Aqua brings a Barbie world to the House of Blues

Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua blasted in from the past to perform at the House of Blues Chicago on December 12, 2023. Capitalizing on the smash hit movie Barbie, it was perfect timing for the trio who was once a quartet to reunite on the road.

With three studio albums under their belt and no new tunes to show, Aqua had not visited the United States in over two decades to perform together.

Vocalists René Dif and Lene Nystrøm were planted front and center with keyboardist Soren Rasted sitting behind a massive jam box. The previous guitarist Claus Norreen was not with the group and was replaced by Steffen Drak. Two backup singers supported them as well and Nystrøm joined them at one point to harmonize.

“Cartoon Heroes” from Aquarius set the tone right from the jump welcoming fans to the “Toon Town party.” They then launched into “Back to the '80s” from their Greatest Hits record. The third song “Calling You” came from their 1997 debut album Aquarium.

The Megalomania album was not the focus of the setlist with the moody “Playmate to Jesus” coming in fourth and the rallying cry of “Dirty Little Pop Song” shortly thereafter.

The Sliding Doors film track “Turn Back Time” displayed their popular video in the background and “We Belong to the Sea” was given a sped-up boost.

They kept things fresh with a new version of “Bumble Bee” and the Tiesto remix of “Barbie Girl.”

For a sugary pop European act, Aqua gave a strong and sometimes rocking vibe to their live performance. Dif and Nystrøm constantly kept moving about the iconic stage and then posed when the time was appropriate. The elder of the group Dif had clearly been hitting gyms and tattoo parlors over the years. This Candyman's hyper-masculine stylings over the microphone could have been irritating such as the Right Said Fred brothers or Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes, but instead added the right amount of spirit to the festivities.

Lene confessed she had been up early that morning and had barely slept. This didn't seem to affect her energy onstage and she gushed about meeting the band's fans previously in the day, “Without you, we wouldn't be here.” The singer mentioned how she would like to stay longer in Chicago, but that would be impossible with the hectic touring schedule that ends with a stop at the Hollywood Palladium on December 23. The group is slated to perform on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31 to finish out 2023.

The trio closed with their first release ever “Roses Are Red” which was nostalgic for them as well as the diehard audience. Hopefully, this was just a test drive for Aqua who should not wait so long to return to the Windy City and play an even bigger venue.

For now, chew on more of this bubblegum pop tour before it ends with tickets at AquaOfficial.com.