Mimers Hus Performance

Again, so much to say about the concert. Where to begin?

From the top...

Anna met us at the hostel and we began our drive down to Kungälv for the concert. Anna just received her My Story CD today, so she didn't have much time to listen to it yet. We grabbed one of our copies and popped it in for the drive over.

Just a short while later, we were at our destination. No one had the exact address to Mimers Hus but we were easily able to find it because it's hard to miss if you have an idea what it looks like. The building is a one-of-a-kind structure, so it was easy to spot.

We jumped out and began walking toward the entrance. We first saw the library, then saw the cafe. One hall didn't lead us anywhere, so we walked back to the cafe and saw the theatre. Jessi opened the door and we were greeted with a wall of sound before we even made it through the second set of doors.

Rehearsal was happening and we had just walked right into it. Everyone on stage gave us a hearty hello when we popped through the door. We spent a little time taking photos and listening to the check, then we went outside for a few as well.

People started arriving early for the program and started to filter in about thirty minutes before the start of the show. I went around and chatted with a few people to get their expectations before the concert began.

The hosts for the evening introduced themselves and spent about ten minutes playing a game and the winner was going to get a copy of Jenny's book. The contestants were told to find someone in the audience with a certain characteristic (like red clothing or someone who could do twenty push-ups) and bring them back to the chair. Each time they had to go out, another chair was taken away. The audience had fun with it and the winner came away happy.

The host introduced the band and everyone walked on stage. They started with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel" and the concert was underway.

This wasn't exactly a pure concert, yet it wasn't a pure lecture either. It was a bit of a blend. It was more concert than lecture, though. It started out as a typical concert/lecture blend and the audience felt a little restless. It seems the plan changed after the first few songs. Jenny was about to read passages from the book but it seemed she changed her mind and threw that first plan out the window.

Instead, she described points from the book in short sound bites instead of long passages. Afterwards, she would sing a song that was related to a certain part of the book she described.

The playlist was also a little different than prior gigs from the previous two weeks. This one included "Bless the Broken Road", "Go Down Moses", and "Gotta Go" to name a few different songs.

I recorded short clips of each song, but my "thirty-second YouTube camera" decided it had enough and is not functioning at all any longer. Maybe it had to do with the hit it took on the pavement on Gustav Adolfs torg last week when I dropped it?! That's why it's always good to have two cameras. It works to your advantage though, since you get a few full clips instead of a few thirty second bites.

The audience was a little restless at the start, but after "Go Down Moses", they got into it and it picked up quite a bit. The audience got into it more and more as each song went on.

There were parts of the concert tonight where the songs and words hit me upside the head. I wish I had brought tissues. I started losing it during "Håll Mitt Hjärta" and completely lost it during "Bless the Broken Road". And let me tell you, it's no small feat to make me cry in public. Ask people who know me and they'll tell you I just don't do that... unless it's just so poignant or breathtaking that I just can't help it. Like tonight.

I'll write more about the whole concert in a longer report when I get back to the States shortly. I'll also write about the people I spoke with after the concert was over and let you know their thoughts.

After the concert was over, Jenny went out to sign CDs and books. We took a few photos and chatted with Simon, Staffan and David for a few minutes. We also chatted with Jenny after she was finished meeting people. We then made our way to the congregation house a little ways down the road.

Once there, we made ourselves comfortable and had a little something to eat. We also sat and looked on as some of the teens took part in a few of the youth group activites there this evening.

Simon was able to bring a box of CDs for Jessi and Anja. I was also able to buy the copies I needed.

Anja and I had the chance to speak with Terese Fredenwall this evening as well. She is very kind, humble, and has a bubbly and upbeat personality. Terese is going to Germany shortly, so Anja was teaching her a few useful German phrases and a few fun ones too. I also had the chance to tell Terese how much I've enjoyed her singing/songwriting skills. I'm sure she hears it all the time from other people, but it was nice to be able to say it face to face.

Jessi, Anna, and Anja said goodbye to Jenny while I was off wandering in another part of the building.

We all walked out into the nippy night air and another clear, starry night greeted us. As we were walking back to the car, Terese stopped and chatting with us again for a minute or two before saying goodbye.

Everyone jumped in the car, warmed up, and headed back to the city. We dropped Anna off at home and said our goodbyes until next time.

We're now back at the hostel and will be leaving in a few hours for one last concert and lecture.


The setting sun as we arrived in town.


Just at the horizon.


Signage.



The cafe on the right and entrance to the theatre on the left.


Advertisement for the concert.


Anja taking photos during rehearsal.


Somewhere up there, you'll find David Råsmark manning the sound booth.


Walking in on rehearsals.


Jessi and company have their seats picked out.


The house filling up with people.


Just before showtime.

People buying CDs and meeting Jenny


People meeting Terese.


Anna relaxing after the show.


Lights out on stage after the concert.


Jessi taking pictures of the three of us.


More people meeting Jenny. She's somewhere in there.


Wonderful Staffan Birgersson and awesome Simon Petren.


Meet David Råsmark. He co-wrote "Living in a Circus" and plays bass on "My Story". He also worked the sound for the concert this evening.


At the congregation house and people waiting in line for food.


Lots of food - and candy!


Jenny at the congregation house signing CDs.


The main hall in the congregation house.


A youth group leader at the church, I think.


Time to go back to the city.


Downtown with the newly installed sightseeing wheel.


The Stena ferry. Almost back to the hostel.


And back for just one more evening.

Back in Gothenburg

Thanks to Anja and her awesome driving skills, we made it back just about an hour ago. The drive went very well. Beautiful sunshine, excellent music, and good friends. Can't ask for more!

