STIM - the Swedish Performing Rights Society - protects the interests of authors and publishers of music in Sweden. STIM has for the first time ever published a list of the most played songwriters in Sweden. The list covers plays from 2004 until now. Per Gessle is at #8 with 449 songs. Georg Riedel is at #1, he's the one who has composed all the music to Astrid Lindgren's books and movies.

The Roxette iPhone app called Roxette Lyrics Studio is not offical or approved by Roxette and will therefore be removed from iTunes, says Per Gessle in a message to The Daily Roxette.

STOCKHOLM - When Swedish TV4 turned 20 years Roxette performed one of its very rare corporate gigs, this being the third ever (after OM-gruppen 1995 and Carlsberg 2001). According to Per on Facebook and Twitter, Roxette performed:

• Dressed For Success
• The Look
• Listen to Your Heart
• Joyride
• How Do You Do!
• Dangerous

SKÅNE - The Daily Roxette has reached Per for a short debriefing after the successful "tour":

Per, you've just landed after the tour, or as you called it - "merely a handful of concerts".  How do you feel now, better or worse than when we talked before?

Oh it's been a wonderful "tour", so many hi-lites, so few downers. The very last show in St. P. was outstanding. Marie in top shape, Chris finally becoming the rock god he really is and the whole band kickin' serious ass. But all the shows have been great. It's a beautiful band, we really love to play together and I'm sure it shows. It's really really hard to stop playing live now!!

Did everything meet your expectations?

Rox has suddenly become much bigger than expected! Example: last time we played Moscow & St. Petes in 2001, we had around 5000 people per show. This time we had 9500 + 11000. Amazing!! What's cool is that Ozzy Osbourne played the same St. Petersburg-venue the night before us and had 6500 people, Sting performed the night after us and had 6000… And we had 11000… The interest in what we do is growing rapidly and it feels fab of course.

How was the audience?

Oh, without the crowd it could never have worked out! We're totally driven by the response from the audience. You know the Carlsberg-slogan? “Probably the best beer in the world”?? We're saying that about our fans: probably the best fans in the world!!!!!!

Read more…

WORLDWIDE - Rock Band 3, the latest installation of Harmonix' huge hit series Rock Band will feature 1.5 Gessle songs!. 1.5? Yes, the full song is Roxette's "The Look," so grab your guitars, bass, drums, mic and for the first time ever; keyboards and rock the night away. So what's the second, half, song? Tom Petty's "I Need to Know" which was recorded by Gyllene Tider featuring Swedish lyrics written by Per Gessle. Gyllene Tider's version was released in 1981 and is called "Vill ha ett svar!"("I Want an Answer").

This is what Harmonix writes about the game: "Rock Band 3 doesn't just feature an amazing 83-song setlist. Its deep Career Mode takes the band on a journey to gain new levels of status while the environment around them changes from streets and subways to tour stops and venues. The game also features a streamlined experience, with easy drop-in and drop-out, easier no-fail accessibility and an all-new Party Shuffle letting you jump right into gameplay. Rock Band 3 also introduces Rock Band Pro, bridging the world of gaming and real musicianship through a suite of new instrument controllers, trainers and game play options that open the door to real-world guitar, bass, keyboard and drum skills.

Rock Band 3 will be available October 26 in North America and October 29 in the rest of the world for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS."

Timur contributed to this article.

By the end of September the new book with Roxette sheet music will be released - Best of Roxette (ISBN 9789177482901). It contains 30 Roxette songs and some of which are "previously unreleased" (meaning sheet music). This is what the publisher Gehrman's write about the book:

"Roxette is undoubtedly one of the biggest bands of all time with an unparalleled international career and plenty of number ones. Now it's time for a new generation to discover their music.

Until now there has been no book which collects all of Roxette's hits in the same place. In this book there are 30 of the successful group's biggest hits, of which one third have not been published previously. All-new piano arrangements by Martin Östergren, lyrics and melody for the singer and guitar chord boxes. The book also contains photos from Roxette's career and newly written comments and liner-notes [in English] by Per Gessle."

The price will be around €30.

LONDON - Actor Dolph Lundgren was interviewed in The Guardian for his upcoming movie, The Expendables. In it, the reporter asked if he were friends with any Swedish celebrities:
 
Guardian: "You're Swedish. Are you mates with that bloke from True Blood, ABBA, Roxette, and the Swedish Chef from The Muppets?"
 
