Back Again aha to Play First US Concert Since October 1986



ha will play Irving Plaza in New York City. It has been nearly 20 years since a-ha's last concert on American soil.

June 26, 2005 -- On September 12, 2005 a-ha will play Irving Plaza in New York City. It has been nearly 20 years since a-ha's last concert on American soil.

The band remained active as a-ha from 1985 - 1994 and then took a pause to pursue solo efforts and other interests. The band returned to continue on as a-ha in 1998, touring internationally and releasing new material along the way.

Last year, a-ha switched record companies and signed a multi-album contract with Universal Records. The band is currently in the studio working on the first album under the Universal family slated for release later this year.

After their debut album "Hunting High and Low" in 1985, a-ha were eager to get away from their imposed teeny bopper status. Their sophomore effort, "Scoundrel Days" took a much more serious and darker approach in terms of music style and songwriting. This gritty and sustentative path led them to their 4th release "East of the Sun West of the Moon". a-ha broke away from their signature synthesizer and drum machine sound of the 80's and fully developed their unique styling with real instrumentation for a new and mature direction in their sound.

In the mid 90's, a-ha were considered to be the biggest band in the world. The international press were in shock when a-ha gathered a paying audience of 200,000 people at the Rock in Rio festivals in Brazil 1991. George Michael, Guns N' Roses and Prince had only been able to gather 60,000 each. The 200,000 crowd was a long standing world record for paying audience at a rock concert until recently broken by the Rolling Stones in 2004 at the SARS concert.

Among their peers in the music industry, a-ha have gained the respect of many of today's popular artists: Coldplay, Keane, Sarah Brightman, Leonard Cohen and The Edge in U2 all have sung the praises and proclaim how influential the band has been to their music development.

a-ha has sold approximately 40 million albums and 25 million singles world wide.

Performing live September 12, 2005 at Irving Plaza, New York.

Ticket information: http://www.irvingplaza.com/

Latest news: http://www.a-ha.com





Back Again aha to Play First US Concert Since October 1986