When Roxette’s 2016 tour ended, it felt final in a way that most farewell tours don’t — Marie Fredriksson’s health had been declining for years, and the shows had grown increasingly rare. Three years later she was gone. Per Gessle’s decision to revive the Roxette name with a new vocalist was not universally welcomed, but the 40th Anniversary Tour 2026 is still making that case, city by city. It arrives at Centre Bell on Monday, September 14.
About the Show
Gessle, the band’s founding guitarist, chief songwriter, and now its sole original member, revived the project in 2025 with Swedish artist Lena Philipsson as featured vocalist, touring South America and Europe before committing to this fall’s 14-city North American swing. The configuration is playing arenas; Centre Bell’s capacity runs to 21,000 — which is itself a statement about what this catalog can still command. The 2026 tour is Roxette’s first North American run since 2016.
The Montreal date is stop three, running through early October. Fan responses to the lineup change have tracked the usual tension: nostalgia for the original pairing, and the counter-argument that “the most important thing is to keep all this music alive.” Gessle’s own framing cuts to the point: “This is all about my Roxette songs, this huge bundle of music and lyrics I’ve been writing for well over three decades.” Philipsson, for her part, has described herself as “overwhelmed by the reception from the crowds.”
Those songs have moved tens of millions of records globally, account for four US Billboard No. 1 singles (more than any other Swedish act on record), and include “It Must Have Been Love,” featured in the film Pretty Woman, which has since crossed one billion Spotify streams. That milestone places Roxette alongside ABBA as the only Swedish acts with pre-2000 releases in Spotify’s Billions Club. The Montreal show draws from that catalog: “The Look,” “Listen to Your Heart,” “Joyride,” and “It Must Have Been Love” are confirmed in the setlist. Taylor Dayne and Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets open.
Venue & Logistics
Centre Bell, on avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal, handles arena-scale touring for Montreal and the North Country region. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the show begins at 6:30 p.m. The event is all-ages; no age restriction applies.
Tickets
Tickets went on general sale May 29 through Ticketmaster; presales ran May 27–28 via artist, Spotify, Live Nation, and Citi cardmember programs. Buy tickets