Audience Success for The Cardigans on Gröna Lund's Main Stage

Three decades have passed since The Cardigans last played at Gröna Lund. This evening, the concert was not about nostalgia, but rather about a song catalog that still works.

It was nearly sold out when The Cardigans stepped onto Gröna Lund's main stage. The audience in front of the stage showed that the songs still engage. Here, loyal fans mingled with a new generation of concertgoers. Many were born long after the band's big breakthrough in the 1990s, but have apparently found their way here and taken the songs to their hearts.

 

The band opens with early, somewhat less known tracks like Your new cuckoo and Sick and tired. It's well done, but it is clear that the somewhat subdued audience needs a bit of a warm-up.

The turning point comes in the middle of the concert. When Live and Learn and For What It's Worth kick in — complemented by Nina Persson's atmospheric harmonica — the mood in front of the stage changes.

The audience starts singing along, the applause lasts longer, and the engagement grows. The sound is consistently of high quality and ensures that both vocals and instruments are clearly audible.

Nina Persson is still The Cardigans' obvious front figure. She doesn't need big gestures to take her place on stage. What impresses most is still Nina Persson's singing. Her voice has matured and developed over the years, but it is still as precise and assured as during the band's breakthrough.

Persson offers a dry humor throughout the evening, recurring between several of the songs. Before You're the Storm she notes that the song is about "world politics instead of sports, fun right?" When the audience starts to applaud before the outro is over, she calmly waits out the last notes before smiling and saying: "Now you can clap." She also offers some small scenic antics. Before Communication she pulls out a mirror to reapply lipstick, and before the Black Sabbath cover Iron Man she points at herself and says: "I am Iron Man."

Before the mega-hit Lovefool Nina says: "Now you're going to hear the original. It sounds like this," and the band begins the song in a surprisingly slow arrangement. After about a minute, she interrupts herself with a short "Fuck this shit," after which the band switches to the original version. The response is immediate. The audience sings along with the chorus and the applause is among the longest of the evening.

The second half of the concert also offers greater variety. From the heavier, almost industrial rock sound in Paralyzed the band seamlessly continues to Erase/Rewind and the Talking Heads cover Burning Down the House. In Hanging Around guitarist Oskar Humlebo delivers the evening's longest guitar solo, while bassist Magnus Sveningsson gets the audience clapping. Even a few devil horns (hand gesture) can be seen in the air in front of the stage.

With My Favourite Game The Cardigans end their regular set and leave the stage.

After huge cheers and shouts for an encore, the band returned for No Sleep. "Of course we have a lullaby for you. Written at 3:45 in the morning," said Nina Persson before the last notes rounded off the evening. It was a fitting end to a concert where the audience would have gladly stayed for a few more songs.