If you like Sondre Lerche, he is very happy to announce he will open for a-ha for the New York concerts on may 6, 7 and 8th.
http://www.sondrelerche.com/2010/04/living-a-boys-adventure-tale/
If someone is interested.
LIVING A BOY’S ADVENTURE TALE
Monday, April 26, 2010
By Sondre Lerche
"I’m excited to announce that I’ll be doing three special appearances opening for my childhood heroes A-ha when they play the Nokia Theater on Times Square in New York, the city where I live. This is part of their farewell tour so it’ll be the very last chance to see them off.
I opened for A-ha in Norway in 2002 after my debut album had become somewhat of a success there. It was the wildest case of impossible dreams coming true ever.
You see, as a kid I was psychotically obsessed with A-ha, to an extent that I’m sure at times worried my family. Needless to say it would have blown my 9-year-old-self’s mind if somebody had told him back then that once he turned 19 he’d be asked to share stage with A-ha, not just as a fan but as an artist in his own right.
Since that crazy gig in Oslo, my life has only gotten increasingly absurd. A couple of months later something happened that I hadn’t even dared dream of: the Faces Down album had been picked up for release in North America. And ever since, I’ve been spending more and more time here with my amazing audience. So much, in fact, that I now live in Brooklyn and pay US taxes.
A-ha’s shy guitar player, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, is a longtime New York resident who I’ve been lucky enough to become good friends with through the last few years. Although I hope he doesn’t read this, he is well aware of my long time obsession with his band and he handles it with utter grace.
I should stress that I did stop dressing like Morten Harket at 15, around the same time I started finding my own voice and quit imitating his (as if that’s possible). Once you get to be a songwriter and artist full time there’s naturally less time for fandom and as such I am relieved to say I am but a pale shadow of the fan I used to be. Not because I don’t appreciate their music anymore (it lives with me forever) but simply because I’ve had my hands full with my own songs and influences beyond A-ha. I guess it’s only healthy.
People sometime ask me to specify A-ha’s influence on my albums and song because they can’t quite hear it. I don’t know if can point it out either. But it’s there simply because A-ha was my first music love (up yours Beatles! Stones! Dylan! _______! (fill in your own politically correct music influence giant)).
So now as A-ha have decided to call it quits, I’m quite thrilled that I’ll be there with the fans in New York City, with Paul, Morten and Mags, but also alone on their stage doing what I do as I thank them and say goodbye.
Weird isn’t it?"
SL