Roxette Returns For Proms Slot

Seven years after Roxette’s last-minute pull-out from Night Of The Proms, the world-famous Swedish pop duo has chosen this year’s concert series for its return to the stage.

In 2002, the day before the Proms Sept. 11 press conference in Antwerp, the act had to cancel because Marie Fredriksson fainted at home in Stockholm. She was hospitalised and doctors diagnosed a brain tumour, which was later successfully removed.

Apart from Fredriksson guesting on a couple of Per Gessle’s recent solo shows in Stockholm and Amsterdam, this will be the first time the duo has appeared on stage together since.

“It’s a fantastic way for them to come back,” said Dirk Hohmeyer from NOTP organiser Promotion & Special Events (PSE).

The opening is at Antwerp Sportpaleis Oct. 13, but this NOTP tour will see the duo headline at 35 shows across Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, including nine more in Antwerp and multiple nights in Arnhem, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne.

Roxette was announced to top the bill in 2002, a year after its European tour had played to 200,000 fans. The duo’s record sales are at least 15 million singles and 55 million albums.

“It’s gonna be the first time we share a live stage together since 2001 and it certainly feels most exciting to do it in front of the huge Night of the Proms audience,” read a joint statement from Fredriksson and Gessle.

PSE described getting the duo as the “icing on the cake” to celebrate NOTP’s 25th anniversary edition. The other acts playing the entire 35-date run include Toots Thielemans, John Miles, Peter & Zoltan Katona, the Il Novecento Orchestra and the Fine Fleur choir.

Sharon den Adel from Within Temptation will play the Belgian and Dutch shows, then Heaven 17 and Alan Parsons will be special guests on the German dates.