The Scoundrel Days Era

1986, June 3: a-ha kick off their world tour in Perth, Australia, performing their first live concert. This event marks the first of nearly 150 concerts for this tour. The backing band includes Leif Karsten Johansen (bass), Michael Sturgis (drums), and Dag Kolsrud (keyboards). The forthcoming Scoundrel Days album is several tracks short; therefore, they write “I’ve Been Losing You” and “Maybe Maybe” in Sydney.

1986, July 2: a-ha kick off the Japanese leg of the tour in Tokyo, which includes 15 concerts.

1986, August 8: a-ha perform a concert at the Waikiki Shell in Hawaii. While there, photographer Knut Bry shoots the cover photos for the Scoundrel Days album.

1986, August 15: Six hours before playing the first concert in Canada at the World EXPO Theatre in Vancouver, Morten has an operation at St. Paul’s hospital for a vocal cord blister. Over 40 concerts follow in the US and Canada. a-ha continue to do radio and TV promotion. In Hollywood, a-ha film the “I’ve Been Losing You” video. Photographer Knut Bry is on the team working on the video.

1986, September 5: a-ha are nominated for ten MTV Music Video Awards in Los Angeles. They accept the “Best Concept”, “Best New Artist”, and “1986 Viewers Choice” MTV awards remotely from the backstage of their Houston concert. a-ha also win the “Best Video” Golden Europa award in Germany for “Take On Me”.

1986, November 1: a-ha kick off the European leg of the world tour in Vienna, Austria. The Stadthalle hall (capacity 10 000) is approximately three times larger than other venues the band had played to date. The concert is sold out for weeks. They then perform concerts in Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and UK.

1986, November: a-ha film the “Cry Wolf” video in and around an old castle in Couches, France, with directors Steve Barron and David Yardley; the final cut of the video is completed in Hollywood.

1986, December 4: a-ha kick off the UK and Irish leg of the world tour in Aberdeen, Scotland. This leg includes 40 concerts. Nine concerts are scheduled for London, including a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on New Year’s Eve. “We’re Looking for the Whales” is recorded live at Fairfield Hall in Croydon for the B-side of the forthcoming "Manhattan Skyline" single.

1987, January 24: a-ha win three awards at the Norwegian award show “Spellemannspris 86” in Oslo: “Best Pop”, “Best Video”, and a special honour award. They perform “Manhattan Skyline”.

1987, January 30: a-ha film the “Manhattan Skyline” video in a London studio, with director Steve Barron. a-ha then travel to Norway to complete their world tour at home, with the first concert at Gimlehallen in Kristiansand. They donate the profit from the last concert in Drammen on February 10 to organisations for cancer aid, Amnesty International, and desert reclamation. a-ha ask that the audience wear only red, blue, or white.

1987, February 10: King Olav of Norway invites a-ha for an audition. Following this event, the President of the Parliament Jo Benkow invites a-ha for tea.

1987, February 26: News spreads in Norway that a-ha will record the next James Bond title song.

1987 April 24: After a long deserved holiday and sporadic TV performances to promote the “Manhattan Skyline” single, a-ha travel to Italy, France, Switzerland, and Spain for promotion.

1987, June 19: a-ha kick off a short tour in Japan, where they perform seven sold-out concerts. While they are in Japan, the new James Bond film premieres in London.

1987, August 2: Morten accepts the Peer-Gynt award at Vinstrahallen in Norway, on behalf of a-ha. This award is presented to recipients who have promoted Norway abroad.

1987, August 5: a-ha kick off a six concert tour in the South of France.

1987, August 27: a-ha perform “The Living Daylights” at the “Berolina”. They receive the “Best international group” award.

1987, October 18: a-ha participate in the Norwegian “TV-Aksjonen: Hjerter for livet”. An interview with the band is broadcast, and they perform “Cold River”. a-ha receive the Australian “Most popular international act” Count Down award; they accept it remotely via a video greeting from England, where they are working on their forthcoming album.

