Saying goodbye on a high note

  • 2010-10-27
  • By TBT staff

HOW TO MAKE A WOMAN (OR ANYONE) SWOON: Morten Harket, front man for the band a-ha, is as dashing as ever. Morten was the major heart throb of the ’80s.

RIGA - All time famous Norwegian pop band, a-ha, which recently announced that they are ending a nearly 30-year musical career, will mark their departure with a grand world tour, “Ending on a High Note.”
The recent news about a-ha’s ‘break up’ was a very unpleasant surprise for the band’s fans worldwide. And to thank all a-ha’s fans for their long-time support, the band has gone on a world tour and will perform in Australia, Japan, South America, USA and many European countries, including Latvia and Lithuania. The last a-ha concert will be held on December 4, in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Tickets for this historic concert were sold out within several days.

A-ha had a fantastic international career, spanning almost 3 decades of making pop history including 9 studio albums, with sales in excess of 35 million, 70 million units including singles and 15 top ten singles in the UK alone. Nominations, awards, and multiple world tours - including the legendary show at the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro in 1992, which earned a Guinness World Record for the largest-ever audience attendance at a paid concert - a whopping 196,000 people! All these heights have been reached by a-ha during their successful music career. 

In the mid ’80s, the Norwegian trio generated teenage hysteria and general pandemonium wherever they went. Since reforming in 1999, after a 7-year hiatus, the band has seen the focus shift away from the pop phenomenon they once were towards the musical legacy they leave behind - inspiring a whole generation of esteemed artists of today, from Coldplay and Keane, to Kanye West, Oasis, The Strokes, Robbie Williams and even U2.

2010 marks the 25-year anniversary of a-ha’s multi-platinum debut album “Hunting High & Low” and the debut single “Take On Me,” which with the aid of a truly unforgettable video went on to become a number 1 in 27 countries worldwide.
Immediately after the release of their debut album a-ha became the first Norwegian group nominated for the prestigious Grammy Award. Next a series of singles released by a-ha, such as “The Sun Always Shine on TV,” “Crying in the Rain,” “Summer Moved On,” “Velvet,” “Stay on Thess Roads,” “Forever Not Yours,” “Foot of the Mountain” and many others gained great success among a-ha music admirers.

In 2006 the band received a “Q Inspiration Award” in honor of their lasting musical influence.
With the current album “Foot of The Mountain” enjoying both commercial success and critical acclaim, a-ha has decided to call it a day.
The band would like to thank their fans and everyone who has contributed to their amazing journey, and say:
“We’ve literally lived the ultimate boy’s adventure tale, through a longer, more rewarding career than anyone could hope for. Doing this now will give us a chance to get more involved in other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else - and of course through new constellations in the field of art and music. We are retiring as a band, not as individuals. Change is always difficult and it is easy to get set in one’s ways. Now it is time to move on.”

The “Ending on a High Note” tour began in Argentina and will cover four continents and 15 countries. A-ha will play some small, intimate gigs and some large stadium shows, and everything in between, including performances at Arena Riga on November 1 and at Siemens Arena in Vilnius on the following day (November 2). 
Last time a-ha performed in Riga in September 2002, they bought a record number of visitors. The band’s show at the Mezaparks open-air stage was attended by more than 30,000 people.

A-ha’s 2010 world tour is the last chance to see this legendary band in concert before they retire at the end of this year! Don’t miss your chance to say goodbye and experience the band’s music and live energy first and last-hand at the same time!