Earlier this month, Danish-Norwegian Euro dance-pop wonders Aqua launched their first ever headlining US tour, and on Monday, 11/20, Rene Diff, Lene Nystrom, and Soren Rasted bounded onto the stage at The Van Buren in Phoenix, Az to the roar of a nearly fully packed house. All three were smiling from ear to ear the entire time, as if they’d been waiting for this opportunity for decades (which, they were, and it was legitimately worth the wait). The joyful energy with which they launched into their set could only be described as infectious. As to be expected at any show, the die hard fans were singing along to every song, but what separated this evening out was that even the passing fans were discovering they knew many more songs than they thought. Happy Boys and Girls, Around the World, Turn Back Time, Dirty Little Pop Song, and many more songs lyrics jostled loose in peoples memories and came tumbling out. It was awesome watching the smile on Rene’s face widen as the crowd called out his lines. Of course, no Aqua show would be complete without their triple platinum hit “Barbie Girl”. Knowing what the crowd wanted, Lene, Rene, and Soren peppered little melodies and lyrics into other songs, or between songs, to build the anticipation and hype in the crown. It was a playful nod of understanding to what has kept them so relevant decades after the hit initially dropped, and it was taken well by the crowd who veritably erupted when they finally played it. Awash in pink lighting, Aqua launched into Barbie Girl, extending it as long as they could. The crowd kept the energy up even after the song ended and the band rounded the corner to their closing. The US may have waited over 20 years for Aqua to headline, but if this show was any indication, it won’t be another two decades before they come back through.
