Europe

And the mega-hit "The Final Countdown” will echo over the night sky in Notodden on Friday, August 2nd. Everyone knows "The Final Countdown”! It has been confirmed that the superstars in the band EUROPE will take the stage in Notodden after TNT had to cancel. DEEP PURPLE and EUROPE will now be playing on the same stage, on the same evening.

“This is absolutely fantastic. That this could happen so quickly, and that we would be so incredibly lucky at this time of year, I could hardly believe it. We were worried when TNT had to cancel so close to the festival, but now we have a replacement that we even have to move up on the poster. Our network delivered in record time, and we are happy on behalf of the audience. With DEEP PURPLE and EUROPE on the same stage, on the same evening, this rock Friday goes into the history books as one of our biggest ever,” says Halvor Sælebakke, general manager of the Notodden Blues Festival.

The legendary hard rockers in EUROPE know how to deliver and after delivering a powerful hit parade at Tons of Rock in 2022, they were brought back already for the festival in 2024. These Swedish rock icons have had incredible success since the 80s and still consist of the original members Joey Tempest, John Norum, John Levén, Mic Michaeli, and Ian Haugland.

In 2023 EUOROPE marked 40 years since they released their debut album in 2023. They are still riding high on a wave of success, celebrating their 40th anniversary with concerts all over the world. EUROPE shows no signs of slowing down. On Friday, August 2nd, they will let songs like “The Final Countdown”, “Rock The Night” and “Open Your Heart” create sing-alongs and parties in Notodden!

“I could never of imagined, when I grew up on O.H. Holtasgate down by Tinnelva, that we would ever create a festival night with both DEEP PURPLE and EUROPE, and experience great rock classics like “Smoke On The Water”, “Highway Star” and “The Final Countdown” echoing over Notodden on the same evening. And it happens just a few meters from where I, as a little boy, was impressed by the Notodden band Harvest playing Fleetwood Mac classics like “Albatross” and “Black Magic Woman” in the square on May 17th. This is going to be one hell of a party,” concludes  Jostein Forsberg, a relieved artistic director of the Notodden Blues Festival, who now has the program back on track.