Today I went to Eskiltuna to see Eric Saade. As I couldn’t leave home as early as I wished to, I didn’t arrive until less than an hour before the performance would start. I’ve never been to Tuna Park before, but it seems to be a nice mall. Evidently there were many more who had the same plan as I did… It was almost impossible to find a place to park my car and there were so many cars trying to get in or out that I stood still half of the time I was looking for a place. Then I was so very lucky and found an empty place almost right outside the entrance – the very entrance closest to the stage, I noticed as I got inside.
First of all I forced myself through the crowd to get to Pressbyrån, because I needed some cash before the signing session started. As I got out of Pressbyrån I wasn’t very far from the stage and I had an okay view. The performance was a little late. There was a guy on the stage, trying to keep a nice atmosphere in the crowd, with singing and chanting and screaming. It was terribly crowded – almost like a Tokio Hotel concert, and that’s bad! And the children and teens weren’t those who pushed the most – that was the adults trying to get as good spots as possible for their own children… Without thinking about that the rest of us standing there weren’t that much taller than their own children, so we all had the same good/bad view of the stage. And it was hot. I was so annoyed with a woman standing somewhere behind me. Every time the guy on the stage said something like “Eric will soon be here! Eric is in the building, he will be on the stage any minute now! What will you sound like when Eric enters the stage?” etc to keep the audience interested, she complained. “Let the kids see him already! Can’t he stop doing that? Let Eric up on the stage! The kids have been here for hours already.” And so on. I think most of the kids were alright. I think she was the one being tired and sick of standing there, only wanting to get away. But there are so many things that can cause a delay – and he wasn’t THAT late, no more than 10 minutes and that’s acceptable. Especially considering the amount of fans turning up which were so many more than they had counted on. The delay can have been caused by trouble getting there, an extra safety run-through, or something else of that kind.
I managed to claim a spot close to one of the walls and I had a good view of the stage most of the time. Eric performed three songs in a new different version. Still Loving It, It’s Gonna Rain and of course Popular, all of them in a stripped-down ballad version. I heard someone complaining afterwards about “how bad it was that he sang the songs in such a boring way, and the kids couldn’t sing along”. But personally I find that to be the best part about going to live performances and concerts – getting to hear the songs in a way not heard on the albums. If you want to hear the original version of songs, then stay at home and listen to the album. It’s that element of songs always being different when performed live that appeals to me and has made me go to so many concerts. So I’m very happy about this day!
It took a while to prepare the signing session as there were people everywhere. But they sorted it out eventually – and I was incredibly lucky again. They opened the railing on my side of the stage and I was standing just a few metres away. That meant that it only took me about 30 minutes to get to the table where Eric was signing the singles. Those who weren’t lucky had to wait for 2.5 hours…
Eric was just as cute and charming as ever! But he didn’t write personal greetings this time, as he did when I met him in Karlstad last year. That’s understandable, considering the number of fans waiting for an autograph this time. But we chatted while he signed my single and I wished him good luck in Germany. Then I walked around at the mall during the rest of the afternoon. Before I went home again I decided to walk past the stage again. Then I stayed there until the signing session ended at 6 pm. He looked so tired at the end but still smiled at each and every fan. Thumbs up for you, Eric!
I have some videos too, but I’ll put them up later.