The Stay On These Roads Era

1988, February 26: a-ha perform their new single “Stay On These Roads” on two consecutive nights at the “Festivale di San Remo” in Italy. They also complete TV promotion in Italy. After returning from San Remo, a-ha begin filming the "Stay On These Roads" video on the Norfolk coast in England, with director Andy Morahan.

1988, March 19: a-ha kick off their second world tour at the Showering Pavilion in Shapton Mallet, UK, after completing TV and radio promotion for the new single. They recently completed the new album and did not have time to rehearse new material. The new backing band includes Randy Hope-Taylor (bass), Matthew Lettley (drums), Ian Wherry (keyboards), and Danny Gayol (percussion). The second world tour starts and ends in the UK and includes 80 concerts in nine countries. For the Birmingham concert on March 25, a-ha organise an “a-ha-express”: a special train transporting 200 press and media representatives journeying from Euston Station in London to the concert in Birmingham.

1988, April 7: a-ha kick off the Italian leg of the tour at the Palasport in Naples. They remain in Italy for ten concerts and several TV appearances.

1988, April 26: a-ha travel to Paris to complete promotion, which includes an FNAC press conference and a signing session in Montparnasse, Paris. They then continue their tour in Austria and Switzerland.

1988, May 3: a-ha kick off the French leg of the tour at the Palais des Sports in Dijon. Later this month, a-ha film “The Blood That Moves The Body” video at the Regina Hotel and Rue de Rivoli in Paris, with director Andy Morahan.

1988, June 1: a-ha travel to Germany for TV promotion. They hold a press conference in Cologne, where they also kick off the German leg of the tour on June 2. This event marks the first of 15 concerts in Germany. Afterwards, a-ha return to Paris for more TV promotion and a free concert at Paris Bercy: the SNCF train company sponsors the concert for 20 000 people; this is a-ha’s largest audience to date.

1988, June 25: a-ha hold a press conference at the SAS hotel in Oslo. They then perform as the main act at the summer festival on Kalvøya island, outside Oslo.

1988, August 1: a-ha film the “Touchy!” video, featuring synchronized swimmers, in Deauville, France, with director Kevin Moloney.

1988, August 12: Magne and Morten attend the Balloon festival in Bristol and have their own a-ha hot air balloon. While in the UK, they complete further TV promotion.

1988, September 3: a-ha kick off the Japanese leg of their tour at the Sun Palace in Fukuoka. This event marks the first of 18 concerts in Japan.

1988, October 27: a-ha travel to several countries for TV and radio promotion, including Italy, The Netherlands, France, Spain, UK, and Germany.

1988, November 21: a-ha film the “You Are The One” video in New York, with director Damon Heath. The song is released as a single and promotion follows on various UK and German TV shows through early spring 1989.

1988, December 4: a-ha kick off the last leg of the 1988 world tour at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, UK. This event marks the first of five concerts in the UK and Ireland, as well as more TV promotion.

1989, March 10: a-ha perform the first of two concerts at Place of Apoteose in Rio, Brazil, to an audience of approximately 90 000 people. On March 15, a-ha travel to Sao Paulo, hold a press conference there and play three more concerts at the Estadio de Palmeiras.

1990, January 28: a-ha complete TV promotion in Frankfurt, Germany, with an appearance on the “Die 80er” TV show. Two weeks later, Paula Yeates interviews a-ha for “Hitstudio”.

The East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon Era

1990, August: a-ha complete their studio work in London for the East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon album, produced by Ian Stanley and Chris Neal. Guest musicians include Norwegians Per Hillestad and Jørun Bøgeberg.

1990, September 15: a-ha begin a flurry of promotion, starting with the most popular TV show in Germany, “Wetten Dass!”. They take a break from promotion to film the "Crying In The Rain" video in Montana, US, with director Steve Barron.

1990, October 9: a-ha resume TV and radio promotion until December in the UK, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Germany. Promotion is briefly interrupted to film the “I Call Your Name” video in London, UK, with director Lauren Savoy.

