "Reggae influence" at the end of the set on the "shaken but not stirred" song "The Living daylights" as we (The crowd) were singing "The Living Daylights" Mag's gradually built up speed with that reggae beat so Morten could break nicely into the song. What can I say about Morten? well the more thing's change the more they stay the same. The guy has probably the most distinctive and powerful voice in the world ever! The crowd were singing "Hunting high and low" so much that I didn't think that it was going to stop. Morten hanging out his microphone saying "more Dublin, more". The atmosphere at the concert was totally unbelievable and seemed to rev up a notch when Paul and Magne sang solo. Paul was first up, singing the atmospheric "Sycamore Leaves". He seemed to be a bit nervous starting of, "like it filled him without ease" but it is alway's nice to hear a different voice on such a popular song. It was Magne's turn next and before he started he said the song was about commitment. The song in question was "Dragonfly" which Mag's wrote for a small Norwegian film called "Oyenstikker". The song is beautiful it seems to have real essence. When the play list was finished, the last song being "The Living Daylights" the band came back on stage and done three encores. The encores in question where "Summer moved on", "The Sun always shines on TV" and the ambient "Locust". For me and the rest of the a-ha fan's "Summer moved on" marked the return of one the biggest band's Europe, no the World has ever seen. I am only 20 years old myself but I know good music when I hear it. The first single I ever bought was 1991's "Move to Memphis" but I failed to hear anything after that (not knowing they split after "Memorial beach"). They then played "The Sun always shines on TV" which for me was the highlight of the evening. There is no other song in the world that comes close to this song , it's simply unbelievable. The next on the card's was the crowd filling "Locust" which seemed to get everyone in a zombie like state singing lines like "I don't no make it, I don't no shake it, I don't no break it down for me". Morten, Paul, Magne and the backing band gave a bow to the crowd,and that was the end of the night in the Point. I enjoyed every single moment of my first a-ha concert but for some reason I don't think we have seen the last of A-HA in Ireland. Slan abahaile, (Good bye) Andrew Byrne (A-HA's biggest Irish supporter) |
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