Veronica Maggio kicked off Gröna Lund’s concert summer in impeccable style and attracted a massive audience to the amusement park.
People had turned up at Gröna Lund in big numbers already in good time before the summer’s kick-off show. The most typical audience members may have been girls in their late teens, early twenties, but it was evident Veronica appeals to a broad audience of all ages. Not just any Swedish artist can pull off a full-packed Gröna Lund – especially keeping in mind the show was outdoors in early May.
Veronica Maggio had her big breaktrough in 2011 with the album Satan i gatan and its monster hit single Jag kommer. She further cemented her position as one of the most loved Swedish singers with her 2013 album Handen i fickan fast jag bryr mig, with its huge hit Sergels torg. She tells her Stockholm stories in flowing pop prose.
As Veronica enters the stage to the tunes of Hädanefter, the audience takes their cues from her right away and sings along to the chorus. Her stage presence is strong but at the same time sort of fragile, as the white clothes seem to give her a kind of a glow when she moves around the stage confidently and with focus. Välkommen in is another sing-along song early in the show and it really welcomes the crowd into Veronica’s world.
We get hit after hit and it really becomes clear how many great songs Veronica already has in her repertoire. It is total allsång most of the concert through, especially when we get to gems like 17 år and Låtsas som det regnar.
Veronica also brings out her friend Maja Francis for a duet of a fresh new song they’ve done together for Maja’s EP, the dreamy Space Invades My Mind. It kind of hints at what it could be like if Veronica was to make her own music in English and take on the world.
When we get to Jag kommer, just about the whole crowd jumps up and down in unison, hands in the air, chanting along to the ecstatic chorus. Collective musical magic… And it continues straight off with Hela huset. As the audience sings along to …allt är bra nu… it really feels like everything is good right there and then.
Sergels torg is saved as the last encore and everybody sings along once more to end the wonderful night on a high note.
The summer promises many more concert highlights at Gröna Lund. By buying the Green Card you get entrance for the whole season of great music for just a measly 240 SEK.
Here are some of the artists you should not miss:
- 22 May – Hoffmaestro
- 23 May – MAGIC!
- 28 May – Jessie J
- 31 May – Slash
- 10 June – Marilyn Manson
- 28 June – Billy Idol
- 3 July – Alice Cooper
- 6 July – Rhiannon Giddens
- 14 July – Robert Plant
- 17 July – Damian Marley
- 21 July – Elin Ruth
- 3 August – Lenny Kravitz
- 3 September – Ola Salo
Check out the whole program of 52 concerts.
All photos (c) Nina Uddin
