People began pouring into the building long before the concert began. They stood outside the theatre, not willing to go in until they got the signal. Before they were let in, I went around and spoke with a few people who were waiting:
Karin, Hannah and Jesper were sitting next to a table just beside the hallway. I asked them how they heard about the concert. Karin said the youth group she joined sent out an e-mail about the evening. She also said it had been sent out via mail and there were posters up all over town advertising the concert.
I asked Jesper and Karin what they knew about Jenny. Jesper said he knew nothing about Jenny. Karin knew she was in Ace of Base and was well known in the US and around the world. Jesper gave a nod of recognition after hearing Karin mention Ace of Base.
I asked Hannah if she had any expectations for the evening and if so, what were they? She said she came to hear an interesting story and good music.
Amanda, Jasmine, and Cecilia were the second group of students I spoke with before the concert. Jasmine was helping out during the concert. She is a member of the church in the city. Cecilia and Amanda were visiting her from a city in Southern Sweden called Lund.
Jasmine was excited about the evening because Jenny was one of the people she looked up to when she was smaller. She used to stand in front of the mirror and sing along to Ace of Base songs and thought that it was really incredible that she was going to see Jenny sing.
Amanda hadn't thought much about her expectations for the evening. She and Cecilia were invited by Jasmine. The two ladies both said the concert sounded like a fun way to spend a night and thought it would be an enjoyable evening.
Afterwards, I met Sara. She is working with the local sponsoring church and was helping to put together the show. She didn't help book Jenny but had helped in other matters. She said they expected about 200 people to show up during the night.
Her job this evening was to help the kids in the congregation house once the concert was over. She thought it would be exciting to hear Jenny's story. She hasn't listened to Ace of Base much but still thought Jenny's story would be interesting to hear.
The last group of people I caught before everyone rushed to the door was Olivia, Viktoria and Malin. They all came from Gothenburg for the concert. Olivia had heard about the concert from friends in school. Viktoria didn't know many details about Jenny, except that she was a part of Ace of Base.
Malin had no specific expectations for the evening but was just waiting to see what would happen. Malin had been to a previous concert featuring Jenny and thought Jenny did an excellent job during the previous performance.
After the concert was over, I interviewed people in the concert hall, outside the concert hall, and at the congregation house:
Gabriela and Johanna were friends and agreed that the concert was good and the last song, "No More Nights", was the best of the night. They also thought the most powerful description of the night was when Jenny told the story about the attack.
I interviewed Jasmine, Amanda and Cecilia before the show and caught back up with them after the show was over to see what they thought. Amanda said Ravine was a strong favorite that made an impression on her. Cecilia had a difficult time picking one favorite song but thought all the songs worked well. Jasmine said she really enjoyed the concert and lecture. She thought it was very good. She also commented that the description of the attack was a powerful story.
Jasmine said "Ravine" was powerful to hear after she heard Jenny describe the attack and what the song was about. Jasmine was impressed with how Jenny dealt with the aftermath of the attack and described Jenny as a strong person. She thought the story about singing Ravine for the first time in public at the World Music Awards was also memorable.
Hannah, Sara, and Anna were hanging out at Mimers Hus after the concert as well. They thought the concert went very, very well and mentioned that they knew Staffan, Terese, and Simon. Hannah thought "Gotta Go" was the best song and they all agreed that the story about the attack is the most memorable one of the night.
I caught up with a few more people at the congregation house in another part of town:
Mikael and Bo work in a church outside of Gothenburg but not in Kungälv. They heard about the concert and decided it sounded like something they wanted to attend.
Mikael thought the concert was balanced well and the stories between the songs were good. He noted that Jenny had one central idea throughout the concert and a main message to impart to the listeners. Jenny's music is not usually what he listens to, although he appreciates the message she sends out with her songs. He thought the choice of songs was a good one.
Bo said he was a little worried in the beginning because he thought Jenny was fumbling a little in the beginning, but he thought it picked up and worked out well in the end. He didn't know much about Jenny before and he hadn't heard the songs before. He did pick up a copy of the album because he liked the concert. His favorite song from the concert was "No More Nights".
And last, but not least, I sat down at a table with a group of four students to get their thoughts. Josefine, Emma, Johannes, and Gerard took some time out to chat with me about the concert.
Josefine thought it was a good concert. She thought Jenny sang well and was interesting to listen to. She liked Lucky Love best and thought the strongest story was when Jenny talked about the attack.
Emma thought the concert was very good. She said it was fun to listen to and everyone sang well. Lucky Love was also her favorite and she also thought the attack was a strong story.
Johannes said everyone up there were real true musicians and very professional. He thought they all did a very good job. He liked Terese's song, "Säg Bara Mor" and also agreed with the others about the attack being a story that's hard to forget.
Like the other three, Gerard also said the description of the attack was something that stayed with him. He also said it was nice to sit down and listen to true and authentic musicians.
If you've ever given a speech in front of different crowds, you know each audience has its own personality. No two audiences are alike. Every audience has their own advantages - and sometimes challenges.
The makeup of this audience differed from the rest of the concerts and lectures during the last two weeks. The people attending this concert were mainly younger and many were confirmation students, that is to say approximately between 13-17 years old. Consequently, I received different answers from this group compared to previous groups I interviewed.
The most obvious difference between this crowd and previous crowds is the way many students talked about specific events in Jenny's life. Previous audiences would mention a specific event and talk about the internal thoughts and struggles involved (i.e. Her mother's battle with cancer and the subsequent idea of loss). The Mimers Hus audience focused mainly on the external happenings and physical struggles within the story ( i.e., the attack and the near unanimous consensus that it was the most gripping story of the evening).
This crowd was also more revved up than other audiences. The atmosphere was more jovial and upbeat than other concerts. The audience was more willing to get into the music, more willing to clap along, and more than happy to let their appreciation show for the band members onstage.
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