1991, January 14: a-ha kick off their tour at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway. a-ha are the first act to perform at the new venue. The new backing band includes Jørun Bøgeberg (bass), Per Hillestad (drums), and Sigurd Køhn (saxophone).

1991, January 26: a-ha perform at the “Rock in Rio II” festival at the Maracana Stadium in Brazil, where they set a world record: largest paying audience with 198 000 people. This feat earns a-ha a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. The “Early Morning” video, directed by Michael Burlingame, features the band during the Rock In Rio II festival.

1991, February 16: a-ha kick off another round of TV promotion in Paris, France and focus their promotion in France and Italy, where they again perform at the “Festivale di San Remo”.

1991, February 22: a-ha kick off the UK leg of their tour at the Apollo Theatre in Manchester, UK. This leg includes four concerts in the UK. They then travel to Germany for eight concerts, and to Austria and Switzerland for one concert in each of these countries.

1991, April 4: After a short break, a-ha continue their tour with a concert in Den Haag, Holland. They then travel to France for eleven concerts and radio promotion, before continuing to the UK for seven concerts.

1991, May: The NRK special "Østenfor Sol, Vestenfor Måne" is recorded over three intensive days at an Oslo TV studio. NRK’s journalist Odd Arvid Strømstad focused on their music, and Norwegian writer, Lars Saabye Christensen wrote and recorded the text. The show is broadcast in Norway on September 7.

1991, May 17: a-ha kick off a South American tour with a concert at Estàdio Mané Garrincha in Brasilia, Brazil. This event is the first of 14 concerts in Brazil, three concerts in Argentina, and three concerts in Chile. Lauren Savoy films the concerts and backstage clips during this leg of the tour for a forthcoming video to be released in 1993.

1991, June 18: a-ha return to London to begin work on a compilation album. The new single “Move To Memphis” is planned for release in October, with a video directed by Erick Ifergan.

1991, October 12: a-ha begin a new round of promotion starting with the TV show “Fra Galleriet” in Oslo and with individual interviews at the Grand Hotel. Starting in November, they complete TV promotion in Sweden, UK, The Netherlands, Italy, France, and Germany.

1991, November 4: Release of the Headlines And Deadlines - The Hits Of a-ha album and a greatest hits video of the same title in the UK and France. The video release includes all promotional videos to date excluding "I've Been Losing You", "The Living Daylights", and "Move To Memphis" (included on a forthcoming DVD release). The video also includes live renditions of "I've Been Losing You" and "Sycamore Leaves", recorded at NRK studios in May 1991, as well as the "There's Never a Forever Thing" video, directed by Lauren Savoy.

1991, December 2: Morten accepts a BMI Award in London on behalf of a-ha. They win an award for one million radio plays of “Take On Me” in America.

The Memorial Beach Era

1992, autumn: a-ha rent Studio B at Prince's Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassan outside Minneapolis to record the Memorial Beach album. They work with producer David Z.

1993, May 12: a-ha perform their new single “Dark is the Night” at the World Music Awards in Monaco, Monte Carlo. They win an award for best-selling Norwegian artist. They film two videos for “Dark is the Night”, with director Erick Ifargan. One of the videos is banned by MTV America because it is ‘too disturbing’.

1993, May 24: a-ha perform a promotional concert at the Subterrania Club in London, UK for an audience of 600. The same 1991 backing band supports a-ha for this and forthcoming concerts.

1993, May 26: a-ha kick off promotion in Germany for the new album and single, followed by promotion in France, UK, and Italy.

1993, June 11: a-ha attend a release party for the new album, followed by a private gig for 200-300 invited guests at the Månefisken Kulturverksted in Oslo. The next day, they meet with the press at the Grand Hotel in Oslo for interviews. They then continue promotion in Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany.

1993, August 30: a-ha film the “Angel” video on the Silvertown Bridge in the Docklands, East London and at a house outside London, with director Howard Greenhalgh. Two versions of this video are produced.

1993, September 7: a-ha kick off a small European club tour at Roxy in Amsterdam. They travel by tour bus and enjoy playing more intimate venues than in recent years. a-ha perform seven concerts in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.

