On October 4, just before noon, about 130 Eurovision fans got together in Helsingborg, in the southern part of Sweden. The event started with OGAE Sweden's annual meeting, where Maria Niklasson was re-elected as president of OGAE Sweden. Sanna Nielsen, Glenn from Brandsta City Släckers, Jessica Folcker and Magnus Carlsson were all present to perform and surprise the guests.
The new OGAE Sweden board is as follows:
Vice President: Mikael Olofsson, 2nd Vice President: Ann-Marie Svanström, Members of the board: Jens Johansson,Lizbet Brittsten, Andreas Nilsson, Peter Hellström,Substitutes: Matthias Johansson, Lena Brunosson, Jon Westberg, Auditor: Erik Magnusson, Substitute for auditor: Marika Attlin, Election committee: Tommy Engström, Josef Boström, Håkan Lindstam
After the annual meeting, lunch was served on board a ferry between Helsingborg and Helsingör (in Denmark).Dinner was served at Tivoli, where the annual meeting was also held, and there were surprises throughout the entire evening. The first surprise was a 30-minute-medley with Champagne Safari, Helsingborg's answer to dragshow-group After Dark, with all the greatest hits from Melodifestivalen history plus some entries from this year.
Just when coffee was being served, a video clip was shown with Sanna Nielsen. The arranger of the event, Håkan Lindstam, wanted Sanna to taste a “Håkan cake” since “Sanna cakes” are so hard to find and we needed something for dessert. Sanna tasted it and said that it was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted, picked up the mobile phone and called the café which makes the famous “Sanna cakes” (cakes with a picture with Sanna on them, made only at one café in Sanna’s hometown) and ordered 150 cakes to be delivered and that the bill should be sent to her colleague Charlotte Perrelli. At this moment, waitresses carrying 150 cakes came through the doors, in a parade which can almost be described as something you see at the Nobel dinner.
After dinner, the show kicked off and it started with another video clip,presenting the sights of Helsingborg. The tour ended at the fire station where Glenn from Brandsta City Släckers (BCS) talked about how the band started and showed his office to the camera. Suddenly an alarm went off and Glenn had to rush … just to be live on the stage at Tivoli just a few seconds later. He sang Kom och ta mig, Boom bang a bang and 15 minuter and talked about what happened back in 2004 when BCS did the demo for another song and was supposed to sing that as well, but it went to Nina & Kim.
Next up was Jessica Folcker who did 2 of the biggest hits from the time before Melodifestivalen Tell me what you like and How will I know, as well as her MF-entries Om natten and When Love's Coming Back Again, and after her followed Dan Tillberg, who sang Ta min hand twice, ABCD and Varm (a remixof his1983 hit).
Last up on the stage was a familiar face to the crowd – Magnus Carlsson. He did most of his MF-entries, like Se mig, Alcastar and Live forever but also Rosalita (Barbados), We didn't start the fire (Alcazar) and ended the show with Kom hem (the only song he has even won a contest with (Dansbandslåten 2000).
Report by Annika Jansson, Melodifestivalklubben OGAE Sweden
