Photo and © Kristina Djerf
The summer’s concert tour had started the night before at a music festival with several artists participating, but when Helen and her four musicians this evening have arrived at Öland and Halltorp Inn they are the only ones performing in the garden. For Halltorp it’s premiere as a concert venue and the conditions could not have been better – a perfect mild summer evening, no rain throughout the concert and in the end a beautiful red-orange sunset as backdrop.
Martin, Jojje, Ulrik and Berqa take place on the stage and make a slow start with evocative tones, before Helen gets in front of the microphone and sings “Jordgubbar och smultron”. A song written from a male perspective, but with a few simple lyric changes Helen makes it completely her own. A very good start.
Then tracks, familiar to anyone who has visited one of Helen’s last two concert tours, follow. Songs from the Visor- and Euforia albums, mixed with a few Duvemåla songs, older ballads and a few more modern pop songs. Between them the songs are so different, but in this context and with Helen’s presentations and small talk as guidance, it becomes a wholeness and it’s fantastic to hear her sing them again.
Besides the opening song, the new elements consist of two Shakespeare sonnets that Martin has set to music and that Helen has performed only at the occasional concert before. Beautiful melodies and lyrics that really grow the more times you hear them. The three children’s songs from Jojjes Goda’ Goda’ CD, that previously have been performed separately, are now interwoven into a medley expandeded with two additional songs where Jojje, Martin and Helen take turns to chorus for each other.
As finale act we get Helen’s, and also BAO’s and Duvemåla’s, greatest hits, and the audience rises from their camping chairs and picnic blankets in a standing ovation. This was to be repeated at all concerts during the tour.
And they are well worth it, because this is exactly how a summer concert should be. Music played with zest, performed by extremely complete and competent musicians and Helen singing and small talking as amazingly, naturally and straightforward as only she can. They enjoy being together on stage, which is both seen and heard and it’s contagious. There was sunshine at all concert evenings, but the sun’s rays were surpassed every time by the warmth from the stage!