{"id":1900,"date":"2013-05-11T08:12:01","date_gmt":"2013-05-11T06:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/?page_id=1900"},"modified":"2022-03-06T19:03:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T17:03:43","slug":"anderssons-camping-trip","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/press-clips\/various-2009\/anderssons-camping-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Andersson\u2019s camping trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Aftonbladet
\n<\/strong>Baoogie nights. Benny Andersson invites the audience and plays for <\/em>
\ndancing at sold-out green areas around Sweden.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aftonbladet 090917<\/strong><\/p>\n

By: JENS PETERSON
\nPhoto: JENS PETERSON<\/p>\n

No diva when Benny and his BAO is on tour: Everyone carry his own clothes, as simple as that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BORGHOLM-V\u00c4STER\u00c5S-LEKSAND  The music makes the Swedish people dance and smile. Think of people\u2019s parks with colored lanterns and homemade bread. Behind the stage it\u2019s the same atmosphere. Hot dogs and cinnamon buns. N\u00f6jesbladet\u2019s reporter was embedded during three tour days with Benny Anderssons Orkester. Music for breakfast, lunch and main course.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00d6land, summer, crowded with tourists. There a woman in curlers and leisure suit waits. A mature man irons a pair of pants. Another is playing with his newly purchased camera. Mom, dad, kids on camping trip? Not quite. Tommy K\u00f6rberg tries out his new camera. Helen Sj\u00f6holm gets her hair and clothes in order and Benny Andersson irons his stage outfits half an hour before his orchestra will be playing in Borgholm\u2019s Castle ruins.<\/p>\n

Andersson. Sweden\u2019s most common surname. If there\u2019s anything unusual about this tour it\u2019s that everything is so… usual. The opposite of bloated.<\/p>\n

Everyone gets equally paid  <\/strong>
\nBenny Anderssons Orkester. Not a star and his backing musicians. A unit where Orkester has the same significance as Benny Andersson. All the musicians are paid equally.  The night before BAO\u2019s gig in London on July 4 Benny Andersson was a guest in Jonathan Ross\u2019 talk show on British television. Sandra Bullock and Emma Watson from the Harry Potter movies were also there.
\n– When I saw the programme and how impressed everyone else were to meet Benny it hit me how big this is, Kalle Moraeus says. Otherwise you never think about it. Of those touring Sweden this summer Benny Andersson is the one who has reached the greatest success and fame. But that\u2019s not noticable in BAO.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is based on desire\u201d<\/strong>
\nNo hysteria. No guards. No one body-searching the audience at the entrance or confiscate umbrellas and mobile phones. Not even someone who tells people to turn off their mobile phones. No photo ban. Simply no prohibitions. More of a journey about joy and saying yes.
\n– All this is based on desire, Benny Andersson says. We\u2019re just trying to make it as pleasant as possible. And take matters into their own hands.
\n– It\u2019s pretty simple, he says. You carry your own clothes. That\u2019s how hard it is.<\/p>\n

G\u00f6rel \u2013 Benny\u2019s rock  <\/strong>
\nNo assistants and no security. Unless you count G\u00f6rel Hanser, although she\u2019s not the tallest or most beefy body builder in the touring company. But a stable rock she is. G\u00f6rel Hanser has worked with Benny Andersson for 40 years. Over the years, ABBA made \u200b\u200bglobal success, \u201cChess\u201d played checkmate with London, \u201cKristina\u201d has won the Swedish people\u2019s hearts and \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d has made people grin happily in every corner of the world. Soon it will probably be staged on the moon. Still she says that BAO is the funniest thing she\u2019s done with Benny. That her job is to ensure the artists are comfortable. And that it can be easier to keep sixteen people happy than four.<\/p>\n

A whiskey afterwards  <\/strong>
\nHow do you make them happy? With hot dogs and cinnamon buns. A small scotch after the concert. Hot Dogs are mandatory. On this tour with Benny Andersson\u2019s Orkester there has to be sausage and bread and Boston cucumber in the break. Afterwards there is something to eat and drink behind stage, and when the orchestra returns to the hotel a late night supper awaits. Janssons frestelse or pytt i panna with beer, wine and schnapps for those who want that. Benny Anderssons orkester like to live and eat comfortably. But it\u2019s not what\u2019s most important. The orchestra can eat fast food at hamburger restaurants. Sleep in the bus if there\u2019s a hotel room crisis. But the music. Always taken seriously. These are people who breathe music with every fiber of their being.
\n– When we go onstage it\u2019s not for fun, Benny Andersson says. We want to deliver maximum. Even if we play \u201cGamle Svarten\u201d we want to do it well.<\/p>\n

Always ready to fanfare  <\/strong>
\nBAO\u2019s music sounds playful and is played with joy, but the musicians are extremely careful with details. If someone plays wrong he talks about it afterwards like he needed post-traumatic stress coping and a letter of referral to the Swedish Defense therapy unit. If Lena Nyman would sing \u201cwhat\u2019s in your pocket Jan?\u201d to any of these guys, they most certainly have a flute in his jacket pocket or a bass tuba in his pants. Like a gunman ready to duel, always prepared to play a fanfare of everyday life.<\/p>\n

