Lithuania braces for pop invasion

Dec 05, 2007
By Kimberly Kweder

VILNIUS - Lithuania is readying itself for an ‘80s and ‘90s pop music invasion as world-famous stars Alphaville, Sandra Cretu and Ace of Base gear up to perform in the Classic Pop Show on Dec. 13 - 14.
The Classic Pop Show, which takes place in Siauliai Dec. 13 and in Vilnius Dec. 14, is a premiere event in Lithuania. The show is organized by the Effectus events team, who heard of similar successful joint concerts in Riga and decided to try the same approach here.  

The performers have all had major hits on the worldwide charts, some of the more memorable being Sandra Cretu’s “Everlast-ing Love,” Ace of Base’s “The Sign” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young.”
It’s been a couple of years since Baltic fans have seen Alphaville perform and more than 10 or 15 years since Sandra Cretu was here, but their songs have retained their popularity and continue to garner a good amount of radio airplay.
“Alphaville’s ‘Forever Young’ is a song everyone knows when you’re driving in the car and listening to the radio. It’s a classic,” said Aivaras Gelzinis, events coordinator for Effectus.
In 1984,  “Forever Young” was the debut album released by the German synth/rock pop group and instantly became a European Top 10 success.

For her part, Sandra Cretu, or simply “Sandra” as she’s known on stage, has sold over 12 million albums worldwide and also participated in her husband Michael’s project Enigma.
The biggest draw is likely to be Ace of Base, which is in the midst of a comeback; the band is currently recording new tracks for an album to be released next spring, which will be followed by a world tour in the summer. This will be their first performance in Lithuania.

The dance-hop band, originally from Gothen-berg, Sweden, only recently began touring again after 11 years away from the limelight – the last time the band toured was in 1996.
After the long break, they finally began putting on full-length concerts again, starting with shows in Russia.
They appeared at a sold-out performance in Yekaterinburg, on Nov.15 with a setlist that included reworked versions of old hits such as “Wheel Of Fortune,” “The Sign” and “Life Is A Flower.”
Gelzinis said he’s sure tickets will go fast in Lithuania.
“It’s the last month of the year and people want to relax and celebrate. Many people know all the songs and want to hear them,” Gelzinis said.

After the Lithuania performances Ace of Bace will travel to Moscow for a Dec. 15 show and Alphaville will head to Tallinn to perform at the Linnahall on Dec. 21.

Classic Pop Show
Dec. 13 - Siauliai Arena, Siauliai
Dec. 14 - Siemens Arena, Vilnius
Both shows at 8 p.m.
Tickets:  90 - 120 litas
www.tiketa.lt

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