Miriam Bryant’s last concert of the year took place on Friday at Ulriksdal Palace, as part of the Musikveckan there. Fanny Avonne was tasked with warming up the crowd before Miriam took over the evening. More about that in a separate review.
On Thursday, Miriam played in Gothenburg, and on Friday in Stockholm. Sometimes things move quickly in the music industry. It must have been quite a job to move the entire stage setup! I realize I’ve started to nerd out a bit on the various big screens artists use. From Veronica Maggio’s triangle-shaped one last week, to what I imagined as an oval portal above Miriam Bryant and the musicians on stage.
There must be a whole science behind them, and each has its own symbolism, surely. So it would be interesting to know more about them. But, oh, how important they’ve become for the total concert experience, especially for everyone some distance from the stage.
Miriam was open and much of the stage talk was about love, both happy and unhappy. Among other things, about a boyfriend who lived in Kista, a trip to Santiago, and a New Year’s in Valparaiso. About being hopelessly in love and maybe just as hopelessly afraid of that love. And how that fear destroyed that very relationship. That became the intro to “Santiago”.
Despite the large stage, there was a cozy feeling. And it wasn’t just thanks to all the living room furniture, plants, ornaments, and beautiful lamps. At moments, the musicians, backup singers, and Miriam sat relaxed next to each other. They sang, played, and the whole thing exuded homeliness and love. It felt cozy. The touring life and all the time they spend together shows. They seemed very tight and in sync.
She said she had dressed in black to honor the Norwegian king. And talked about how we rarely think about what it must be like to live in a palace your whole life. To have a title and live up to some kind of ideal. To be a certain way. “Do you ever feel that way?” she asked. And scattered “yes” voices responded from the crowd. “Even us ordinary mortals feel that way,” she concluded, and began singing “Ge upp igen”.
Later in the evening, without saying anything about it, she sang Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”, worked in “Avundsjuk på regnet” and a little “Jolene” at the end. It was a beautiful tribute. Sometimes, perhaps quite often, music gets to speak for itself.
Soon after, she did a long intro about a character who crashed straight into her heart. She said he felt both like a little brother and a big brother at the same time. He was born in 1997, the same year as her little brother. And she admitted she was obsessed with that generation because of her little brother. Plus, the character was also from Gothenburg. It was time for the evening’s guest artist. She asked us to give him a warm welcome. It was none other than Victor Leksell who stepped in.
The audience cheered delightedly. It’s always fun with a bonus artist and I imagine it’s quite appreciated for them, too. They sang “Tystnar i luren” and we sang along. Her most devoted and perhaps youngest fans were at the very front, and they probably sang non-stop to every song, and especially loudly when she repeatedly asked for it during the evening.
Perhaps that’s what feels so special about Miriam, that she stands there on stage in front of thousands of people and still manages to reach each one of us. She gives of herself, makes herself vulnerable, and shows those less flattering sides we all have. She talks about love, fears, mistakes, and all that in-between—between heaven and earth—that we all struggle with.
The concert was at times calm and cozy. At times, the tempo rose. Each time the pace shifted, her voice seemed too big for the small, cozy living room the stage had just been. But then the screens took over and eased the transition from something intimate to something grand and powerful. It was a nice contrast.
Unnoticed, the night had crept in, and it felt like the last song came far too soon. After being called back onstage by the audience, there were two more songs. It was a lovely late summer evening without a drop of rain during the concert, and the walk home from Ulriksdal Palace became, as always, an adventure in the dark.