They talk about how the instruments must be tuned depending on the weather. The heat can get them off key by a quarter of a note. Bows and wind yesterday will then go in opposite directions. When the wind section relaxes on the grass before a concert they can play Charlie Parker solo\u2019s on jazz classics. In the bus the musicians surf on the computers. They can drool over close ups of instruments the same way others get excited to see people with very little clothing.
\nWhat\u2019s a photo of boobs compared to the sexy contours of a violin made in Japan in old Italian technique? Kalle Moraeus speaks longingly of used electric guitars, like a starving \u201cSurvivor\u201d participant drools over food. Music. It\u2019s everything.<\/p>\n

At the premiere in Sofiero 52 songs were played but the playlist has changed a little along the way. Some songs disappeared and others were added. Tommy K\u00f6rberg hurridly had to re-learn \u201cSway\u201d again and find the lyrics on the Internet. An old ABBA-song suddenly appeared for the first time. BAO relax after the concerts by playing even more. When the dance evening in London was over they sat playing at a pub. Janne Bengtsson who plays the flute usually finish \u201cBadinerie\u201d of Bach with a little chirp. That now was the start of \u201cGimme! Gimme! Gimme!\u201d in an instrumental version, suitable for brave dancers who want to twirl around in a polka.<\/p>\n

Bj\u00f6rn and Benny \u2013 as women  <\/strong>
\nBAO has a very own blend of dance music. Chuck Berry and Shostakovich seethe with the same natural charm. Some songs have to be included and have become loved by the audience. \u201dF\u00f6delsedagsvals till Mona\u201d Benny\u2019s wife got for her 40\u2019s birthday. Ten years later, she got \u201cNya M\u00e5nvalsen\u201d on her birthday when she had a girl\u2019s party. It was performed by Bj\u00f6rn and Benny, and six other men – dressed as women. It has lyrics, \u201cIf one was a woman,\u201d and also \u201dF\u00f6delsedagsvals till Mona\u201d has private lyrics. But they are played instrumentally for the dance.
\n– I feel like Maj p\u00e5 Mal\u00f6, says Mona N\u00f6rklit. The song will outlive me. The sun set a while ago and will soon rise again. During the few dark hours the band travels from V\u00e4ster\u00e5s to Dalarna. At the back of the bus\u2019s upper deck is a curved leather sofa with seating for five people. Tommy K\u00f6rberg, Kalle Moraeus and Helen Sj\u00f6holm laugh at each other\u2019s somewhat undecent songs and memories from various tours and musicians. Tommy K\u00f6rberg takes out his computer and plays Bengt Ahlfors who in a Finnish accent sings well put songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrows out the clock radio\u201d<\/strong>
\nOn stage Benny Andersson, Helen Sj\u00f6holm, Kalle Moraeus and Tommy K\u00f6rberg take turns with funny small talk. K\u00f6rberg usually jokes about ageing rock musicians. When young they threw the tv out the hotel window. Now he doesn\u2019t have the strength. Instead he throws out the clock radio, closes the window quickly and giggles himself to sleep. Musician humor. Like the tour when the band got nick names, anagrams of their real. Everyone got a bag. Helen Sj\u00f6holm is called Helle H\u00f6nsmoj.<\/p>\n

Mission: Gambling<\/strong>
\nThe orchestra has delegated various tasks to the members. Benny Andersson, Lars Rudolfsson and Olle Moraeus are on the programme committee. Jogga Ernlund manages gambling, Janne Bengtsson is in charge of first aid and J\u00f6rgen Stenberg is in charge of last aid. Perra Moraeus is the choreographer, Tommy K\u00f6rberg the consultant and Leif G\u00f6ras is the Anticimex representative. And Calle Jacobson is the poet of the orchestra. He gives highly acclaimed speeches at parties and now he\u2019s standing here in the bus reading a poem by Erik Axel Karlfeldt. Nothing is like expecting. From memory Calle elegantly reads the beautifully rhyming lines.<\/p>\n

In another part of the bus Olle Moraeus is hunting deer. On a computer game. But still. While the bus rolls through Sweden there are many ways to relax. Jogga Ernlund and Moraeus are watching \u201cMan on the Roof\u201d on DVD. Lars Rudolfsson and J\u00f6rgen Stenberg play poker with Unn Rudolfsson and Carolina Hanser. Crosswords. Helen Sj\u00f6holm reads Klick! Janne Bengtsson brows Blocket for new instruments. Benny Andersson listens to the daily news. When the news are over, he puts his iPhone into a portable loudspeaker and and lets his music favourites flow. Le mystere de voix bulgares, Dixie Chicks, Frida Hyv\u00f6nen, Fritz Kreisler. Benny\u2019s inspiration comes from many directions.<\/p>\n

