Melodifestivalen Celebrities

I'm sitting in the Middle of the City. That's the name of the shopping center in Karlstad where several artists will appear. The first artist up is Eric Gadd and he will be on stage shortly. People are milling about waiting for the show to begin. I have a good seat next to the stage and two semlor at my side. They're from the grocery store, so they're smaller than the bakery versions. That's right - semlor and song.

What happens when celebrities from the biggest show of the year appear in person? How do people in Sweden react?

They react mildly.

An orderly crowd of young teenagers and students wait in line to get a look at the artists. Guards stand around. They chat with each other, since there's not much to do.

Looking on from the top balcony

The host for the show walks into the waiting crowd, asking if there are any big fans of Eric Gadd. The orderly crowd looks away. She walks into a group of waiting teens and attempts to get someone to chat. She has difficulty getting them to talk with her in front of the onlookers. The host finally succeeds in getting a few adults to talk with her. Maybe she will have more success when introducing teen heartthrobs like Robin Stjernberg.

She tries to pep the crowd again. A few people shake their head and tap their feet to the music. That's the extent of their celebration. She attempts to get a yell from the crowd and succeeds on the second try. It's not an easy job.

Walking by the stage. Quite empty a few minutes before the first artist is to appear.

I might suggest this reaction is a part of Swedish culture. Swedes just don't go crazy over celebrities in the same way the United States does. They're interested and will stop to watch. They might stare, even. The really "crazy" ones might ask for a photo or autograph. They usually don't go crazy with a red carpet and screaming fans. They leave that to America. And Americans like me.