Romanian public joins the Joyride, charmed by Swedish band Roxette [PHOTOS]

Roxette fans in Romania have been waiting since the 90s to see their favourite band on stage in Bucharest. On Monday evening, when the concert in Romania finally happened, Romania-Insider.com was there to enjoy it... and then to spread the word about it.

By Corina Saceanu (also a Roxette fan) Swedish band Roxette threw an unforgettable first time concert in Romania on Monday evening. After years of waiting, the Romanian public had a chance to listen to the band which used to be very popular locally in the 90s and which, judging by the closed box office, still enjoys a great deal of fans. And it was an unforgettable evening for the band too. "Just came back from a super show in Bucharest. What a crowd!!! We have the best fans in the world!!!! Had a blast. And Marie is saying THANK YOU to everyone singing Happy Birthday To You!!!!! We have to come back to this place pretty soon!!!!!," wrote the band on their Facebook page soon after the concert. With an overwhelming audience of over 15,000 people, the Swedish singers Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, both in their 50s, entertained a mixed crowd of Romanian and foreigners, in a show which was sold out. The gig, held at Zone Arena in Bucharest, started soon after 20,00, according to schedule and managed to escape the heavy rain in the Romanian capital city, which stopped just before the concert. The band's choice of a first song for the Bucharest concert was “Dressed for Success”, and all eyes were on Marie Fredrisksson, who has recently recovered from brain tumor and re-started touring, slowly re-learning all of the band's songs. It was a special night for Marie, as she celebrated her 53rd birthday on stage. The public sang 'Happy Birthday' to her on a couple of occasions.

Dressed in black leather, Marie (in picture, right) was quite active on the stage, which was unexpected for the public, given that she had recovered from brain surgery that has caused damages such as the inability to read and count, as well as some loss of movement to her right side, which were more obvious in previous concerts. The two Swedish performers have recently re-started touring after almost ten years since the launch of their album Room Service and are currently promoting their most recent album, Charm School. Last night's concert in Bucharest however only included a few songs from the new album, with the majority of the tunes played during the evening included on previous albums. This gave the audience the chance to sing along with the band. (if you want to listen to the Romanian public singing or watch some backstage moments with Roxette in Bucharest, check out their