Lundgren: "I've met Skarsgård; we're doing something together. ABBA, I don't know. I know Per Gessle, he's a Ferrari fan. And I parted ways with the chef in a back room in New York with a baseball bat."

Photo: Antti Puskala courtesy of Per Gessle.

HALMSTAD - More than 17,000 in Sundsvall, almost 30,000 in Skanderborg, up to 20,000 in Marknadsplatsen in Halmstad, Sweden on Saturday and then sold out in Norway and is already stocked in Russia. Roxette's comeback has exceeded all expectations. Even for a pop visionary like Per Gessle.

- Yes, indeed. We were not prepared for it to be so big. When Anderstorp came up, we were happy if we could sell 7000 tickets, says Gessle.

- So had we known this we would have rehearsed more and had a larger production. I mean, before the last Roxette tour, "Room Service" in 2001 we rented the Globe Arena for a week.

- Because all arena concerts are so hugely choreographed, and it has to be given the lighting and camera angles. If we haven't practiced enough it's easy to run into each other. And it was a bit like that at the premiere…

We're sitting in the garden at home in the house in Sandhamn where the Gessle family has spent the entire summer.

Åsa offers freshly baked sponge cake when Per has poured the coffee.

- The advantage of living in two places is that it becomes a feast every time you come home to Halmstad. The calmness. The old friends … Yes, all this stuff, explains Per, pointing out towards the Laholm bay.

September 13, 1994 on the Crash!Boom!Bang! tour - that's how long ago it's been since Roxette last played in Halmstad. Almost 16 years ago.

- That's why it will be fantastic to do it again. I just talked with Marie and she's on fire about it, says Per.

That Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson are standing on a stage together at all again as Roxette is a minor miracle, given the brain tumor that Marie suffered eight years ago.

- Yes, one should know that five percent will survive the disease that Marie had, and she had the good fortune to belong to the five percent. Ít's in that perspective you have to put the comeback and the concerts. It is not the old '80s Roxette, but what Marie's doing is an achievement.

- Sure, everything takes longer now and her health goes in waves, but it is the reality we live in. And therefore, these concerts are more of a test to decide on how much she can handle before a regular tour. For instance, we are not doing any press before the concerts.

- So if it will continue is up to Marie. But as I see it this is good for her - it is probably the best rehab she can get.

- I mean, the reception we received has been incredible. One has become teary-eyed when one has met the response. Read more…

HALMSTAD - Roxette in Halmstad, it's like seeing the Beatles in Liverpool, holy ground so to speak. The Daily Roxette will ignore the ticket problem, it seems it was solved somewhat easily after all.

So, how was this concert compared to Sundsvall? Much better. 100 % better I'd say. Roxette removed the two Per Gessle songs in the middle, Marie didn't take a break this time. The band was tighter and Marie sang with more confidence even though she did have the same problem with the lyrics.

This reporter still thinks the arrangements are too similar to the Gessle over Europe arrangements. It doesn't sound like Roxette. Granted, it has a nice, heavy touch, but it ain't Roxette enough. I want the hooks in the songs, like in "The Look" or "Joyride". Per removed them for his solo tour because that "wasn't Roxette, but him solo", but this is Roxette. Having said that, the band was in top shape! It felt like Per, Marie and the band liked being in Halmstad in front of 20,500 fans.

Anyways, the concert was very nice, and if this is Roxette at its worst, I don't see a problem with a world tour. However, if this is Roxette at its best… 

And holy moly! Gyllene Tider joined Roxette on stage here in Halmstad… Gyllene Tider came on stage instead of Roxette for the second encore. Gyllene performed "Juni, juli, augusti, "Sommartider" and "När alla vännerna gått hem", the latter together with Marie and the Roxette band. And to be honest, Gyllene Tider stole the show. Roxette was great, but Gyllene Tider was awesome.

After the show, The Daily Roxette met Per and Marie at a meet & greet photo op arranged by RoxetteBlog and The Daily Roxette.

Read more…

(Updated) - The 2010 Roxette merchandise features old album covers and re-uses old Roxette logos from the past years. The items will probably be sold on SCM.se at a later point.

Update: New PDF uploaded.