Tonight my favourite band in the world, Swedish pop giants KENT ends their career with their last ever performance in Stockholm.
KENT plays in front of 27.000 people in Tele2 arena. The band end their farewell tour with three concerts in Stockholm, the last one tonight. My oldest daughter Louise – another passionate KENT fan – was their on Thursday for her farewell to this increadible band.
I have seen two of the shows on their farewell tour and it has been absolutely amazing shows.
KENT is not an ordinary band. They are the story about four childhood friends that created the mist popular band in Swedish music history, ABBA, Europe, Soundtrack of our lives, Hives and Ace of Base included.
They are different in so many ways. A band with huge integrity, very rarely seen on television and never in papers or magazines. They have delivered few interviews the last decades. It was always all about the music. About the lyrics. The story that they wanted to tell. I have so much respect for this band.
KENT is a also fantastic live band with unbelievable innovative visual effects and always with their own innovative distinctive sound.
The band leader, Joachim Berg, is an absolute genious in writing songs and lyrics. The best I have ever heard.
I have lived my last 20 years with this band. It is a sad day, but I am also grateful to have discovered this band. To have had the privilege to experience this music.
If they would have performed in English – and not Swedish – they would have been as big as U2 or Coldplay. I am sure. Their music is that good.
It is typical – and very like KENT – to suddenly just out of the blue decide to stop, at the top of their career. In January 2016 – without any warning – they announced that this is the last year.
They announced a farewell tour – sold out in two minutes – ending today and they also released a final album. The last song on that last album, being named: “The last song”. So very KENT. In the song chorus Jocke Berg songs, “…this is the last time we meet, this is the last song you get”.
“Den sista gången sista gången vi sågs , Sista sången sista sången du får, Den sista gången sista gången vi sågs , Det här är sista sången sista sången du får”
I will miss you, but your music lives forever. R.I.P KENT. 13 albums sold in millions in Scandinavia. Thank you Jocke Berg, Samy Sirviö, Marcus Mustonen and Martin Sköld.
I love KENT. All my kids love KENT too and webhave been tobtheir concerts together. We know the songs, we know the amazing lyrics. They are a part of our lives, family. That is what really gold music can achieve.
KENT leaves as they came, as the conquered. With integrity and dignity, the best band in the world. Ever and forever. There will never be a comeback. It is just not who they are. Goodbye KENT. This awful year 2016 just got worse. Long live 2017.
This week I am in Brazil for work. It is the end of the year and we will present our results on the AEO Brazil project. A very innovative AEO programme that has changed the way of Brazilian import and export.
View from a hotel room in Sao Paulo
It is always a pleasure to be in Brazil. This is a fascinating country. I have so many friends here. I love the country.
Dinner with friends the night before our seminar
This is not a country it is a continent, a slumbering giant that has started to take its place on the global scene – but due to domestic turbulence the last three years has been stuck in limbo.
Sao Paulo often has draught but not this week
I am however absolutely certain that Brazil is on the right track. It will soon raise to its full potential. I have started to see the signs even though there is a way to go and still some challenging times ahead.
Getting ready for the holiday season
But when you travel as much as I do you get a feeling for the trend indicators of a countries future development. I will give you some examples; the planes to Brazil are full again, always. A lot of business travellers. The hotel room prices are going up and are hugher than last year. The currency, reais, has recovered from its worse. The Brazilians are shopping for Xmas like never before….
Merry Xmas Brazil
A country with the potential of Brazil will become a world leader one day. They have everything here. The country is rich on natural resources and has a huge young population. And most important, the people are fantastic. I love the Brazilian people – and culture. People are open and friendly.
I know. The future belongs to Brazil. I will be back next year.
This has been a fantastic year for my new blog here on www.larskarlsson.com.
Over the last months the interest and mumber if visitors has not only increased but almost exploded. The weblog ‘Capacity Now’ has now by far surpassed my old blog, ‘Nothing is impossible’ in popularity.
Last month I had more than 16.000 vistors/readers which is truly amazing.
In November 16.181 people read about capacity building on the blog! Thank you.
I will continue to develop this channel and this arena for information and dialogue about Customs, borders, trade, security, facilitation, development, capacity building, film, music, sports and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This is a platoform about life. I am glad you like it.
Stay tuned for 2017. It will be an exiting year with some really interesting news.
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