1993, December 17: a-ha complete five days of publicity for TV and radio in Beirut and their single climbs to the top of the charts. They also perform two concerts at Mot Laselle in Beirut.

1994, January 12: a-ha record the official Paralympics song, “Shapes That Go Together” at a studio near Oslo. They film the “Shapes That Go Together” video one month later, with director Barry Maguire.

1994, February 12: a-ha perform the first of three Norwegian concerts in connection with the Olympic Games at Stampesleita in Lillehammer.

1994, February 23: a-ha kick off their South African tour in Johannesburg, including radio and TV promotion. The first concert is held at the Good Hope Centre in Kapstadt on February 25.

1994, March 10: a-ha return to Norway to perform “Shapes That Go Together” for the opening ceremony of the Paralympics at Håkons Hall in Lillehammer. They give interviews, perform at the award show “Spellemannspris 93”, and “U-musikk”. They also complete a short Norwegian tour that includes six concerts over ten days.

1994, June 19: a-ha play their last concert for the next several years at the “White Nights Festival” in St. Petersburg. The festival is organised to raise money for an AIDS campaign and also to re-open St. Petersburg as a cultural centre.

1994: After unsuccessful attempts at recording demos, a-ha disintergrate into solo projects.

The Minor Earth, Major Sky Era

1998, summer: a-ha meet up again to discuss their future, after being asked to play at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. They are ready to re-unite and they record “Summer Moved On” in November. a-ha reveal their plans for a future album and tour at a press conference at the Frognerseteren restaurant in Oslo on December 4.

1998, December 11: After several hours of intense rehearsal, a-ha re-unite on stage at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, where they perform “Summer Moved On” and “The Sun Always Shines On TV”. The audience’s response is overwhelming.

1999, June 11: Several record company representatives travel to Oslo to listen to ten demos a-ha have recorded. a-ha sign their new record deal with WEA Germany on July 9.

2000, February 25: a-ha perform their new single “Summer Moved On” at the Norwegian Award show “Spellemannspris 99” in Oslo. They film the “Summer Moved On” video in Cádiz, Spain at the beginning of March, with director Adam Berg.

2000, March 16: a-ha kick off promotion with an international press conference in Paris. They perform on the German “Wetten Dass?” TV show on March 25 and continue promotion in Hungary, Austria, Germany, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, UK, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, and Italy until the end of summer.

2000, November 8: a-ha kick off their new tour with a concert at Ken-Minh-Hall in Osaka, Japan. This event is the first of seven concerts in Japan and seven concerts in Germany. The members of the backing band include Sven Lindvall (bass), Per Lindvall (drums), Christer Karlsson (keyboards), and Anneli Drecker (vocals).

2000, November 24: a-ha release the video for ‘I Wish I Cared’. This video is the first web-based, fully animated flash music video to be released, narrowly beating Madonna’s video for this title. The video was created by Magne and director Henrik Haugen.

2001, March 2: a-ha perform “Minor Earth Major Sky” at the Norwegian award show “Spellemannspris 00” in Oslo and win the award for “Best Video” and again the special honour award.

2001, March 18: a-ha perform a concert in Moscow, followed by concerts in St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Oslo.

2001, March 24 and 25: a-ha perform two concerts at Vallhall in Oslo to fans from 28 countries; the March 24 concert is broadcast live online and is viewed by millions worldwide.

2001, May 19: a-ha perform at a concert in a stone pit in Grimstad held in memory of two murdered children: Lena and Stine Sofie. a-ha’s set is nearly one hour long and is later broadcast on TV.

2001, June 2: a-ha perform at several major German festivals: “Rock am Ring” at Nürburgring and “Rock im Park” in Nürnberg on the following day. It is so cold that they have to wear thick winter jackets. Both concerts are broadcast on TV later. They also play four more summer open-air concerts in: Wohlen, Switzerland; Langesund, Norway; Stuttgart, Germany; and Skanderborg, Denmark.

2001, July 28: a-ha appear at the Norwegian premiere of the movie “One Night at McCool’s”, which includes the song ‘Velvet’ on the soundtrack.

