The Neverending World Tour
Despite those two albums being released over the duration of the tour, set lists primarily consisted of many of their greatest hits; Fredriksson was unable to remember the lyrics of new songs because the illness impacted her short-term memory.
[6][7] She underwent surgery to successfully remove the malignant tumour, followed by months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment,[8] Fredriksson was left permanently blinded in her right eye, and unable to read or write.
[11] Immediately after the gig, Gessle announced to Swedish publication Aftonbladet that Roxette would perform at the 2009 edition of Night of the Proms, which would begin on 23 October.
The band performed a series of seven warm-up shows throughout Europe,[14] beginning on 4 August 2010 at Leif's Lounge – a music venue at Gessle's own Hotel Tylösand in Halmstad[15] – and concluding on 12 September at the Saint Petersburg Ice Palace.
[17] Deluxe editions of the CD included a bonus disc containing 12 tracks recorded live in Halmstad, Saint Petersburg and Stavanger during the 2010 tour.
[19] The first gig of the tour, on 11 February at the Vector Arena in Auckland, was cancelled when Gessle became ill during the flight from Stockholm;[24][25] it began instead two days later in Australia.
[32] In 2014, Roxette began the "XXX – The 30th Anniversary Tour", with dates initially running from 28 October to 29 November and consisting of 15 concerts in North Asia and Europe.
She released a statement which said: "Sadly, now my touring days are over and I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful fans that [have] followed us on our long and winding journey.
The fact that [they] had to cancel their previous tour due to Marie Fredriksson's well-documented [illness] seemed to resonate with the audience, [and they were] greeted by a crowd that offered thanks, warmth and love."
"[44] Their gig four days later in Melbourne was praised by the Herald Sun, which said: "From opener 'Dressed for Success', they had one of the most rapturous reactions the Rod Laver Arena has seen in years.
"[29] The West Australian praised the entire band, writing that they "owned" Challenge Stadium during their two concerts at the Perth venue at the end of February.
"[46] In a review of their 31 August show at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Gazette praised Gessle's songwriting, saying: "There's much to be said for the way [he] has been able to take the eternal beauty of the I-IV-V chord progression (think "Wild Thing" or "Twist and Shout") – one of rock's most basic and perfect statements – and use it as a foundation for his own evergreens, which still sound pretty fresh.
"[47] Rock Subculture applauded Fredriksson in their review of the band's 14 September concert in San Francisco's Nob Hill Masonic Center, writing: "The fact that she can still put on an amazing performance like last night is simply stunning.
Yet more than any other European band of that era, Roxette bridged the pop craft of their compatriots ABBA with the rockier sensibilities of American counterparts Heart and even Madonna.
He contrasted this with Fredriksson's "current physical vulnerability" while performing on stage, which he called "a genuinely moving counterpoint to the charge of soullessness which often dogged Roxette's critical reception in the past.
"[49] Andy Rudd of the Daily Mirror reviewed the same concert, and remarked that Fredriksson "still hit all the power high notes, despite remaining seated for all the gig."
"[51] Annelise Ball echoed a similar sentiment in her review of their 20 February concert at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, saying that "Despite her evident frailty, Fredriksson's voice is as strong and lovely as ever."
