Ending on a High Note Tour


Ending on a High Note Tour was a worldwide concert tour by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha in support of the group's ninth studio album, Foot of the Mountain, which was released in June 2009 as well as the compilation 25 which was released in July 2010. It was also a farewell tour, as the band announced, in 2009, their decision to split after a worldwide concert tour in 2010.
The tour began on March 4 at the Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina and ended on 4 December in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, having visited many cities in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and several European countries. The sold out a-ha show in Santiago, Chile, originally scheduled for 6 March, was rescheduled for 23 March following a major earthquake.
Due to demand, the a-ha concert on March 16 in Centro de Convenções was moved to a larger venue, Ginásio Nilson Nelson. Also the capacity for the concerts in Oslo and Bergen in August in Norway had to expand its capacity with 9000 additional tickets to a total of 25 000 tickets for each show.

Background

On 15 October 2009, through a press release from the official website of the group, "has stated that after his latest album Foot of the Mountain, with the success enjoyed by both commercial and critical acclaim, had decided that now was the time of final dissolution of the band. In a statement on the news the band thanked all the cooperation and support received throughout their career, they talked and put an end with these words:

Stadium tour of Norway

For the 6 shows in Oslo between the 21st of August and the 11th of September, a-ha exclusevly built a special stage rig, the largest rig ever put up in Norway so far. The stage was 1,200 Sq meters, weighing over 1,500 tonnes. The rig included a video wall of 600 Sq meters. The stage took 200 men, 4 days to build.

Australian leg controversy

There has been much controversy surrounding the supposed Australian leg of the tour. Before an official announcement of tour dates it was suggested on a-ha's official website that Australian tour dates would be included in their final world tour.
As further tour dates were announced throughout Europe, North and South America, none were announced for Australia. It was later suggested through the a-ha fan community, West of the Moon, that Australia would not be included in a-ha's final world tour. This turn of events has sparked outrage amongst Australian based fans. Had a-ha returned to Australia, it would have marked their first visit there since they played their first live concerts in 1986 after the initial success of "Take On Me".

Set list

The set list of the concert in the Luna Park on March 4, 2010.
  1. "The Bandstand"
  2. "Foot of the Mountain"
  3. "Analogue"
  4. "Forever Not Yours"
  5. "Summer Moved On"
  6. "Move to Memphis"
  7. "Crying in the Rain"
  8. "Stay on These Roads"
  9. "The Blood That Moves the Body"
  10. "The Living Daylights"
  11. "Early Morning"
  12. "And You Tell Me"
  13. "Scoundrel Days"
  14. "Cry Wolf"
  15. "We're Looking for the Whales"
  16. "Manhattan Skyline"
  17. "I've Been Losing You"
  18. "Living a Boys Adventure Tale"
  19. "Hunting High and Low"
  20. "Train of Thought"
  21. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
  22. "Take On Me"
The setlist of the concert in the Ullevaal Stadium at August 21, 2010.
  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
  2. "Move to Memphis"
  3. "The Blood That Moves the Body"
  4. "Scoundrel Days"
  5. "Stay on These Roads"
  6. "Manhattan Skyline"
  7. "Hunting High and Low"
  8. "The Bandstand"
  9. "We're Looking for the Whales"
  10. "Butterfly, Butterfly "
  11. " Nonstop July"
  12. "Crying in the Rain"
  13. "Minor Earth, Major Sky"
  14. "Forever Not Yours"
  15. "Summer Moved On"
  16. "I've Been Losing You"
  17. "Foot of the Mountain"
  18. "Cry Wolf"
  19. "Analogue"
  20. "The Living Daylights"
  21. "Take On Me"
Other songs performed:
  • "The Swing of Things"
  • "Touchy"
  • "You Are the One"
  • At the final concert they performed the Everly Brothers song "Bowling Green" in the final encore, just before "Take On Me".