Ending on a High Note Tour
{{Short description|2010 concert tour by a-ha}}
{{Infobox concert
|concert_tour_name = Ending on a High Note Tour
|artist = a-ha
|image = A-haBandMadrid.jpg
|image_caption = A-ha at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain
|albums = {{hlist|Foot of the Mountain|25}}
|start_date = March 4, 2010
|end_date = December 4, 2010
|number_of_legs = 5
|number_of_shows = {{unbulleted list|9 in South America|7 in North America|2 in Asia|55 in Europe|73 in total}}
|last_tour = Foot of the Mountain Tour
(2009)
|this_tour = Ending on a High Note Tour
(2010)
|next_tour = Cast in Steel Tour
(2015–16)
}}
Ending on a High Note Tour was a worldwide concert tour by Norway synth-pop/rock band a-ha in support of the group's ninth studio album, Foot of the Mountain, which was released in June 2009 {{Cite web |url=http://www.a-ha.com/tour/ |title=The Official Community of a-ha: News, Concert Info, Tickets, Biography and Photos |access-date=2010-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301102649/http://www.a-ha.com/tour/ |archive-date=2010-03-01 |url-status=dead }} as well as the compilation 25 which was released in July 2010. It was also a farewell tour, as the band announced, in 2009, their decision to split after a worldwide concert tour in 2010.{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8308829.stm |title=A-ha to break up after 25 years |publisher=BBC |date=2009-10-15 |access-date=2009-10-15}}
The tour began on March 4 at the Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina and ended on 4 December in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, having visited many cities in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and several European countries. The sold out a-ha show in Santiago, Chile, originally scheduled for 6 March, was rescheduled for 23 March following a major earthquake.
Due to demand, the a-ha concert on March 16 in Centro de Convenções (Brasília, Brazil) was moved to a larger venue, Ginásio Nilson Nelson.{{cite web| url = https://twitter.com/aha_com| title = a-ha (@aha_com) / Twitter}} Also the capacity for the concerts in Oslo and Bergen in August in Norway had to expand its capacity with 9000 additional tickets to a total of 25 000 tickets for each show.
Background
On 15 October 2009, through a press release from the official website of the group, "has stated that after his latest album Foot of the Mountain, with the success enjoyed by both commercial and critical acclaim, had decided that now was the time of final dissolution of the band. In a statement on the news the band thanked all the cooperation and support received throughout their career, they talked and put an end with these words:
{{blockquote|"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."|a-ha, October 2009{{cite web |url=http://www.A-ha.com/news/languages/english/AHA_fullStory.aspx?PostID=4214 |title= The Official Community of a-ha: News, Concert Info, Tickets, Biography and Photos|website=www.A-ha.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203045515/http://www.a-ha.com/news/languages/english/AHA_fullStory.aspx?PostID=4214 |archive-date=2010-02-03}}}}
Stadium tour of Norway
For the 6 shows in Oslo between the 21st of August and the 11th of September, a-ha exclusevly built a special stage rig, the largest rig ever put up in Norway so far. The stage was 1,200 Sq meters, weighing over 1,500 tonnes. The rig included a video wall of 600 Sq meters. The stage took 200 men, 4 days to build.{{cite web| url = http://www.dagbladet.no/2010/08/18/kultur/musikk/konsert/A-ha/morten_harket/13011826/| title = A-ha med tidenes største norske scene| date = 18 August 2010}}
Australian leg controversy
There has been much controversy surrounding the supposed Australian leg of the tour. Before an official announcement of tour dates it was suggested on a-ha's official website that Australian tour dates would be included in their final world tour.
{{blockquote|"January will bring a-ha back to Australia for the first time since their first world tour, which opened in Perth, Australia on June 3, 1986."|a-ha, July 2009{{Cite web |url=http://a-ha.com/news/articles/2311/ |title=Articles | the Official Website of a-ha | News | Concert Info | Tickets | Biography | Photos |access-date=2010-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309164328/http://a-ha.com/news/articles/2311/ |archive-date=2010-03-09 |url-status=dead }}}}
As further tour dates were announced throughout Europe, North and South America, none were announced for Australia. It was later suggested through the a-ha fan community, West of the Moon, that Australia would not be included in a-ha's final world tour.{{cite web| url = http://www.A-ha-wotm.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1785&p=74982#p74934| title = west of the moon • View topic - 2010 World Tour news}} This turn of events has sparked outrage amongst Australian based fans.{{Cite web |url=http://thebandstand.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/ending-on-a-high-note-australia/ |title=Ending on a High Note – Australia « the Bandstand |access-date=2010-04-07 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630070956/http://thebandstand.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/ending-on-a-high-note-australia/ |archive-date=2012-06-30 |url-status=dead }} Had a-ha returned to Australia, it would have marked their first visit there since they played their first live concerts in 1986 after the initial success of "Take On Me".
Set list
The set list of the concert in the Luna Park on March 4, 2010.
- "The Bandstand"
- "Foot of the Mountain"
- "Analogue"
- "Forever Not Yours"
- "Summer Moved On"
- "Move to Memphis"
- "Crying in the Rain"
- "Stay on These Roads"
- "The Blood That Moves the Body"
- "The Living Daylights"
- "Early Morning"
- "And You Tell Me"
- "Scoundrel Days"
- "Cry Wolf"
- "We're Looking for the Whales"
- "Manhattan Skyline"
- "I've Been Losing You"
- "Living a Boys Adventure Tale"
- "Hunting High and Low"
- "Train of Thought"
- "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
- "Take On Me"
The setlist of the concert in the Ullevaal Stadium at August 21, 2010.
