Håkan Hellström's Electrifying Ullevi Performance: A Night to Remember

Above Ullevi, two JAS planes cross the sky; it's a festive evening in Gothenburg. The city's most beloved resident fills the grand arena for the third time. Håkan Hellström arrives with his party train but must be careful with his heart, it's fragile.

I must admit, last week's reports from Ullevi felt more daunting than enticing. Comedy acts? Salvation Army? What's going on? Only Kurt Olsson's ladies' orchestra was missing. Perhaps they were already booked for a dance evening in Kålltorp?

Folksiness is all well and good, but just because you can go full 'Rena Rama Rolf' doesn't mean you should. We don't need to break new boundaries every time.

The guy at the grill is not a role model.

Thankfully, the jitteriness still resides in Håkan Hellström's steps. He is the reigning arena king, chasing audience records as if they were pheasants. Poor Bruce Springsteen. We made him believe he was special, but it was Håkan Hellström who became our local romantic, writing dreams about what we knew better. On the back of Hellström's vest, which he wears with a bare chest underneath, there's not an eagle but a seagull.

From the center stage, Håkan and the band roll out well-orchestrated euphoria with extra everything. Imagine that he can still feel so much for "En vän med en bil" after all these years. Incredible.

It might sound glamorous to be a rock star, but imagine standing on stage decade after decade in front of tens of thousands of strangers, singing the thoughts of your youth. You know how embarrassing it is when Facebook reminds you of old status updates – imagine that, but with music and sing-alongs. My God, a nightmare. The 51-year-old sailor Hellström boards with 25 years of songs in his suitcase, but there's no reason to feel any great sorrow for him.

I miss the old Håkan

The brass section is dressed in Salvation Army costumes, and indeed, Håkan is here as the savior in top form. He commands the arena as if it were a lion. He kicks off a brass bonanza in "Tro och tvivel" and puts his entire emotional life on display in "Mitt hjärta är ett jordskred."

Reaching out to 70,000 people is not easy. Perhaps the almost pantomime-sized expressions are needed at times. Arenas are not a place for small gestures; you have to wave.

But with the XXL format, the closeness disappears.

I miss the old Håkan.

Not because he was better before, that's not it.

The thrill with Håkan Hellström has always been hearing how he moves on, what his next step will be. In "Gå för glory," the one with Refused guitars, he moonwalks along the long pier leading to the stage. Not bad for someone who claims to have been born with a clubfoot.

For the best has certainly not happened yet with Håkan Hellström.

It's a group effort happening on stage. The band does a tremendous job, LaGaylia Frazier, dressed in a sailor suit, pulls the extra load by rushing back and forth.

Just when the feeling has become the greatest with "Gårdakvarnar och skit," everything is interrupted for that portion of humor. Sweden's darling Björn Gustafsson roasts the band before jumping in for some singing in "Som sommaren" and "En midsommarnattsdröm."

Well, at least it wasn't this year's Mello intermission act Ronny and Ragge.

But this thing that "En midsommarnattsdröm" becomes like an over-refreshed guy chatting in your ear at a bar somewhere on Avenyn? I don't know.

One must be careful with the heart. It must not be run over by a party train

One must be careful with the heart. You only have one.

Luckily, 13-year-old Nisse Hasselgren contributes both nerve and love in "Nordhemsgatan leder rakt in i himlen." Then King Hellström invites life queen Kikki Danielsson for a portion of "Bra vibrationer." Now it's time for some bugg! Then the two meet in "Försent för edelweiss." Anything can really happen this evening.

The open sky above is the limit.

And then – when everything is possible – Hellström invites Benjamin Ingrosso to guest in "Din tid kommer." Three years ago, it was Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future who were the star guests and gave speeches for our shared climate. This third performance, it's Ingrosso, reportedly flown in from Bergen where he played earlier in the evening.

But at the peak of his career, Håkan Hellström cares most about being an entertainer. And yes, he is the best in Sweden at that.

But at the same time.

One must be careful with the heart. It must not be run over by a party train.