A-ha concert in the Kremlin with police protection
   By KATRINE LIA Translation Melanie Mousley

Yesterday evening a-ha played in the Kremlin - with police protection.  In 
the course of one week the band has played four concerts, and have been 
transported in all directions over Russia and the Ukraine in two private 
jets.

PALACE CONCERT:  Morten Harket and a-ha have had a rich experience this 
week.  Archive photo: Scanpix

"When we were here last time, Magne mentioned almost flippantly that we will 
come back only if we play in the Kremlin, and the comment was taken 
seriously,"  Morten Harket told VG.

After terrorism struck the Dubrovka theatre in the middle of the heart of 
the capital city Moscow less than one year ago, the police have taken no 
chances about concerts in the Russian capital.

To get inside the Kremlin Palace everyone including the band had to show a 
pass and an admission ticket.

Expensive tickets

To hold a concert in Russia is not like in Norway.  For the average Russian 
an a-ha ticket is much too expensive:

"The audiences are excellent, but we've noticed on the way that the tickets 
are extremely expensive for normal people.  It's a humbling thought," says 
Morten. One concert in the Ukraine seemed cursed (?)  In the Odessa Sporting 
Hall the power went out.  Without the opportunity to hear themselves the 
a-ha boys nevertheless continued to play.

"We sang "Stay On These Roads" - and we made it," Morten said.

When the electricity came back, the audience was just about electric:

"It was much blood which boiled," said Morten.

After the concert in Odessa the band flew, via the concert in St Petersburg, 
to Moscow.  The next stop is Trondheim - where a-ha shall be the student's 
band.

On Monday and Tuesday the band will play in the "Tent of the Valley of 
Death" in the middle of Trondheim central.

Solo album

Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy are working now with 
material for a new a-ha album.  But first Morten will release a solo album 
and is hunting now for the right collaborators.

"For me, it's important to work with people who can give me resistance," 
says Morten Harket to VG.  A date has not yet been set as to when the album 
will come out.