A few pictures from our trip back:


The ultimate driving song.


Jessi reading the "My Story" lyrics.


A beautiful view!


Countryside.


Keep driving this way.


Big rigs bringing in construction equipment.


Welcome home!


Just outside Liseberg.


Passing the Scandinavium.


And back to the hostel... ahh!

We're now frantically getting ready for the concert performance tonight. We've checked into the hostel and gotten situated. We're all now in the process of recharging batteries, changing out memory cards, and making sure we have everything we need.

Plus, Anna will be joining us tonight. Yea! And maybe a few more people we know. Who knows who you might meet when you go to a concert? In any case, I have about thirty more minutes before it's time to pack the car and pick up Anna for the ride to Kungälv.

Check back with you all tonight!

Visiting TV4 Förkväll

The wind has finally settled down in Stockholm and the stars are shining in the sky. We're back to the prison/hostel after another eventful day.

Today, we were able to visit the set of a tv show:



We were informed that we could be at the taping of TV4's show Förkväll today. A message came that we were to meet Jenny and the gang over at the TV4 building. We got there about thirty minutes late due to a traffic jam on the E20.

We got into the building and found out from the women in the reception that the taping of the show was actually in another building near the central station.

Oh, and by the way, the show starts in 15 minutes. Uh-oh.


The wrong TV4 building.

Back to the car we went. We programmed the GPS unit and it got us there part of the way, but we went into a tunnel and it died. We navigated our way to a parking garage and made our way to the central station.

Problem.

We didn't know where the Royal Viking hotel was exactly, since the women at the TV4 building only told us the name of the building but nothing more. As we were hurrying down the street, I asked a gentleman if he knew where it was located. He did and he was headed in that direction. He offered to walk with us there and we followed him.

When we arrived, it was about 5:25 pm and the program had been running for almost thirty minutes. The guy at the desk helped us out by calling up to the tv control room and they sent down a woman named Mollie to take us up to the recording studio.

Mollie gave us a spirited hello and led the way to the elevator. We chatted on the way up, as she was interested in hearing where we were from and how we ended up coming to the studio that night. She was very nice and quite energetic, running around the studio making sure things were the way they should be.


Mollie, our intrepid guide.


Studio - this way!

We were led through the corridors of the studio and Mollie let us know we should feel right at home. She offered us a place to put our bags and told us there was food around the corner if we felt like having a little bite to eat.


Mmm, food!


Notice there was a bowl of candy included with the food. It's everywhere! YES!!

As we rounded the corner, we saw Jenny sitting in the hallway waiting for the proper time to be interviewed. Jessi and Anja sat down to chat while I explored the studio setup with Mollie's help.


Jessi and Anja chatting with Jenny.


Make-up room.


Sound room.


The room where the studio workers sit and watch the live broadcast.

Afterwards, I rejoined Jessi and Anja and Jenny. A few minutes later, Mollie also sat down to chat with us for a few minutes. We had a nice conversation about our favorite books and music while we were waiting for Jenny to record her part of the program.


The curtain that leads to the studio.

Jenny was called into the studio and we waited in the hall. I munched on a sandwich and the three of us waited to watch the interview on a tv situated in another area of the studio.


A close-up of Jenny's book and CD during the interview.

The interview took place and I watched a little bit on the screen. People who worked on the show were walking in and out of the area and it was a little difficult to hear the interview, so I wandered off into other areas of the studio, such as the control room and sound room.


Studio crew watching the interview.


Mollie and another woman from the crew watching Jenny on screen.


Anja and Jessi posing for the camera.


The control room during the broadcast.


Control room screens.

I'm not sure how long the interview actually took, but immediately after everything was over, the studio crew started breaking down the set. The set isn't actually permanent. It's built on the set of a functioning bar, so they have to break it down so the bar can serve customers later on in the evening.

It was incredible to see just how fast the set was broken down and pulled apart. The show ended with the guests sharing the meal that was cooked on set. All the guests shared the meal and chatted, while the studio crew took down the set. They worked amazingly fast. Jessi, Anja, and I had to move quickly to get pictures of the set before it disappeared out from under us.


The guests mingling with the hosts and sampling the cooking.


Studio camera on set.


One of the studio cameras with list attached.


A close-up of the list that was attached to the camera.


The interview couch.


Breaking down the set.


The carpet is gone in a flash.


The lights need to be taken down too.


Time to turn off the sound board.


And stack the chairs.

I was mesmerized by the skills of the crew, both during the show and after the show was over. Everyone was very professional and very kind to us. People were running here and there and in every direction down the hallways and through the rooms, but they took time to let us know what was going on and where things were. They made sure we felt comfortable every step of the way, even though they had a program to film. Thank you for that!


Anja getting photos.


Jessi taking film.


A happy Sara on the set.

Afterwards, we were able to sit down with Jenny for a little while and talk about the album. Jenny asked us what we thought and we let her know about the songs we liked best and the songs we weren't so fond of. We discussed a little bit about the album artwork and the recording dates for the songs. We asked questions about this and that and Jenny kindly answered.


Jessi and Anja speaking with Jenny after the interview was over.

Jenny was waiting on her ride for the trip back to Gothenburg, so we spent a little time walking around the streets and chatting about general things. Again, we talked about our lives and told little anecdotes about ourselves, while Jenny contributed her own stories to the mix.

We were able to say hello to Simon, Terese and Staffan before they piled into the car for the trip back. We said our goodbyes once again and wished each other safe travels back to Gothenburg.