2001, December 11: For the second time, a-ha perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo. They perform the songs “Hunting High and Low” and “Differences”.

The Lifelines Era

2002, February 19: a-ha film the “Forever Not Yours” video, with director Harald Zwart. The song premiered online on a-ha.com four days earlier.

2002, March 5: Promotion for the new album begins in Germany. Over the next three months, a-ha travel to Germany, Norway, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Austria.

2002, June 8: a-ha kick off their new tour with a stadium concert at Ullevål Stadion in their hometown Oslo. To rehearse for this show, a-ha perform a private concert at the Oslo Spektrum to an audience of 800 people. The event is an “Afternoon High”, where several Scandinavian bands precede the a-ha gig. This event kicks off 44 concerts in 18 countries, including Scandinavian countries, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Germany, and UK. The same backing band as the last tour supports a-ha for this tour. Lauren Savoy films the concert and footage appears in the “Did Anyone Approach You?” video, which she directed.

2002, July 8: The “Lifelines” single is released in Germany and other countries. For the video footage, a-ha purchased the rights to the Norwegian short film “Året gjennom Børfjord” by Morten Skallerud. Morten Skallerud shot the footage between 1987 and 1991, and won ten prizes for the film.

2002, December 7: Although the official world tour ended in Dublin on October 16, two more concerts are added: a-ha perform at the snow festival in Zell am See, Austria, and at the Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg on December 13.

The How Can I Sleep With Your Voice In My Head Era

2003, March 17: a-ha begin promotion for the new live album How Can I sleep With Your Voice In My Head, recorded at the concerts in London, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. a-ha complete TV and radio promotion in Germany, Norway, and Spain. “The Sun Always Shines On TV (Live)” is released on March 10 in conjunction with the video, directed by Lauren Savoy.

2003, October 27: a-ha perform six concerts in Russia and the Ukraine, starting at Novosibirsk and ending in Moscow. a-ha perform only two concerts in Western Europe in 2003; these concerts are part of a Student festival in Trondheim on November 3 and 4.

2004, May 7: a-ha announce a new worldwide deal with Universal Records.

2004, June 4: a-ha perform a concert on a floating stage at a Bergen harbour for an audience of 13 000. They perform only one more concert in 2004, which is part of the “Rock under broen” festival in Middelfahrt, Denmark on June 12.

2004, October 21: Jan Omahl’s book “The Swing of Things – 20 år med a-ha” is released in Norway. It includes a CD of unreleased demos of early songs. The same evening, a-ha attend the Norwegian Music Awards at the Oslo Spektrum where they receive a special prize.

2005, July 2: a-ha headline the German part of the Live8 concert; simultaneous concerts in London, Philadelphia, Paris, and Berlin are organised by Bob Geldof as a follow-up to Live-Aid. a-ha play “Hunting High and Low”, “Take On Me”, and “Summer Moved On”.

The Analogue Era

2005, August 27: a-ha play a free concert at Frognerparken in Oslo. The concert, sponsored by Hydro, is part of Hydro’s Centennial Festival. Between 120 000 and 150 000 people attend this free open-air concert at the most famous park in Oslo. After this concert, a-ha film the “Celice” video in Berlin, with director Jörn Heitmann.

2005, September 11: a-ha are in New York, where they attend Fashion Week for Strenesse’s new collection. They give several press interviews and team up with an Inka street combo on Times Square to perform a spontaneous version of “Take On Me”.

2005, September 12: a-ha perform a concert in New York for the first time since 1986. The concert sold out in 52 minutes.

2005, October 6: a-ha begin promoting the new single in Germany, and continue their promotion in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, Poland, and France.

2005, October 29: a-ha play another concert for Hydro and their corresponding Centennial Festival at the Kölnarena in Köln, Germany. This event kicks off their European tour, which includes 23 concerts in eight countries. Before the concert in Vienna in November, a-ha film the “Analogue (All I Want)” video at Littlebrook Power Station in Dartford, Kent, UK, with director Howard Greenhalgh.