Benny likes jackdaws  <\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s lunch stop at McDonalds in Ingelsta outside Norrk\u00f6ping. Touristing families in the open-air caf\u00e9. Birds hoping for left overs. The jackdaws glare menacingly like they were auditioning for Hitchcock. But appearances are deceptive, apparently.
\n– Jackdaws are nice birds, says Benny Andersson, who\u2019s released a CD with Swedish birdsongs. And Benny feeds jackdaws with french fries. Throws small pieces up onto the roof where it soon becomes a bird collection. The sun is shining. Jackdaws are playing raptor with the potato pieces. Families with children eat their Happy Meals. Family feeling. Children and families are included on the tours. There are little kids, Baobies like J\u00f6rgen Stenberg\u2019s youngest son and Helen Sj\u00f6holm\u2019s two-year-old Ruben. The larger sizes of children work on the tour, with record sales. After each evening\u2019s concert they account for how many cd:s and notes that\u2019s been sold at the booth they build and take care of themselves. In Helsingborg and G\u00f6teborg the new cd was sold out.<\/p>\n

On the tour are also fifteen technicians, for sound and light. Bj\u00f6rn Lehnberg, one of the most experienced in Sweden, worked with ABBA when they made tv in the beginning of the 80\u2019s. He handles the sound on tour. Others build the dance floor at each venue. Stages are assembled, different in every place. They take a long time to build and take down.<\/p>\n

The premiere sold out  <\/strong>
\nThis summer BAO did seven concerts in Sweden and one in London. The premiere in Sofiero attracted 7000 people and was sold out. Several of the other ones were also sold out. Everybody in the band has a settled gage. If there\u2019s an excess also the musicians get to share.
\n– We don\u2019t do this to make money, G\u00f6rel Hanser says.  In Leksand Jogga Ernlund takes his responsibilty for gambling. He organises a pool for a V75 [horse race].<\/p>\n

While a wall of rain closes in on Leksand the musicians watch the horses run race after race on the tv in the dressing room. When after the fifth round the bet wins there\u2019s rejoicing and applause. And yes, it\u2019s a V75. Seven out of seven bets correct.  But it doesn\u2019t pay off big. Everyone who betted almost get their deposit back. The entertainment value was high though. Everything correct. To feel like winners and have fun. That sounds like Benny Anderssons orkester.<\/p>\n

\n

WE ARE BAO  <\/strong>
\nThe orchestra\u2019s work outside the orchestra. Many of them freelance and can be heard in several contexts.<\/p>\n

Benny Andersson, writes a lot of music.
\nG\u00f6ran Arnberg, freelance, private theatres, did the music arrangement for \u201dMamma mia!\u201d.
\nJanne Bengtsson, Kungliga filmharmonikerna, Svenska Lyxorkestern.
\nJogga Ernlund, Dalasymfoniettan.<\/p>\n

P\u00e4r Grebacken, Hej Kalle!, Stora Stygga, Bl\u00e5 grodorna.
\nLeif G\u00f6ras, Orsa musicians.
\nNicke G\u00f6the, Orsa musicians.
\nCalle Jakobsson, Kungliga hovkapellet.<\/p>\n

Tommy K\u00f6rberg, singer, at the moment in \u201cMy fair lady\u201d.
\nLeif Lindvall, Nordiska kammarorkestern, shows, private theatres.
\nKalle Moraeus, Hej Kalle, Orsa musicians.
\nOlle Moraeus, Orsa musicians..<\/p>\n

Perra Moraeus, Orsa musicians.
\nLars Rudolfsson, theatre director.
\nHelen Sj\u00f6holm, singer, at the moment in \u201dMy fair lady\u201d.
\nJ\u00f6rgen Stenberg, Hej Kalle, Cabaret on Stockholm City Theatre, Robban Broberg.<\/p>\n

\n

NINE YEARS WITH BAO <\/strong>
\n2001:<\/strong> First album release. Benny Anderssons Orkester played at Alls\u00e5ngen, in Glasgow and at Galejan at Skansen.
\n2002:<\/strong> BAO did an Eve of Epiphany concert, and in the summer toured five places, finishing at Galejan. And Alls\u00e5ng on tv.
\n2003:<\/strong> Alls\u00e5ngen plus tour of three places. Opened Hotel Rival in Stockholm.
\n2004:<\/strong> Alls\u00e5ngen at SVT and a tour of six places. Relese of the second album. \u201dDu \u00e4r min man\u201d enters the Swedish charts on July 11. It\u2019s still there.
\n2005:<\/strong> BAO plays at Stockholm\u2019s City Hall at a memorial for the Tsunami victims. In the summer tour of seven places and Alls\u00e5ng p\u00e5 Skansen.
\n2006:<\/strong> The live album is released. One concert, in Minneapolis.
\n2007:<\/strong> \u201dBAO 3\u201d is released. They do four indoor concert in the autumn. Globen and Scandinavium are decorated like people\u2019s parks.
\n2008:<\/strong> BAO plays for Meryl Streep and the others at the gala premiere of \u201dMamma mia!\u201d at Rival. Are in Alls\u00e5ngen. 2009: \u201dStory of a heart \u201dis released. Seven conserts i Sweden and one in London.<\/p>\n

\n

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Baoogie nights. Benny Andersson invites the audience and plays for dancing at sold-out green areas around Sweden. Aftonbladet 090917 By: JENS PETERSON Photo: JENS PETERSON Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1892,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1900","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1900\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}