We fell from the evenings black sky, to an open landscape covered with golden drops of light, as illuminated, the Oslo city beckoned. Touching upon this Nordic land to many is a pilgrimage - the a-ha mecca, but to others, us included, it was a journey to capture the essence of the music, its roots, its origins and to gain deeper understanding into the moods and emotional airs and in doing so, we learned a little more to aid the dimensions of appreciation.
It was the March 1994 a-ha Norwegian Tour and our virgin trip to a blessed land. Norway gave all it could and we revelled in the snow covered paradise and its peace and warm airs. From Oslo to Stavanger, Bergen to Skien, we were adopted by a land not too removed from our own and in the process, again fell in love with the music that had driven us there.
The Oslo Sentrum Scene was a good sized club in the centre of town with a great bar and a mixed audience of both empassioned and insane fans, and proof that a club atmosphere makes for a great gig. Stavanger, Bergen and Skien were concert halls, seated arrangements that proved too restrictive, but yet broke down in the end to a mass chaos of stage invasions. It is always hard to know what the band themselves prefer, but it must be said that seated venues take away edge from what might have been a fucking wild show.
Firm believers that the only way to start an a-ha show is with a strong wildness and energy to get a speedy willingness from the crowd to be involved and annimated, we saw a welcomed return to the great "I've Been Losing You" and "Cry Wolf" back to back starting the show. Those wild guitar solos and the groove a reminder that a-ha are more than the makers of a forlorn ballad. Not rock kings or pop princes, a-ha and their music sit comfortably between the labelling as something uniquely unpredictable and their live shows reflect their ability to be more than the critics would have us believe. Live, they seem less afraid to hold back as they do on the albums and replace it with ferocious, energised bite.
It is hard to describe that touring high, the emotion that takes you by the hand and journies with you through the two hour sets. You stand, eyes closed and allow the sound to fall on your skin and be drawn into every pore. As your nape hairs prickle, the rush takes hold and those chemicals explode into a thousand emotions - all at once- all the same depth. To feel that can sometimes become an obsession ... a live show a shot of heroin fighting a cold turkey of a-ha's recording breaks.
"Cold As Stone" is becoming a legend in its year long existence on stage. Each time it is played it has something extra added, each time its affect harder and in Norway, as well as South Africa, a-ha added an ambient hint of a new sounding "Sycamore Leaves" that felt so right, it was if Pål had preminisced to write it with this union in mind, many ignorant to the amount of work it will have taken to create it.
On March 17th - 24th, a-ha's music did not fall on deaf ears or unfeeling skin. It was truly rejoiced and we left the country with a completely different view of the music. It was as heavy as the Nordic sunset setting with a melencholy blaze. We left refreshed by the beauty, peace, friendly days and with a new understanding that "Shapes That Go Together" was not only a song, as a-ha and their homeland were joined together in an harmonious union - "Locust" pulled from a left over deep rooted affinity to the land. Norway inspired the poet. New York may hold Pål's dreams, but it was Oslo that gave him the power to dream at all.
The question of why we tour travels together with our warmest memories and it adds a bitter taste of rejection and cynacism. Are we really so little understood? We will never know if a-ha question the familiar faces, but if they do, one comment springs to mind...
....A-HA, we wouldn't spend so much time, money and put ourselves through travelling hardships if your music was full of shit. Hell, we are a compliment and misunderstanding our reasons for doing this is the equivalent of self doubt. Believe and recognise the power of your own music.. after all... WE DO!!