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a-ha News in Argentina
By Andrea Duran and Sarai Leon
There was a nice media response to the a-ha concert on Thursday March 4th at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which represented the first step of the South American leg of their Ending on a High Note tour. The band returned to the country almost twenty years after their last visit in June 1991. Here is a summary of the news:
El trío a-ha comienza a decir adiós en el Luna Park
(The a-ha trio begins his farewell at Luna Park)
03-03-2010
Luna Park will be the chosen place for the Norwegian group a-ha to begin their farewell tour, after almost 30 years of music career and more than 36 million copies of albums sold around the world. The tour will end on December 4th in Oslo, Norway and from tomorrow they will be touring around the world presenting their last album Foot of the Mountain and revisiting their old classics and contributing for the new groups to come. The trio, Morten Harket (vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards) and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitar), has decided to donate part of their own profits to create an award for the most promising Norwegian artists, as Harket himself informed to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten in Oslo.
Despedida amable y nostálgica
(A nice and nostalgic farewell)
By: Juan Ignacio Provéndola
03-05-2010
a-ha chose Buenos Aires to begin their Ending on a High Note tour, and these concerts that will signify the end of a career which include nine studio albums, two live albums, millions of records sold around the world and a legacy picked up by artists as U2 or Robbie Williams. Some people would say that last Thursday’s show in a totally full Luna Park was, at the end, a pale memory of their last (and only) visit in 1991 which included three more concerts. Of course, at that time, a-ha was at the top of their career and now this is a simple farewell, complying with the expectation of enjoying themselves in their own history before they will dedicate their life “to a most significant aspects as humanitarian causes, politics or whatever”.
The journalist also includes a review of the concert and the songs they played. He concluded, “In their own way, each member of the band gave their best for an unforgettable night, avoiding the common places. Then the farewell turned into a tribute, not just for the band, but also to honor the teenage years of those “young adults” who were at the Luna Park, searching for something that at some point of their lives belonged to them. At the end of the concert, only bitter smiles remain as well as the questioning if happy farewells really exist.
A-Ha en Buenos Aires: A boy’s adventure tale
By: Maximiliano Poter
03-05-2010
The author, who 19 years ago decided to buy the East of the Sun, West of the Moon LP because he hadn’t enough money to get a ticket for the a-ha concert in Buenos Aires, took revenge and went to the farewell concert this time. He wrote: “I wasn’t the only one who remembered the old days. Harket, Magne Furuholmen y Pål Waaktaar-Savoy, began a 25 years of beautiful songs countdown, which begins with the synth-pop “The Bandstand” and “Foot Of The Mountain” (both songs from their latest album, fortunately release days ago in Argentina), followed by “Analogue”, “Forever Not Yours” and a lot more (except of songs from the underrated Memorial Beach,1993).”
He continues: “The sharping “staaaaaaayyyyyyy” from the chorus of “Summer Moved On”, attracted the first of many standing ovations that Harket caused during the concert. But, with “Crying in the Rain” and “Stay On These Roads”, the audience went crazy. It was the least they could do because we were listening live and direct to one of the best male voices of pop music (and yes, ma’am, sir: he sounds just like the albums, and his high notes, even when it’s hardest to reach them at his fifties, still driving in your heart)”. The author ended: “The Sun Always Shines on TV” and the iconic “Take on Me” set the end of the history, as it should be. For me it all was hello goodbye-flavored. Then again, that’s what the farewell parties should be.”
Time: 12:56 pm 
All words are few to express how wonderful was the show in Buenos Aires. Fantastic, perfect !!! Thank you very much for the warmth and sympathy with fans during their stay en our country, these are moments we will never forget, have remained recorded in our hearts with fire…. A-HA forever !!! Regards,Roxy.
I have read many reports on A-ha’s show at Luna Park. They were quite detailed (thanksfully): what songs were played, what each member of the band did…or didn’t do, what was seen on the screen, how many people were there, its duration, EVERYTHING. Well, my friends, I was there and I can’t recall a thing! I was so overwhelmed and ecstatic that it just seemed a whirling dream. I never noticed Morten was playing the drums, or that Mags pulled a funny face when Morten forgot the lyrics of “Summer Moved On”…AGAIN! I thought I had seen Morten sort of dancing…but I was later told that he just tripped over some wires on the stage. Then I thought Paul had sort of…and again SORT OF danced but, once again, I was told he was as stiff as …well…as a stone. So, all I can remember seemed not to have happened and I have never noticed what ACTUALLY happened . Nevertheless, all I can say about the concert is that I sang every word of every song that was played (whichever they were), shouted at the top of my lungs, waved my arms, jumped up and down endlessly, threw kisses at the three of them (well, not at Mags, I couldn’t see him properly), lifted my “A-ha for ever” sign and cried…yes, cried at Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale. Not at Crying in the Rain, not at Stay on Threse Roads, not at Hunting High and Low…just at Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale. Now I see why I cried during that song: apart from being one of my very favourite ones ( I love travelling listening to it and it so reminded me of my year in England) but also because of the pics on the screen. The moment I saw Paul’s huge face on the screen I realized one of my dreams had come true. I had met him a few hours before and had eloquently told him: you are my favourite ( a very complex sentence for someone who has studied English for over 10 years…nice). I had waited for that moment for 20 years…20 YEARS!!!! and I am 29!!!! Two thirds of my life loving these three guys and their wonderful art (not just music) and now they were there in front of my very eyes…it was bliss, I was speechless!!!!
Anyway, back to the concert: It was funny to see Morten using a speaker so as to drown out the crowd’s shouts (I saw that…well, after all I have to prove I WAS there). He had a naughty look the moment he fetched it, as if saying let’s see if you can beat this! He’s charming…and he KNOWS IT! Then, Mags gets on his knees in a worshipping position…I didn’t see that either (thank God for pictures!).
During Stay on These Roads, I phoned Laly, a friend, since her beloved father introduced us both to A-ha. She didn’t pick up, though and I didn’t leave a message (that is, the song). It was a pity she couldn’t answer the phone for A-ha means a lot for her too.
Something which was quite odd is that I wasn’t hungry, cold, hot or thirsty…I reached Nirvana!!! Well, Nirvana maybe about getting rid of all passions whereas I do think is getting lost in passions, so lost that one cannot feel oneself (and that is maybe why I can’t recall 90% of the concert XD!).
So there’s the answer: A-ha is a passion ( a term used mainly in football over here), even the journalists here said so comparing A-ha’s concert to a football match or a rock and roll gig. Most importantly, A-ha is MY passion and I will miss them sooooooo much. I have stopped being a Hunger Artist (see Kafka) because of them: I had found and eaten the food I like and I’ll be forever grateful for that. We will have need of you. Thanks for this wonderful concert, thanks fot these 25 years. Thank you A-ha
Thanks for the wonderful concert!
For me it was a dream to be there!
Thanks for being so kind to their FASN and please come back once more!
Ole ole ole olaa a-ha, a-ha!