- "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
- "Move to Memphis"
- "The Blood That Moves the Body"
- "Scoundrel Days"
- "Stay on These Roads"
- "Manhattan Skyline"
- "Hunting High and Low"
- "The Bandstand"
- "We're Looking for the Whales"
- "Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)"
- "(Seemingly) Nonstop July"
- "Crying in the Rain"
- "Minor Earth, Major Sky"
- "Forever Not Yours"
- "Summer Moved On"
- "I've Been Losing You"
- "Foot of the Mountain"
- "Cry Wolf"
- "Analogue"
- "The Living Daylights"
- "Take On Me"
Other songs performed:
- "The Swing of Things"
- "Touchy"
- "You Are the One"
- At the final concert (4 December) they performed the Everly Brothers song "Bowling Green" in the final encore, just before "Take On Me".
Tour dates
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! style="width:150px;"|Date ! style="width:150px;"|City ! style="width:150px;"|Country ! style="width:275px;"|Venue |
colspan="4"|South America |
---|
March 4, 2010
|Argentina |
March 9, 2010
|rowspan="7"|Brazil |Alameda Quality Center |
March 10, 2010 |
March 13, 2010 |
March 14, 2010 |
March 16, 2010 |
March 18, 2010
|Chevrolet Hall |
March 20, 2010
|Siara Hall |
March 23, 2010 |
colspan="4"|North America |
May 6, 2010
|rowspan="3"|New York City |rowspan="3"|United States |rowspan="3"|Nokia Theatre Times Square |
May 7, 2010 |
May 8, 2010 |
May 10, 2010
|Canada |
May 13, 2010
|rowspan="3"|United States |
May 15, 2010
|rowspan="2"|Los Angeles |rowspan="2"|Club Nokia |
May 16, 2010 |
colspan="4"|Europe |
May 28, 2010
|rowspan="4"|Germany |
May 29, 2010 |
May 30, 2010
|Hessentagsarena |
June 1, 2010
|Kiel |
July 14, 2010
|Hungary |
July 16, 2010
|Linz |Austria |Clam Castle |
July 17, 2010
|Switzerland |Dolder Eisbahn (Live at Sunset) |
July 18, 2010
|rowspan="4"|Germany |Schloß Salem |
July 23, 2010
|Schloßplatz |
July 24, 2010 |
July 25, 2010
|Filmnächte am Elbufer |
colspan="4"|Asia |
August 7, 2010
|Tokyo |rowspan="2"|Japan |
August 8, 2010 |
colspan="4"|Europe |
August 21, 2010
|Oslo |rowspan="7"|Norway |
August 28, 2010 |
September 2, 2010
|Rått og Råde Festival |
September 3, 2010
|Døgnvill Festival |
September 4, 2010 |
September 11, 2010 |
October 4, 2010
|Oslo |
October 6, 2010
|rowspan="2"|London |rowspan="2"|England |
October 8, 2010 |
October 10, 2010
|Netherlands |
October 11, 2010
|Belgium |
October 12, 2010
|Paris |France |
October 14, 2010
|rowspan="2"|Spain |
October 15, 2010 |
October 17, 2010
|Switzerland |
October 18, 2010
|rowspan="9"|Germany |
October 19, 2010 |
October 21, 2010 |
October 22, 2010 |
October 23, 2010
|Stadthalle Rostock |
October 25, 2010 |
October 26, 2010 |
October 28, 2010 |
October 29, 2010
|Berlin |
November 1, 2010
|Riga |
November 2, 2010 |
November 4, 2010
|Kyiv |
November 6, 2010 |
November 9, 2010
|Moscow |rowspan="2"|Russia |
November 11, 2010 |
November 15, 2010
|rowspan="2"|England |
November 16, 2010 |
November 17, 2010 |
November 19, 2010
|rowspan="4"|England |
November 20, 2010 |
November 21, 2010 |
November 23, 2010 |
November 25, 2010 |
November 26, 2010
|rowspan="2"|England |
November 27, 2010
|London |
November 30, 2010
|rowspan="5"|Oslo |rowspan="5"|Norway |rowspan="5"|Oslo Spektrum |
December 2, 2010 |
December 3, 2010 |
December 4, 2010 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons|Ending on a High Note}}
- {{Official website|http://www.a-ha.com/}}
{{A-ha}}
Category:Concert tours of Argentina
Category:Concert tours of Brazil
Category:Concert tours of Chile
Category:Concert tours of the United States
Category:Concert tours of Canada
Category:Concert tours of Germany
Category:Concert tours of Hungary
Category:Concert tours of Austria
Category:Concert tours of Switzerland
Category:Concert tours of Japan
Category:Concert tours of Norway
Category:Concert tours of the United Kingdom
Category:Concert tours of the Netherlands
Category:Concert tours of Belgium
Category:Concert tours of France
Category:Concert tours of Spain
Category:Concert tours of Latvia
Category:Concert tours of Lithuania
Category:Concert tours of Ukraine