Strengnäs Tidning 110729
By: MALIN ENGLUND
CONCERT
Benny Andersson Band
Gripsholm Castle, Mariefred
Benny Andersson Band with Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg in the lead offered a dazzling dance entertainment when they last night visited Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred. During the summer the seventeen-member band will be doing eight gigs around Sweden and Mariefred is the penultimate stop in the tour.
It´s the third time they are back in Gripsholm, last time was two years ago, and it isn´t hard to figure out why. The environment on the small isle is indescribably beautiful, especially on a summer evening like this. The grand stage is surrounded on the right side by the old brick castle and on the left side by the sparkling water and a blazing sunset.
NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE crowded on the grass on blankets and camping chairs, and even a bunch of boats are bobbing in the water. In front of the stage they have built a large dance floor that is decorated with colored lights. It feels like being in a people’s park idyll.
The band enters the stage according to schedule and opens immediately with a waltz, and it does not take long before the dance floor is full of people. But the real atmosphere appears when Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg enter the stage a few minutes later. They are truly amazing the whole evening, both together and separately. Sjöholm is incredibly energetic, and makes dance moves in the very first song. Körberg makes a strong and memorable version of Jussi Bjorling’s “Månstrålar klara” and Sjöholm sings with her warm and vibrant voice “Kära syster”, which is one of the songs from the new album, “O Klang och Jubeltid”. Other musical highlights during the evening are “Nu mår jag mycket bättre”, ”Vilar glad. I din famn”, “Det är vi ändå” and “Du är min man”.
Listening to Benny Andersson Band is like being on the borderline between the traditional and the modern, and I think that is precisely why audiences flock to Gripsholm Castle. There is something for everyone in the music.
The nearly four-hour show has everything a good show should include: a powerful scene building, entertaining small talk between songs, amazing vocals, and above all genuine musical joy. This is the summer’s best concert in all categories.