2006, January: a-ha return to the UK for more promotion. “Analogue (All I Want)” debuts at #10 in the UK Singles chart on January 29. They appear at HMV on Oxford Street for a performance and signing on January 30. Fans queue outside the shop overnight to obtain a wristband guaranteeing them entry to the performance and signing.

2006, January 31: a-ha perform the first of several very intimate concerts at the Old Shepherd’s pub in Coventry on February 1. This concert is followed by another small concert for an audience of 300 at ABC in Glasgow. The third concert takes place at Shepherd’s Bush in London on February 2.

2006, February 24: a-ha perform at the “Viña Del Mar Song Festival” in Viña del Mar, Chile.

2006, March 1: a-ha perform at the “Plan International” charity event in Dakar, Senegal.

2006, March 4: a-ha film the “Cosy Prisons” video at the Abbey Mills Pumping Station, Abbey Lane in East London, with director Paul Gore.

2006, April 1: a-ha return to the UK for more promotion and live performances, including “Saturday Sessions” on April 1, Tiscali at Cargo in London on April 3; and the “Album Chart Show” at Koko Nightclub in Camden on April 3.

2006, July 15: a-ha kick off their summer tour in the UK, Norway, and Germany with a concert at the “Guilfest” festival in Guilford, UK. They also perform at the “Summer Pops” festival in Liverpool, the “Dock Rocks” festival in London, two stadium concerts in Trondheim and Ålesund in Norway and the “IFA-Sommergarten” festival in Berlin.

2006, October 26: a-ha perform a concert in Kiev, Ukraine. This event is the first of eleven concerts in the East. They interrupt the tour briefly to attend the “Q Awards” in London.

2006, October 30: a-ha receive the “Q Inspiration Award” in London.

2007, August 17: After a quiet start to 2007, a-ha perform at several summer concerts, starting with a stadium show in Fredrikstad. They also perform at the “Døgnvill Festival” in Tromsø on August 25 and play an open-air concert in Haugesund on September 1. The summer concerts wrap up with a free show celebrating the Christening of the Color Line ship "Color Magic" in Kiel on September 15.

2007, October 16: Morten and Magne attend the London BMI Awards at the Dorchester Hotel, where a-ha receive a multi-million performance award for "Take On Me"; this song was played more than three million times on the US airwaves since its release.

2008, May 19: Morten, Paul (with Savoy), and Magne perform a series of concerts featuring three solo sets (one set per band member). At the end of the solo sets, a-ha team up to perform two of their classics and two new songs from their forthcoming album. The first concert, a warm-up rehearsal for invited guests, takes place at the Rockefeller in Oslo. They perform three additional concerts there, before the final performance in this series at the Royal Albert Hall in London on May 24.

The Foot Of The Mountain Era

2009, March 25: After spending most of late 2008 in the studio working on the forthcoming album, a-ha return to touring with three concerts in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Pepsi Music Festival in Santiago, Chile. The new backing band includes Karl Oluf Wennerberg (drums) and Erik Ljunggren (keyboards and bass).

2009, April 24: a-ha announce a surprise internet premiere of the new single “Foot of the Mountain” mere hours after the song was completed.

2009, May 19: While in Germany to promote the new Foot Of The Mountain album, a-ha film the "Foot Of The Mountain" video, with director Olaf Heine. For this round of promotion, a-ha perform at “Germany’s Next Top Model” in Cologne, “The Dome” in Munich, and at the Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards in London.

2009, June 15: a-ha return to Norway for an album signing session at Oslo City. They also participate in radio interviews and web chats, and perform four songs at the free VG Top 20 chart show in front of the Town Hall in Oslo on June 19.

2009. July 2: a-ha kick off a round of exclusive events. The first event for competition winners takes place in London for the "Magic" radio station: an evening of champagne, cocktails, dinner, and an exclusive performance by a-ha. They perform additional acoustic sets and exclusive gigs in July, including the iTunes festival at the Roundhouse in Camden and several BBC shows. They also perform a short set of two songs at the Westfield Shopping Centre in West London before they head off to HMV for a signing session. Between events, a-ha complete intensive radio and TV promotion.

