Thus, a story that began in 1964 is coming to an end. The band was started in 1964 in Hamar and has been Norway’s most famous dance band for several decades. Well-known vocalists have been Lasse Johansen and not least Tore Halvorsen from 1988 to 2018. Then young Espen Hagen Olsen took over. They have released 45 albums and won a total of eight Spellemann awards. – Sad, says band leader William Kristoffersen It was VG who reported the news first. A lot has changed. Ole Andreas Ødegård and Arne Willy Foss are still in the original band. The band has had a number of hits over the years after their breakthrough with “Rhythm of the Rain”. Later, they have had hits such as “I thought the angels were there”, “No, so fat you have become” and “The king of the campsite”. Ole Ødegård thinks it is difficult to rank highlights throughout all these years, but there have been great moments on home ground in the Viking ship in Hamar. They played for five years on SS Norway and three years in Florida. The band also got a musical in Oslo. Ødegård says that there are several reasons why they give up. – The corona came, and there are changes in the industry. and then of course you have the age, says Ødegård. He himself has turned 76, and so has Willy Kristoffersen. Ødegård says that a lot has changed. Before, people turned up to dance. Now someone clutches a soft beer glass and jumps. Another change is that dance band music is rarely played on the radio. – It is not so easy to sell that type of music anymore. But they still have a black and loyal audience they want to play for one last time. Planning a farewell tour For the band has no intention of giving up just yet. They are planning a closing tour in selected locations. And Ødegård has a small dream that the last concert will be in September 2024. By then they have been at it for 60 years. – We will try to distribute the dance and concert assignments so that the fans in the long country of Norway can experience us one more time, says band leader William Kristoffersen to NTB. He does not hide the fact that “of course it will be a bit sad with a farewell tour”. But it will also be a joy: – But as long as we can be healthy enough to stand on stage in our 58th year as a band, that is a joy and a victory in itself, he adds. FAREWELL: Ole Ivars is planning a farewell tour. Kristoffersen says that it will also be a journey of humility and gratitude. – It is also with a great degree of gratitude and humility that we embark on the journey towards the final station. We perform our own songs, for an audience that is waiting for us, he says.
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Ole Ivars retires after 58 years – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
