Photos by Andy Argyrakis

From the moment the “Aquarium” album released in 1997 and went 14 times platinum in a catalogue rapidly approaching sales of 40 million, American fans have patiently waited for Danish dance-pop group Aqua to mount a full-fledged tour.

And while the effervescent act amassed a multitude of singles along the way, the timing has never been more ideal than this very moment to make its belated debut, since after all, the most iconic of them all is “Barbie Girl,” which recently re-emerged as “Barbie World,” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, in the just as massive of a movie.

Nonetheless, there was no better way to experience the banger’s resurgence than with the actual originators, who packed every square foot of the spectacular House Of Blues in the heart of downtown, landing somewhere sonically between Ace Of Base and Spice Girls, plus perhaps even a precursor to Pitbull and Kim Petras.

Come the opening explosion of “Cartoon Heroes,” it was a non-stop sugar rush courtesy of co-founders Lene Nystrøm, René Dif and Søren Rasted, their live band, a couple backing singers and a video board worthy of an arena.

After all, Aqua usually performs at that type of venue overseas, so it was a true treat to catch the likes of “Back To The 80’s,” “Calling You,” “Around The World” and “Happy Boys & Girls” in an intimate environment.

In fact, the cozy club lent itself marvelously to the mid-tempo likes of “Good Morning Sunshine,” “Turn Back Time,” and a lot later, the piano ballad “Aquarius” when all the ensemble members surrounded the main players as a tender choir.

There was also the briskly glowing brightness of “My Oh My,” the equally dark but delightful “Halloween,” and of course “Barbie Girl” in both its radio and Tiesto-remixed glory, effortlessly causing the colorful crowd to go completely crazy.

However, the latter was by no means the finale as Aqua kept the adrenaline surging with “Lollipop (Candyman),” “Doctor Jones” and “Roses Are Red,” all further testaments to the trio’s dance floor-filling capabilities from Y2K through today.

For additional information on Aqua, visit AquaOfficial.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the House Of Blues include Emo Night Brooklyn (Dec. 15); Hot Mulligan (Dec. 16); It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Alaska … A Christmas Show (Dec. 21); Kpop Club Night (Dec. 23); Shrek Rave (Dec. 31); Banda World (Jan. 5); Trippin Billies (Jan. 6); Led Zeppelin 2 (Jan. 12-13); Mick Jenkins (Jan. 19); Issues (Jan. 20); The Taylor Party (Jan. 26); Badfish – A Tribute To Sublime (Feb. 2); Meet Me @ The Altar (Feb. 3); Berlioz (Feb. 4); Sixteen Candles (Feb. 17) and Mute Duo (Feb. 24). For additional details, visit HouseOfBluesChicago.com.

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