2009, August 2: Foot of the Mountain enters the UK album chart at #5.

2009, August 6: a-ha perform a concert at Engers Castle in Neuwied, Germany for approximately 1600 competition winners. On 14 August, they attend the opening show of the “World Championships in Athletics” at Brandenburger Tor in Berlin, where they perform two songs for an audience of 10 000. “Foot Of The Mountain” is selected as the official song of the Berlin championships held on August 15-23.

2009, early September: The videos for the singles “Nothing Is Keeping You Here” and “Shadowside” are filmed in Berlin, directed by Uwe Flade.

2009, September 19: a-ha perform four songs at the SWR 3's New Pop Festival in Baden-Baden, where they receive the “Pioneer Of Pop” award for their outstanding position in pop music.

2009, October 15: a-ha announce their intention to retire by the end of 2010, after their final upcoming world tour. Tickets for the final a-ha show at the Oslo Spektrum on December 4, 2010, are released for sale the next day, and sell out immediately.

2009, October 27: a-ha kick off the “Foot of the Mountain” tour in Cologne, Germany. This tour includes 18 concerts in eight countries, ending in Tokyo, Japan on November 25.

Ending on a High Note Era

2010, March 1: At a press conference in Oslo, a-ha announce details about a stadium tour of Norway in August and September. Also in connection with the farewell tour, a-ha announce their intention to give support for new talent by granting four promising Norwegian artists/acts 1 million Norwegian Kroner each – giving away a total of €500.000 of the band’s own money.

2010, March 4: a-ha kick off their last tour “Ending On A High Note” at the sold out Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The next concert is planned for Santiago, Chile, on March 6, but has to be re-scheduled for March 23 due to a devastating earthquake and damage in Chile.

2010, May: The next leg of the tour brings a-ha back to the US, Canada and Germany for nine shows.

2010, June 14: The worldwide premiere for a-ha's final single 'Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)' takes place on the Norwegian news site VG.no.

2010, June to August: a-ha perform summer concerts in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Japan, and Norway.

2010, July 12: Working again with director Steve Barron, a-ha film their final music video for the song 'Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)' near Brighton, UK. The video is premiered on MySpace on August 13.

2010, Summer: a-ha release deluxe remastered editions of their first two albums, "Hunting High and Low" and "Scoundrel Days". Both albums debuted in the Top 40 Billboard Internet Sales Chart, making this the first time a-ha enters the US charts in nearly 25 years.

2010, August 5: The best-of compilation '25', including 39 tracks spanning a-ha's career, is released in Norway and Germany, with releases in other countries to follow.

2010, August 21: a-ha's final stadium tour of Norway opens at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, with five additional stadium concerts to follow. The production is on a grander scale than any ever seen in Norway. Also on this day, the updated edition of Jan Omdahl's a-ha biography "The Swing of Things: 1985-2010" is released.

2010, October to November: An intensive concert schedule is planned for the autumn, including concerts in Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Switzerland, Belarus, Ukraine and UK.

2010, October 4 and 8: a-ha perform their breakthrough album in its entirety, backed by a symphony orchestra, at Oslo Konserthus and Royal Albert Hall. The proceeds from the October 4 concert at Oslo Konserthus go to the charity organization Mercy Ships.

2010, October 6: To celebrate the UK release of '25' a-ha does a signing event at HMV’s Oxford Street store in London. Later that night, a-ha perform at HMV's club Heaven for an audience of approximately 1000, making this the most 'exclusive' concert on the "Ending on a High Note" tour.

2010, October 20: From October 20 until the end of the year, the “Hunting High And Low: 25 years with a-ha” exhibition takes place at the National Library in Oslo.

2010, December 3: An official fan party is organized by a-ha.com with over 1000 fans from 42 countries expected to attend. The party will be held in Oslo, Norway.

2010, December 4: The final a-ha show to end a beautiful and significant chapter in Norwegian music history is scheduled to take place at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway.