Snapshots of Karlstad

The city is full of statues everywhere you look. Each one represents different facets of Karlstad's history and culture. This statue, called the "Goddess of Peace", stands in the city center. It represents a peaceful split between Norway and Sweden in 1905. She holds a broken sword in her hands with her right foot on top of....

... a severed head. Emma told me this statue has been voted the ugliest statue in the country. City planners dressed it in the colors of Melodifestivalen. Just to be festive.

A beautiful day in the city

It's not only a semla, it's a semla cake! It was the size of my head. I was sorely tempted to buy it.

Hipsters live in Sweden too.

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.

Melodifestivalklubb Visit

I'm currently at Löfbergs Lila Arena just inside the press room door. Playing in the background is Lady Gaga's Paparazzi and other songs from Mello. Across the street, artists are practicing for the Second Chance competition on Saturday.

The press room is located across from the arena.

I recently spoke with Pia and Sara, representatives from Melodifestivalklubben, the fan club whose members follows the contest year 'round. They were kind enough to speak with me before today's practices got underway.  The club, a non-profit, has members from as far away as Kuwait and Australia. "There are even many international fans who learn Swedish just to understand the lyrics to the songs", Pia said. More about our interview a little later...

Sara and Pia, representatives from the Melodifestival club

Without a press pass, it's impossible to get in to either the press room or practices. However, the artists will make an appearance in a downtown shopping center later this afternoon. I'll head over there to see what excitement and chaos they create among the general public.

A view of the arena preparations:

The accreditation building brought in for the contest.

An imposing, slightly industrial building when seen from the ground.

 Santa Maria Tex-Mex "Festivalchips", which will be given out to festival visitors Friday and Saturday.

 The same signs from Malmö brought in for set-up shortly.

A handful of the 18 trucks it takes to haul needed equipment to various cities during the tour.

CouchSurfing - Round Two

Emma and Christian are my new CouchSurfing hosts. They are an energetic, fun loving, and happy couple who live just outside Karlstad. We met each other downtown this afternoon, chatted for about an hour, then went shopping for food. When we got back to their home, Emma and Christian made dinner. And I chopped the onions, since that's the full extent of my culinary skills. They did not hold my lack of skill against me. Our dinner consisted of tasty meat patties made with whiskey cheese, potatoes, mixed veggies, and a wonderful brown sauce. Emma made everything from scratch and it was one of the best home cooked meals I've had in a while.

We sat around the table discussing a variety of topics from books and movies to Swedish society and, of course Melodifestivalen. The young couple are also avid readers, so we enjoyed talking about the books they have read and want to read. Christian is a fan of fantasy books and buys them often. Emma studied interior design, so she has several books on the topic here at home.

The pair are open to hosting visitors from all over the world. They have hosted a few people from France recently and will take in another CouchSurfer tomorrow in addition to me. He is a photographer for Melodifestivalen and will stay with us for a day or two. He has a lot of work to do, so we might not be able to chat for long. Still, it should be an interesting experience hearing about the contest from many different people.

Thursday means a visit with Pia, a representative from the Melodifestivalenklub, a 400 member strong group  who celebrates the contest year round. Pia will give us the scoop on celebrating the six week contest from a club perspective. Emma and I will also attend a CouchSurfer meeting in Karlstad later in the evening, so we'll get to meet more faces who dare to open their homes and lives to people around the world.

Emma has planned a little outing on Friday. We will find some nature reserves and enjoy the brilliant blanket of snow covering the area. We might also be able to try some Nordic Skating. That's where you strap on a pair of blades and skate across the ice as far as your feet will take you, or at least until you run out of usable ice.

Once Friday comes to a close, I'll take a little detour. It's off to Örebro, a city a few hours to the East. There, Jenny Berggren, my favorite artist will perform songs from her solo album, "My Story", at Ritz Nightlcub downtown. I couldn't miss the opportunity to catch the performance since it is so close to Karlstad. Jenny also coached Terese Fredenwall during Mello this year. Maybe she will have some things to tell us about her role in the contest this year? We'll see.

I will be up early tomorrow to get to the arena, a place named after one of Sweden's most beloved coffee brands: Löfbergs Lila Coffee.

Karlstad, You Don't Disappoint

This city is ready for the schlager festival. Apparently, Anton Ewald, one of the artists for the Second Chance round was on the same train. I got off the train and saw people holding Melodifestivalen signs. I stopped to take a picture and realized they were there to pick up one of the artists, so I kept filming for a few seconds. Anton took the opportunity to mug for the camera as he walked past.

Anton Ewald is in good spirits.

Karlstad wants you to know it's hosting the contest.

A banner next to a stage in a shopping mall. "The city where everyone is a winner. A Second Chance, the Second of March."

And a blurry pic of a "Schlagerbakelse", a Melodifestival pastry on offer at the local grocery store. You get two purple marzipan covered cakes with a triangular music note decoration on top.  All for 40 kronor ($6.50 approximately).

Breaking Records

Melodifestivalen is breaking records left and right. Last week's show was the top TV draw in the nation with 3.5 million people tuning in. That number makes the contest the most watched program in Sweden since Dallas in 1981. The Malmö show was the biggest one ever held in the city. It almost made the most watched 4th heat of all time, coming in only second to the 2006 show.

Another Day, Another City

Tomorrow brings another town. Karlstad is up next on the agenda. It's time to meet Emma and Christian, my Couchsurfing hosts in the city. I'll also visit the Swedish American Center. The center was created in the early 60's to strengthen ties between the two countries. I'll see what they're up to these days and learn more about the work they're doing.  

We'll get back to Melodifestivalen, too. It's almost time for the Second Chance round. Karlstad is host and they've promised a good show. Time to see what the city has to offer in terms of pre-festival entertainment. Malmö was quiet on that front. Will Karlstad also take the same tactic? Or will they throw a big city party? One way to find out. The train leaves early in the morning.