ABBA Voyage concert review
SDE attends the opening night
Warning: In case it’s not obvious, this review contains spoilers about the ABBA Voyage live show!
It has been interesting to watch ABBA build their brand over the years and decades. After the group went their separate ways in 1982, the marketplace slowly became flooded with cheap-looking compilations with names like ‘Golden Hits’, ‘The Story of ABBA’, ‘Hits Hits Hits’, ‘Absolute ABBA’ and similar. The last thing the individual band members were worrying about at that time was ABBA’s legacy (busy as they were with their various projects, like Benny and Bjorn’s musical Chess, created with Tim Rice) and so there was little in the way checks and balances when it came to any kind of ‘strategy’ with the group’s recorded output. If you were willing to write a cheque, it seemed as if anyone could license ABBA’s hits for a compilation. Too much product, poorly presented, put ABBA in rather a bad light. That shoddy compilation on the shelf in Woolies screamed ‘bargain basement’ which was not a good look..
Change came about in the early 1990s, after Polygram acquired Polar Music. Polar was a tiny Swedish label founded by Stig Anderson and Bengt Bernhag in 1963. They had hit the big time with ABBA and the band’s global popularity, but being a tiny label with no international experience, their (sensible) model was to license the release of ABBA’s albums out to other labels around the world. Polar were guilty of licensing out the studio recordings for those post-split compilations, but the licenses were eventually allowed to expire in the early 1990s to clear the decks for the one compilation to rule them all: ABBA Gold.
The executives at Polygram recognised that a single CD collection, containing all the hits, simply – and professionally – packaged, had strength and appeal. It didn’t hurt that the tide was also turning in terms of people’s perception of ABBA. Erasure had a number one single in the UK in the summer of 1992 with their ‘Abba-esque’ EP (issued three months before ABBA Gold) and in 1994 two films (P.J. Hogan’s comedy-drama Muriel’s Wedding and Stephan Elliott’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) enjoyed international success while making significant use of ABBA’s music. As the US embraced Grunge and the UK was gearing up for Britpop, it would be an exaggeration to say that ABBA were cool again, but it was no longer socially unacceptable to say that, hey, you quite liked ABBA and to point out that Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus knew how to write a pop song.
It was the 1999 musical Mamma Mia that took everything to the next level. Nearly a quarter of a century later, the so-called jukebox musical is still running in the West End of London and has played in more than 50 countries around the world. It spawned two films, the first of which is thirteenth highest-grossing movie of all time at the UK box office! Mamma Mia has generated literally billions of dollars of revenue. ABBA were not only popular they were now a money-making industry.
The four members must have been delighted with this success, but they were well aware that there was one significant problem. As we moved into the new millennium, the now ABBA-hungry general public were getting very used to seeing their heroes, the artists they loved in the 1970s, play live. The likes of Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John and The Rolling Stones were more than happy to charge top dollar to play stadiums and arenas around he world and transport fans back in time for a big nostalgia trip (plus a few tracks from ‘the new album’ of course…). Even Queen – who like ABBA have undertaken some significant brand-building in the last 20 years – have managed to put on sellout live shows, and that’s without their frontman, Freddie Mercury!
However, ABBA were adamant. They had, and still have, no interest in playing live again. What many people may not realise is that even in their heyday ABBA toured relatively infrequently. Remarkably, given the level of their success in Britain (they topped the UK singles chart nine times), between winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 and calling it a day in 1982 they only played live to a paying audience 15 times in the UK! This was largely because they considered themselves a studio band, and the promotional video became their preferred way to get in front of the record-buying public. There were practical matters too; Agnetha, in particular, did not enjoy the challenge of touring while bringing up small children. 45 years from their heyday, all four members are in their Seventies and have concluded that no one wants, or needs, to see ‘old ABBA’ on stage, least of all them!
Of course, that didn’t stop the demand; the pleas from the fans, and offers from promoters, to reform and tour. So around six years ago, the idea was touted that some kind of live show might be possible without needing the the band members to be there in person. Instead, ABBA ‘avatars’ – some kind of digital version of the group – could perform their songs on stage in front of a live audience. ABBA weren’t entirely convinced – they thought the idea was “extremely vague and imprecisely described” – but admitted that it came with a “strong urge to pursue [the idea] and to see where it would lead”.
While artists had been represented as holograms in the past (American rapper Tupac Shakur appeared in this form a decade ago at the 2012 Coachella festival, 16 years after his death) what became known as the ‘ABBAtars’ would not be holograms; they would go way beyond that. ABBAtars would be highly detailed, digital recreations of Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha and Frida, rendered in three dimensions and brought to life by precise control over the lighting and the environment. The challenges were enormous; the biggest one being that the technology didn’t exist and it soon became clear that this was not a show that could be presented in existing venues. ABBA Voyage would require a purpose-built arena – people would have to travel to this one venue to experience the magic.
There was much research and development and producers Ludvig Andersson (Benny’s son) and Svana Gisla (not Benny’s son) brought in Industrial Light and Magic, the motion picture visual effects company founded by George Lucas in the 1970s, to work on the project. This eventually resulted in 100 “magicians” and “brilliant scientists” from the company spending five weeks in Stockholm working directly with the four members of ABBA to bring the ABBAtars to life via motion capture suits and other associated technologies. £140m has reportedly been spent on this project. Could they do it or would the ABBA gravy train come to a grinding halt and pull into the sidings at a station called White Elephant (and Castle). The risks were enormous.
I attended the first public performance of ABBA Voyage at the end of last week and can report that it is a truly spectacular evening that absolutely delivers as a stunning live spectacle. The ABBAtars are staggeringly good, confirmed by the reaction in the crowd which included incredulous, involuntary gasping, thunderous applause, a lot of screaming, tears, people looking at their partners or companions and laughing with ‘can-you-believe-what-we-are-seeing?’ excitement (the only other time I experienced this level of love-in-the-room was when the pixel-free Kate Bush walked on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in August 2014).
ABBA Voyage is like some kind of wonderland. For 90 minutes you believe the unbelievable. I was concerned that I might have to work hard to enjoy the evening, but actually the suspension of disbelief is easy. Why? Because ABBA in their prime are standing right in front of you. Your brain might be trying to tell you it’s not real, but your heart, your databank of emotions – love, joy, regret, sadness – are tripping on overload. The soundtrack to your life is there flashing before your eyes. The evening will move you both emotionally (take a hanky) and physically (take your dancing shoes).
The ABBAtars just look so real. Bjorn on the left with his guitar, Benny on the right with his piano and Agnetha and Frida in the middle. They move around each other, put their arms across the other’s shoulders. Hair flies in the air, skirts blow and flutter. It seems inconceivable – and ultimately becomes irrelevant – that we were witnessing images on a 65million pixel flat screen. I’m still not sure I believe it. When the show starts the lighting in the 3000-seat arena drops very low – but not so low that you can’t see the other people you are sitting amongst. This sense of a communal experience – laughing, singing and crying and dancing to ABBA with other people – was very important to producer Svana Gisla, and I can understand why. Total darkness is too isolating. It’s these kinds of details that make all the difference.
If you are thinking it all sounds a bit sterile, it isn’t. All the music is played totally live by the in-house band. Sometimes, they are highly visible towards the lefthand side of the stage, slightly below where the ABBAtars are situated, but then at other times the focus is completely on ABBA and the band are all but hidden away, like an orchestra in the pit at a West End musical. As for the vocals, these are sung by ABBA and so are not live, but they do sound like they have been newly-recorded – they haven’t just pulled out the multi-tracks to access the vocal stems. Maybe there’s some blending of new and old, it’s pretty hard to tell to be honest, but the main point here is that while they sound great and are accurate renditions of the songs you know and love, it’s not like someone’s popped a CD of ABBA Gold on, in the background.
The show is sequenced and structured very carefully. The build up and the start of the show is naturally very exciting and it delivers as the pulsing synths of the title track from 1981’s The Visitors (yay!) starts playing as beams of light silhouette the four members of the group. There’s also a massive screen that wraps around nearly half the walls of the arena which sometimes echoes the role of the screens that you might see at a traditional concert, showing you ‘close-ups’ of the ABBAtars on stage.
For a few songs, the ABBAtars aren’t present at all on stage, but rather we see video-style projections of them around the massive seamless screens. This first happens for the performance of ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ and later for ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ which sees the group in their ‘TRON’-style outfits (as seen on the packaging of some of the limited editions of the ABBA Voyage album last year). At first, I was slightly disappointed and thought this was a bit of a cop out – we’ve paid to see the ABBAtars after all – but I reflected later that this was actually a canny move. The producers, and director Baillie Walsh, effectively drip-feed the ‘magic’ of seeing those ABBBtars ‘in the flesh’. Controlling the pacing and turning the tap on and off, to make sure we don’t get bored looking at them. It’s an interesting thing to consider. Neil Tennant (or was it Chris Lowe?) of the Pet Shop Boys once said that the most exciting thing about a concert was when the act first walks on stage and after that, it’s all down hill. He has a point, to a degree. There’s a reason Pink Floyd used all those lasers in the 1990s and U2 and Roger Waters make use of spectacular visual effects these days – just looking at four people on stage, even if they are amazing ABBAtars, might get dull for the duration. Hearing the songs performed live is important, but so is visual stimulation and ABBA have always been a visual band, with their memorable and iconic promo videos.
So every now and again, a song is accompanied by animation (‘Eagle’ and ‘Voulez-Vous’ for example) or having the ABBAtars on the big screen rather than actual size “on stage” (reminder: it’s all a screen!). There is a breathtaking moment between ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ and ‘Summer Night City’ which sees a transition between big screen video and band-on-stage that rather messes with your mind.
The producers also respect the ‘reality’ of the performers on stage (I’m talking about the ABBAtars). So for instance, after a brilliant ‘Dancing Queen’ leads straight into the show-closing ‘The Winner Takes It All’, the band are all still wearing the same outfits, because that’s exactly how it would be in real life, if there was no opportunity to change. The animations/projections, as described above, also help to that end, allowing the performers time to change costumes ‘off stage’ (there is a knowing joke about this during the show) making sense of their new garb when we see them again. Clever stuff, since while the technology could support costumes changing at a click of a button in front of your eyes, that would shatter the suspension of disbelief.
The show is brilliant in terms of lighting and effects. We are rarely sitting there in the arena simply looking through empty space at four figures on stage. There’s all sorts of textures and layers in the room which lift the experience and no doubt have a part to play in enhancing the appearance of the ABBAtars. There’s dry ice-style glowing columns, warm sparkly light beads and the like, and after a while you struggle to establish what’s real and what isn’t.
Negatives? There’s a few things where you just shrug and go with it. ‘Young’ ABBA singing ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ and ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ doesn’t make any sense, but because those songs happen to sound like lost ABBA classics in the first place, they get away with it. The massive screens, which ‘film’ and project the ABBAtars as they perform, occasionally make ABBA look less ‘real’ than the figures we can see directly ‘on stage’, although this does vary. I thought when the band were wearing very sparkly, sequinned outfits for ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ they looked much better on the ‘big screens’ than for some of the earlier songs at the beginning. The good news is that the arena felt relatively intimate, rendering the screens inessential when the ABBAtars were performing and anyway, it’s hard to take your eyes off those figures standing right in front of you. I would love to return and see how the ABBAtars stand up to the scrutiny of being much closer, perhaps standing towards the front or even from a different angle (I was fairly much facing head on).
During the show, each member of ABBA has a little solo spot where they talk and engage with the audience. It’s very well done, but perhaps the producers might have predicted more whooping and cheering than they had allowed for, since there was plenty of times were a real live performer would have paused to let the noise die down, but of course the ABBAtars don’t do that, which means they carry on talking and you miss bits of what they say due to the crowd eruptions. There’s a fun section where Bjorn reminds the audience that the UK gave Waterloo ‘null points’ during the 1974 Eurovision Song Content, followed by a film of the performance at the time. I was sure this might segue into the ABBAtars dressed up as they were in 1974 to ‘carry on’ playing the song, but that didn’t happen. It felt like a missed opportunity, to recreate a little bit of history. Maybe the producers thought that would be too gimmicky.
It will be interesting to see whether the setlist (see below) remains rigid or whether they will tweak and experiment with the songs included. There were plenty of big hits AWOL including ‘Money Money Money’, ‘Super Trouper’, ‘The Name of the Game, ‘I Have A Dream’ and ‘Take A Chance On Me’. One suspects, given the investment, that they must have created ABBAtar performances for at least some of these numbers.
Beyond the specifics of the show, the whole wider experience is smooth and effortless. The ABBA Voyage arena is purpose built near Stratford in East London and is literally right next to Pudding Mill Lane station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train network. This is now a clean and modern area of regeneration (thanks to the ‘London 2012’ Olympic Games). I arrived at 7.15pm, half and hour before the show was due to begin and while there were plenty of people around, it was not rammed inside, the facilities were excellent and numerous enough that there was no queue for either bar or the toilets. So none of that hell of some famous concert venues where you are 15 deep waiting to buy a drink while the act plays your favourite song. These things matter more as you get older! The show also finishes early enough (9.30pm) that no one is going to be panicking about missing the last train home.
To summarise, ABBA Voyage is a journey you need to experience. The technology delivers wonderment and the show is a crowd-pleasing triumph. I was too young to see ABBA live in the 1970s, but weirdly I think this new show must be better than that because it delivers the same concert experience with an extra layer of pure magic.
“I think that might be the best thing I’ve ever seen” said a woman to me on the train as we chatted about the show afterwards. For once, the marketing hype – “a concert like no other” – is spot on.
ABBA Voyage is currently booking until next year. Tickets are available here.
ABBA Voyage setlist
- The Visitors
- Hole In Your Soul
- SOS
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Chiquitita
- Fernando
- Mamma Mia
- Does Your Mother Know?
- Eagle
- Lay All Your Love On Me
- Summer Night City
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
- Voulez-Vous
- When All Is Said And Done
- Don’t Shut Me Down
- I Still Have Faith In You
- Waterloo
- Thank You For The Music
- Dancing Queen
- The Winner Takes It All
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Agent Pugh reporting in from the field ;-)
Mrs Gareth, myself and a friend went last night – standing – and I can vouch the experience is superb from there too. It’s an extremely impressive experience, as many have said, everything from the venue, the use of lighting and darkness, screens, live band etc has all been designed very cleverly and it looks and sounds amazing. It’s a very skilful blending of ‘tour’ and, sure, ‘tourist attraction’ but in the best possible way. And – not sure if I can articulate this clearly but here goes – it manages to wear its cleverness lightly, so you don’t spend too much of your attention and focus on ‘wow, how did they technically achieve that?’ at the expense of just enjoying the totality if a great show. You don’t want to be in the threshold of Narnia and adventure and instead be distracted by the intricate carvings in the wardrobe door! Excellent – do go if you are at all interested and if you can.
Only just read SDE’s review as I wanted to keep myself ignorant of the show before seeing it last night. It did not disappoint! From the relaxed lobby area with minimal queuing for a decent glass of Prosecco to the astonishing show, we we’re absolutely blown away. The ABBAtars, the band, the seamless lighting between the stage and the arena, this was everything Benny & Bjorn promised at the album/show launch last year and more. I was in tears more than once at the sense of emotion and joy coming of both the stage and the audience. Currently on the train on the way from and we’ve already booked to go again in early September.
I am a little abba fan. Took my wife, who is a big one, to the concert last Saturday (booked in November last year) – it was FANTASTIC! Something I don’t want to miss in the future. Definitely dancefloor – no one can stop after milliseconds and you’re right in the middle of all. Great Show!
Seems to be a lot of arguments concerning the use of avatars. It’s pretty simple….If you don’t want to watch live show with avatars, then don’t buy a ticket. If you’re good with avatars, then buy a ticket and enjoy the show!
Great article Paul, thanks! Could you recommend the dancefloor tickets? These are the only ticket options available for the date that I’m looking at. I’m not sure whether these are the best tickets for the full experience as they seem to be very cheap indeed. Thanks in advance!
Dance floor looked good to me! If you are happy to stand for the whole show then go for it!
Great, booked! :)
They are the best tickets. The life size Abbatars are seen at their best from there.
What could be added to why ABBA didn’t play live more, is that playing live and touring simply didn’t have much appeal to most of ABBA. Before ABBA, Benny and Björn had toured Sweden for years and years with their groups. Agnetha also had toured a lot, fronting dance bands. Perhaps only for Frida it was different. While she had had solo success, she hadn’t quite broken through and hadn’t experienced live venues, to an excess. Also, by the time ABBA hit it big (in 1974) all but Agnetha were closer to 30 years old. So they weren’t in their teens, eager to get out there and go crazy. All were seasoned artists who had seen it all, adults in relationships and all had children. They were more than pleased to stay home. Also, the records were selling ‘just fine’ without constant touring.
Lead vocals are from the studio recordings, but it’s been revealed they also used alternate takes. Also, on the studio recordings there’s often a wall of vocal lines combined, combing identical and different melody lines. For this show they had to choose one vocal line per singer, perhaps in chorus sections they could get away with more? Also, on ABBA records all vocals were by ABBA, whereas now there are live backing singers. And now the music is all live. All that combined means even the original vocal lines taken from 40-year old recordings will sound different.
Thanks for this first person narrative along with the commenters who also saw this spectacle those of us in middle American can dream of. As I fan since childhood, they were huge in my growing up and -unlike so many- I never stopped loving them and their resurgence in popularity starting with ABBA-esque was amazing. Who would’ve even thought we’d be here today! Starting with The Visitors sounds absolutely brilliant and the new album literally sounds like a long lost vault item and wonderful gift to true fans. Maybe someday we can see this show too!
I almost spit out my tea at “(not Benny’s son)”! :D
I was at the VIP night on the Thursday courtesy of the Fan Club and already had a ticket for the Friday ‘opening night’. I had to let it all sink in before I could comment in any sensible way. The Thursday I was on the dance floor, centre about 30ft from the stage. When the actual size ABBA were on the stage that for me was the best view & experience of the concert. The stunning effects throughout the hall (which I witnessed from my side seat on the Friday) were behind me, nevertheless this was the view for me. As Paul mentioned the transition from Gimme!, Gimme!, Gimme! to Voulez-Vous took your breath away. Only sometimes did I experience the feel of a video game on just the large screens but they were far out weighed by the realism as a whole. When you have watched their videos and live shows for 40yrs you subconsciously recognise their movements, gait, expressions and reactions and all this has been captured, even Frida’s dancing. The Friday night seat to the left of the band to me made the actual size ABBA less impressive and they seemed a bit ‘thin’ but I experienced the brilliant smoke, mirrors, lasers & lights that filled the hall instead.
The greatest thrill for me though was seeing the band on stage together for the first time on both nights! The crowd played a big part in this, the atmosphere was electric, clearly full of devoted fans with no sign of drunken parties or disinterested people talking in groups. When the hype settles and it becomes a Mama Mia Musical/The Party crowd with much more booze and little interest in songs like ‘The Visitors’ and no real ABBA to see at the end what kind of show will this turn into? I know of people who clear up at the Novello every night and its not fun. It has to be said the tickets are very overpriced.
So two nights that were so emotional and important to me its hard to express. Its akin to when I saw Sinatra, Live Aid or Kate Bush but almost more so because of the part the band have played in my life.
Very nice to meet you on the station platform Paul, keep up the excellent writing.
I was there on 26 and 27 May as well but the real ABBA only appeared together on stage on the 26th. At the end of each concert, the real ABBA as they are now are seen walking on stage, Agnetha and Frida both dressed in white and Benny and Bjorn dressed in black, hugging each other and thanking the audience. But that is a virtual curtain call as well. It had me fooled on the 26th too. I thought that was the real ABBA, until they appeared again after that in their premiere outfits.
Well. Thank you for the enlightenment Michel. Indeed Benny wore the coat of many colours on the 26th preceded by the black outfit for a brief time (not as long as on the 27th). I was trying to take a picture which only focused on the real Abba and I now know why. The 27th fooled me completely from my seat on the far left but I did find the hugging a bit strange, still I was fooled. I have to say they should have appeared for everyone who got an ‘opening night’ ticket for the 27th.
Read Paul’s review and the comments and thought this could be worth seeing. Bought tickets in the Gods for £22 each (May 2023). At that price, what have I got to lose?
Even “in the Gods” youll have a great experience. The Arena isn’t massive and the show is so immersive, you’ll still feel very much part of it. Have a great time!!
Visitors and Eagle worth the ticket price alone !
Very good review Paul. Many thanks.
Main thoughts from me
1. This is much better than most people anticipated
2. I’m still not entirely convinced I know what I’m hearing ( I haven’t seen the show yet – just watched You Tube clips) but the vocals sound too good to me to have been rerecorded by people in their mid Seventies. (Although admittedly if they can create Abbatars then tweaking vocals probably isn’t beyond their capacity). I presumed they had used the original multitracks but it just sounds different because of the live band/backing vocals.
3. I didn’t anticipate that there may be variations to set list (ie additional songs recorded that may get rotated later). Clever touch
4. I now want to buy standing tickets. I’m curious to get as close as I can to see these things in the flesh as it were. Can they really look as good close up as they do at a distance?
5. Filming policy – the original Web page when tickets were first released clearly stated that filming was ok. I thought this was strange at the time. It now has been amended to state filming outside and inside concourse is OK, but not in actual arena to “preserve the mystery”.
Looking forward to seeing this now far more than I ever expected
I disagree with Paul’s assertion that all the music is played live by the band. The sound is a complex and brilliantly produced synthesis. Clearly they’ve returned to the multitracks and used certain parts whilst others (bass/drums/guitar/backing vocals) are cetainly live to give it arena-scale oomph. The lead vocals are a mix of isolated multitracks, some elements from live recordings and I detected a few new overdubs. When All Is Said & Done for example strayed slightly from its familiar path and had a “new” passage. Does Your Mother Know returned to its Abba in Switzerland format, so there’s plenty to keep your ears interested.
Vocals to one side, ABBA have stated categorically that all the music is played live. Obviously ‘live’ keyboards can trigger sequences/samples etc. but it’s still basically live.
The band were defiantly live. As Paul said there could be some triggered samples but it is the live band who are so rehearsed that it is one of the many reasons the event works so well. Their timing and cues have to be spot on for obvious reasons. No false starts for this band.
We went to the Sunday show and it was utterly superb….Paul’s review is on the money so I won’t repeat what Paul has written.
We were in A block very close to the live band and had 30 degree side on view of the Abbatars and we were blown away….honestly I’ve never been so emotional at a live music event.
The acoustics of the ABBA arena were also excellent, no giant speakers getting in the way
100% the most immersive live event I’ve witnessed, if you’re an ABBA fan do yourself a favour and book to see it.
Fantastic review.
I went last night and yes it was stunning.
Tickles me that thousands of people around the world will know Pudding Mill Lane!
I don’t think anyone need worry about the future of live music just yet!. The basic principle of a live band backing pre-recorded material by a deceased or retired artist is nothing new, it’s just that it seems Abba have gone for broke in terms of the technology, financial investment and logistics to make it work. They’re in a unique position in having the audience demand and profile to justify that investment, and having all 4 members alive and fit enough to work with the production team to capture all that information about their movements and their voices which is something The Beatles, Prince, Bowie, Queen etc could not achieve. I can’t think of another group that anyone would risk building a purpose-built arena and pumping 140m quid in right now.
As Paul says, it was by no means risk-free and it’s not like tickets are all sold out in advance. It sounds really exciting and clearly as this technology develops, I’m sure todays artists will be pondering whether to create their own Avatars for the future, but they’d need that world-beating Abba-grade song-book to back it up. It’s also really telling that they chose to work it around a live band, since no technology can really replace the sound of live musicians physically moving the energy in the room with their hands and feet.
Agreed, this is a unique, immersive and intensely joyful experience. Abba were never the best live band in the 70s, the studio was where they created magic but with Voyage they have perfected their live act and made it available forever. As digital art it is staggering in its ambition. Also very impressed by the brilliant venue design with its easy access for wheelchair users. Was lucky to attend the guestnight with Abba there and watched from the dancefloor and then firstnight from the seating, both very different experiences. I’ll be back.
I was there on 26th and 27th. On 26th I made sure I was right at the front as I was not going to miss my chance to see ABBA appear at the end of the concert. They did and it was surreal. To say that everyone went berserk would be the biggest understatement of my life. It was an incredibly special moment.
On 27th I was seated and got a whole new perspective. The space is enormous and they fill it with light and sound and a kick ass band. Seeing if from a distance is the way to go.
The reviews of the concert are everywhere and I am pleased to see it is mostly described as the mind melting triumph that it is. The choice of opening song is superb and seeing the avatars for the first time was truly incredible. By the end of the concert I defy anyone to not believe that they were seeing four people before them. At the start of the concert when the avatars appeared in their dazzling glory the guy standing next to me asked “but who are they”. He was convinced they were actors somehow made to look like ABBA and only the projections on the massive screens were the avatars. Hard to believe he had missed the hype but when I told him he went pale, his mouth literally hit the floor and he burst into tears! It will be hard to understand that reaction until you see it with your own eyes but when you do, you will understand perfectly,
Paul mentioned the transition from Lay All Your Love On Me into Summer Night City and I have to agree that this was probably the greatest single part of what was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Those 5 seconds or so made every penny of the ticket worthwhile. I still can’t comprehend what I saw in those 5 seconds. It is a mind melting moment. I am still thinking about it constantly. It was like moving into a different universe. It was transcendent.
Whether you are a fan of ABBA or not, you have to experience this to even begin to understand what the geniuses behind the show have created. You won’t be disappointed.
Completely agree about the seating, the event integrates the space so brilliantly, being sat further back is an advantage (Guest night excepted!)
Disappointed Angelo didn’t make the set list. ;)
Never been an ABBA fan (apart from perhaps way back when, when my mother was really into ‘Waterloo’). For instance I can never understand how people actually manage to dance to ‘Dancing Queen’ :-).
Having said that – I read all of the review because I’m interested in the idea behind this and I’m glad that it seems to have really worked well and generated the kind of experience that an ABBA fan really would want to have.
Two things you mention that also struck me Paul:
I was not aware of the Neil Tennant (Chris Lowe?) one about the most exciting point in a concert being when the performer walks onstage. That is so true, so often.
The other was ‘the UK gave Waterloo ‘null points’ during the 1974 Eurovision Song Content’. I definitely watched that one (I was 10 years old) but I had totally forgotten that we gave them 0 points. Amazing!
Bjorn’s “nul points” comment is a bit misleading. Firstly in using the phrase “the UK” rather than “the UK jury” which consisted of only 10 people – and secondly in suggesting that it was a deliberate decision for that jury to award Sweden no points. The scoring was different to what we have today. Each of the 10 members of the jury had to independently pick their one favourite song – with 5 choosing Italy’s Gigliola Cinquetti singing “Si” (which came second on the night and subsequently made the UK Top Ten as “Go (Before you Break My Heart)”), 2 choosing Finland and 1 each for Ireland, Israel and Switzerland. [Of the 170 jury members across Europe in 1974, only 24 actually picked “Waterloo” as their favourite of the 17 songs – so it was hardly a runaway victory. Also the Swedish jury gave the UK “nul points” too!]
Question:
Judging from the photo’s you where at the seating area (I read there are also dance floor tickets). Do people stay seated during the show or are they standing up in the seating area?
I’m asking as I need to sit for the duration but if everyone is standing during the concert I only see butts and although that could be fun for a bit I’d like to watch the show.
People were sitting for most of it. There was a bit of standing up but you can’t tell someone to ‘sit down’ when Dancing Queen comes on.
Thank you for your reaction. And sure, even I will stand up when Dancing Queen is playing.
The seated area is better to take in the whole show and the access is second to none.
Thank you for your reaction, I know I’m going to select a nice seat.
To make it more difficult for you Otto for me Dance Floor 30ft from stage centre is the best view of the life size Abba and for me that is the essence of the show, when it is at its best.
Thanks for this great review, Paul, which has addressed and almost completely dispelled all the concerns I had myself. As soon as the opportunity arises, I will be making a trip to London to make sure I don’t miss out on this spectacle.
Ironically, this is similar to the cinema of the silent movie age, when live bands were playing along to a movie on the screen.
Couldn’t they have saved a lot of money by just hiring a good Abba cover band for the shows instead of going through all this technical hassle? Is it really better for the audience to see “real” projections than “fake” musicians?
You could also save money by never buying any music again and just listening to the radio… but it’s not really the point, is it?
Paul, Thank you for this review. Now I gotta plan a trip across the pond.
The fact a huge demand really does exist to see all the legend bands from the Beatles through to Queen and Abba in one grand authentic retro experience kind of tells us three things. One is that these bands really were excellent and unique, second that the newer more recent bands/acts do not inspire the masses in any meaningful or cultural way,and thirdly we all have idealistic romantic fantasies about the past being a better place.Maybe the golden age of popular music has already passed? Perhaps the Beatles,Queen and Abba is as good as it gets?Anyway, even if you aint a fan of these
heritage acts you cannot really dispute the fact that tons of folk all over the world really do adore and love these major band brands from the past!And,of course,one can never forget Elvis.His legendary mass-appeal status never seems to diminish as the time passes by!
…“newer more recent bands/acts do not inspire the masses in any meaningful or cultural way” really? next time you might as well write ‘they don’t make music like they used to, I can’t even understand what they’re singing about’… Different artists mean different things to different generations. Just because YOU don’t like it or it doesn’t mean anything to you does not make them unimportant.
auto-tune voices of the newer generations, scores of dancers with the artists, laser shows DO make them LESS IMPORTANT than the prior generations who danced solo or just the artists themselves, not scores of other dancers, & they SANG themselves while performing… no damn lip-synching !
kenny, the new ELVIS film due out in days looks very promising as the director went to painstaking efforts to represent iconic photos during his time into the film so those fortunate enough to be alive in his day will relive his iconic legendary moments. Best part is the new generations will continue to appreciate & build the legacy of the King of Rock n Roll.
Calling acts of the 1940-1980’s “heritage” acts seems a bit cruel.
Personally I think that there is an enormous group of people for who the 80s were their era. It was a time of excess and making profit from home owning and they are the target audience for heritage acts. I often find that they are the ones who don’t listen to much new music unless its in the style of a heritage act. A George Ezra, Adele, Kaiser Chiefs, Bruno Mars or Mumford & Sons maybe. A proliferation of tribute acts aim at that generation as well, they completely leave me cold beyond amusement at some of the creative puns. There is no TOTP or meaningful chart for everyone to culturally refer to. The internet means an artist can have a huge following without being in the public conscience.
I am 60 and love much new music, some of which is still groundbreaking like Childish Gambino, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Cate Le Bon, MBV or Damon Albarn or continuing well trodden paths with a distinctive voice like DC Fontaines, Angel Olsen, Goldfrapp, Nick Cave or Father John Misty. I am sure readers can think of many more.
Of course artists like The Chuck Berry, Elvis, Beatles, Steve Wonder, Stones, Dylan & Abba defined most templates for what was to come but I think their innovation is highlighted by by mainstream music dominated by R&B and Rap. There is little variation, most songs in those genres could be written by anyone for example a Beyonce song could also be by Rihanna, Grande, Swift or Adele. They are all about empowerment. With Rap songs most people other than big fans could not tell the difference between the vocals or subject matter. There aren’t many Kendrick Lamars.
So in summing up if someone does not seek out new music with an open mind they will not find it.
I think I will wait till this electronic puppet show is released on Blu-ray!!
Spare a thought for tribute band Bjorn again, they helped the abba revival in a big way,saw them in the barras in 92.
So I presume no need for a tribute band anymore when they can just tour this?? How much are the tickets for the show anyway?? And what was their rider??
This will not be released on Blu-ray for a number of reasons, not least that it would just never do the show justice. And I think your snide ‘puppet show’ is pretty disrespectful to be honest.
Who exactly am I being disrespectful to??
On the contrary you are being disrespectful to me by saying my comment was snide!! I don’t think I was a million miles off the mark by calling it a electronic puppet show!!
And how exactly do you know that this won’t ever be released on Blu-ray or dvd?? Or shown on sky arts at some point!! Are you telling me that it’s not getting filmed by hi.def cameras at some point.
You call it snide and disrespectful, I call it witty and amusing. ‘electronic puppet show’ TM John McCann!
No you are the top man!!
It’s not going to be released on Blu Ray John and unless you have a 65million pixel player then you won’t “get it” . They can’t tour it either due to its uniqueness. This is not a slide show. Best you avoid it I suggest you go see a tribute band after all (which will probably cost you the same as some of the tickets for Voyage)
Sounds like an enjoyable night but that is it. When the hype dies down it is just literal smoke and mirrors. No way can this ever compare to seeing a band at their peak despite the post concert high comments of attendees. Give it 10 years and we’ll have this hologram stuff in our living rooms and be pining for gigs like people pined for vinyl. At least in Abba’s case it is the only way to experience a concert from them for those that missed them.
It is far more than smoke and mirrors, unless the mirrors you mean also cost 145 million quid
145 million quid is literally $35.10 US Dollars, lmao
This is probably the only way to get the Gallaghers on stage together!
I don’t think so. They holograms or what ever they are will probably start fighting with each other!
I hope this show is coming to NYC. Is there any talk of shows outside of London?
I imagine with the investment paid to create the attraction, it will travel around the world once attendee numbers decline in London. The only problem is Mamma Mia played in the West End for over 5 years so you may have to wait a while.
It will also be seen as a tourist attraction for the Major of London so I’m sure he will want to keep it in London as long as he can if it attracts foreign travel to the UK.
As they had to build an entire auditorium to deal with the technical requirements, it will never ‘tour’ in the normal sense unless the tech improves to a point where they can put it into a a standard auditorium. Until then any city that wanted to host it would need a very large plot of land free for a few years & planning permission for an auditorium with connected transport hubs etc, so the number of cities that could host it & ensure a large number of ticket sales would be limited.
So people were allowed to bring their phones in?!?!?!? And use them?! Madonna had the right idea for Madame X & I was so hoping B & B would demand the same thing. That extra bit of time to lock up everyone’s devices would’ve been worth the wait to ensure everybody just WATCHED. Disappointed to hear that.
Thanks for the great review Paul. Hope it hits Australia soon.
Yes it is so annoying and disrespectful to all, including future visitors. These terrible videos of it going round obviously don’t reflect any of it
But Paul, what about the gift shop??!! Any exclusive merch?
There was quite a lot of good merch, but they only built ONE shop & it gets very crowded (bad planning ahead on that one!) – all the merchandise is available on their site though… (and a possible coloured vinyl variant coming soon of ‘Voyage’ too – yes ANOTHER one!)…
https://shopmerch.abbavoyage.com
Wow, a throwback to 70’s retro!
Tank top anyone?
Yes this was the one design flaw. The merch booth was mobbed, but everything is available online. I was a bit disappointed there were no in-person specials. Hope they do something a little more imaginative than another Voyage variant!
$25 for just a poster?! not including shipping to the States.. anyone have a “discount code” ?
I would imagine the extra £1.50 for tracking would be worth it… the $167.00 100% polyester Rainbow tour jacket would be wearing this month, but I doubt it will arrive in June.
What a fabulous review, Paul. You contextualise why Voyage exists. It’s an audacious venture that (from all reviews) offers a unique experience; it’s not “the future of music”. I’m so happy ABBA have done it and I envy all those who are able to see it – I spose it will make it to Australia sometime before the end of the next decade…..
I much prefer reading a brilliant review like Paul’s (so descriptive!) than seek out sniped footage on YouTube. I have very fond memories of ABBA going back to 5-7 yrs old. Listening to garage sale 45s in the early/mid-70s. Back then you could get a stack of 20 or more for like a dime. While my musical tastes changed/evolved over the years, my appreciation and respect for ABBA never faltered. I hear their influence across most genres of music.
I’m so relieved to hear how well this turned out! I agreed with others that this could be a new way to experience artists who’ve hit that certain age or stopping point in an about as close as it gets live environment. I hope for those that go next they follow some critical and wise decisions made here. Specifically, create new, don’t placate the masses with lazy replicated performances. Also, whoever keeps referring to this as a performance of holograms, please stop. That’s not this.
Strange that it’s ABBA who are delivering Kraftwerk’s concept.
Bit more detail Andy? Huge fan of Kraftwerk seen them but not anything like as good or amazing as this.
very good review one outstanding issue how much for a pint ?
Good question! £6.50 I think…
I’ll not have a bad word said against the Absolute Abba compilation. The double cassette version was the first Abba album I ever owned.
I bought it in 1987 at a rough time in my life and I remember so well how those songs cheered me up. Always said you can’t feel down when listening to Abba.
By the way, what a remarkable review. First class and typically in-depth music journalism from the best in the business.
Many thanks for the kind comments
Smart phones are the worst thing to happen to the concert going experience since the invention of alcohol.
I saw ABBA back in 1979 when I was 7 and still remember it, especially as there had been horse jumping prior to ABBAs residency and Wembley still smelt a bit horse-y. Bennys piano was mounted on a stand which allowed him to swivel it left and right (sadly this one of the many amazing moments not preserved in ABBA in concert film) I’ve read that this keyboard is used in the show, is this correct?
I’m assuming that they would have done motion capture for more songs so that the show can be updated.
The information will last forever and could be used in a variety of ways and as usually happens the cost of the technology will decrease in time. Perhaps in 20 year we will have ABBA live in our living rooms.
It appears that a documentary is being made as most of ‘the real ABBA’ appearance was being filmed, hopefully for ‘ABBA The Movie 2 – The revenge of the ABBAtars’
I was there on Thursday and Friday (when I really pushed the boat out and went to the Departure Lounge. I could complain but I won’t (but they do really need a separate queue for that) .
The show is astounding. I am so annoyed at the idiots who just cannot function without filming.
I will go again for sure when the set list changes . As a huge fan of all related stuff, especially Benny solo I’m sad to see I’ve not seen ANYWHERE on published set lists the opening instrumental which is perfect for it. I can tell you if you want but it’s such a good scene setter and journey into The Visitors. A very good choice from a very good Benny Solo album..
Get these videos off the Internet!
Biggest problem for me ? After that on Thursday and Friday I went to pet shop boys in Glasgow Sunday night. Whereas I should have even blown away by their amazing lights, it was just a bit meh after ABBA! (Sound was really off last night at Hydro, causing at one point a restart of What have I done to deserve this. Indeed!
Ridiculous amounts of videos on YouTube, really is a shame after all the hard work put into the show, hopefully ABBAs team will be as hot at getting them taken down as they are with the videos of Just Like That.
Being a bit hypocritical I have watched the new PSB show on YouTube as I’m not planning on going. Sadly they are now are doing the type of show they said they didn’t want to 30 years ago, which Paul described in his review. The 1991 Performance tour was incredible as it creative and inspiring and set a new benchmark for live concerts. The new tour looks like they are performing in front of a screen saver of random patterns with no connection to the music.
As someone who has just begun to explore Benny’s solo recordings I would love to know what preceded The Visitors please :-)
The opening instrumental is Skallgang, the first track on Benny’s “November 1989” album.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5xevij8uHkQz3gH9vn0kY8?si=LR5Bk5MGTI6OBVN-jP2LIg&utm_source=copy-link
Well, you are free to go here:
https://www.setlist.fm/venue/abba-arena-london-england-43d01f23.html
and add the title, it will be appreciated.
I sort of did the same thing attending Abba Thurs/Fri then saw PSB in Birmingham Saturday. Love both bands dearly, but frankly I couldn’t tell you which was more lifelike. But I did prefer Abba’s more varied setlist
This show begs Vegas residency.
That is such an interesting possibility!, I’m guessing that with this technology you could have the show running simultaneously all over the World. Such an approach would be tremendous for fans on different continents who can’t afford the trip to London.
Also that was a great review Paul and I enjoyed reading it immensely.
sounds about as interesting as i thought it would be. (and i’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not that comment is meant to be disparaging or not).
I’m sure Benny and Bjorn would take issue with the idea that they have “not being involved at all” with ABBA Voyage! :) Since the whole show’s existence is down to the fact that the band don’t want to perform live, of course it’s not Benny and Bjorn playing guitar and piano live on stage! There’s a massive band that play all their parts live.
With Abba it was never much about Björn and Benny playing instruments, it was all about the vocals of those outstanding melodies.
Sorry, I accidentally deleted my original post. I had asked if Björn and Benny’s instrumental parts were also pre-recorded or played by the live band. The latter, as I understand.
That is, I can see B and B on the screen on their (virtual) instruments, while at the same time the actual guitarist/pianist is playing along to it in the background. Hm! I may be forgiven for finding that a bit odd. I respect your enthusiasm and don’t begrudge anyone to enjoy the show, I am sure it’s amazing. :-)
Its great to read your review Paul, as I was lucky enough to attend on Friday night also. Myself, a lifelong ABBA obsessive, and tolerant friend (lol) arrived early at about 5 o’clock to just “be there” and soak up the buzz on a sunny London night. We entered just after 6. You can pre-order drinks, so my first priority was to get my ABBA Voyage logo water bottles, which are a lovely keepsake of the best night of my life. The show was incredible!! As you say, the Abbatars are so incredibly lifelike. From the opening moments of The Visitors (the perfect show starter by the way), you really do believe you are watching the “real” ABBA infront of you. I was just 7 year old when ABBA played Wembley in 1979 so wasn’t there and never ever expected to be able to see ABBA live in my lifetime. But, with Voyage and the Abbatars I do genuinely feel as if I have. A personal highlight for me was the inclusion of When All Is Said And Done in the setlist and the altered arrangement which worked so beautifully. I’m so thankful the band pursued this venture and encourage everyone to go see it, as the phone videos being uploaded online in no way do it justice. Even my “tolerant” friend left gushing about it saying he couldn’t believe how brilliant it was. I think they underestimated how in demand the gift shop would be with large queues but that didn’t matter one jot because everyone there was buzzing afterwards. I turn 50 in July and I’m going again then….. I really can’t wait!! Thanks again for the review Paul, wish I’d met you on the night to share our thoughts.
The most detailed review I’ve read thus far. Thank you! I’ve yet to find a single negative review anywhere, with most echoing similar sentiments about the technical achievements of the project.
The set list will definitely be changing over time, as when the “real” ABBA were in motion capture suits for the 5 week recording phase, they recorded a large variety of songs outside of the standard hits. The plan was always to have the creative freedom to change the show overtime. A wisely calculated move. I’m happy you were able to see it, I will not be that lucky; unless they figure out a way to have the show tour.
Fantastic article/review, Paul – the best I’ve read yet and I’ve read quite a few over the past few days! And thanks for the more general info about the venue too – much appreciated. Glad you had a great time.
Since they have invested so much money and time into creating this experience that theoretically could play for centuries they would be dumb to have just this one fixed set list.To get some fans to keep coming different set lists will be needed. So one must assume they have at least another 20 songs prepared.My best guess is the show and its setlist will be altered and tweaked every year or when the shows are required to be temporarily suspended for technical improvements etc..I assume only certain iconic songs like Dancing Queen and Waterloo will always stay in the set list.
One of Us ,Day before you came,and I wonder are the three songs I like the most that are not in the current set list. While having my other favourite song the Visitors actually make it into the show is a surprise bonus positive from my point of view.
In the old days I think they used to use the instrumental Arrival as a prelude to some shows.So I am a bit surprised this never featured.
I also think Agnetha and Frida could ace a version of I know him so well from Chess.So I am also surprised something unexpected like this was not included,just to ensure the shows contained an exclusive Abba song performance you cannot hear anywhere outside of this arena.
I think only Bjorn Again used Arrival. ABBA used a Swedish folktune Gammal Fabodpsalm as the opener in 79. The synth sound used reverberated all through your body I’ve done a version on my Soundcloud (as well as a piano “Piano”! Version of Should I laugh or cry
What a great review, thanks Paul. I’ve read several over the last few days and the detailed context and review itself puts all others in the shade! One thing is for sure; this show has to be experienced ‘in the flesh’ (excuse the ironic pun), as any Blu-ray or audio package would presumably miss the point of the event.
No Dancing Queen? It’s not mentioned in the setlist or the big songs you mentioned as being left out, Paul…
Sorry of course Dancing Queen is included. Not sure how that got left out of the setlist…
Thanks for the review Paul, I’m going at the end of July (wanted the best seats I could get in pre-sale) and it sounds like it’s going to be a great evening. Interesting that you mention the Kate Bush… they felt like a musical religious experience and I would say the best live experience I have witnessed, and I have been to some crackers
I totally agree with the advice not to watch any videos taken during the show. It really can’t be captured in that way. I was there on Thursday and couldn’t quite believe what I was experiencing. It really is immersive and needs the sound and the lighting and the room to really deliver the whole experience. It was absolutely magical and properly emotional at times. Can’t wait to go back!
Very worrying for the future of live concerts. People don’t object to mass-deception as long as it’s spectular and entertaining? For one thing, there can be zero interaction between audience and ‘artist’, and if there is, it’s all pre-programmed. Isn’t that lacking the true soul of a real live concert? And isn’t that objectionable?
How is it ‘deception’ when you are told about it beforehand?
Sure, it’s not deception in the sense that you’re being lied to, but the experience is somewhat deceiving your mind. I don’t think it’ll ever get to that point where all live shows will be replaced by avatars performing, but I can see how some bands will use it as a replacement sometimes. “Hey everyone, we don’t feel like touring this year, so we’ll send some holograms instead. We’ll be back in 3 years.“
(It’s unfortunate that people who don’t agree/understand someone not being happy about this sort of thing, need to comment on it saying it’s “dumb”, but whatever.)
If people don’t like the idea of a concert like ABBA Voyage then that’s totally fine. But all this business about it being “very worrying” for the future of live entertainment, like someone is about to turn on the musical equivalent of ‘Skynet’ and WE’RE ALL DOOMED, is laughable. Maybe the new line-up of Wet Wet Wet will spend 140m on WETtars in order to deceive their fans so they can stay at home…?
I’m not “very worried”, just only slightly, as some people will use this as a way to make easy money. Putting up a pretty bad hologram and cheap band (looking at you, Wendy Dio) is no match for the real thing, and saying “it’s the next best thing after a real performance” to squeeze money out of the die-hards who will pay for anything, is not great.
I can see Sharon Osbourne go this route next. “Oh let Ozzy just stay at home, we’ll just put up a hologram since ABBA did it so well, and the kids will happily pay us.“
Cynics conveniently ignore the fact nearly all the entertainment people now consume – and have consumed for a century – is recorded: movies, music, internet.
There’s no threat to live performance. Voyage is a hybrid that makes some feel uneasy, perhaps because “the authentic” is being tested.
From ABBA’s point of view, they’ve gave their fans the opportunity to enjoy them as they were circa 1979 with all that youthful energy, something they understandably feel aged 72+ they couldn’t reproduce themselves now in person. There’s not a hologram in sight, instead the very latest in no expense spared avatars and an incredibly talented band to recreate the ABBA live experience. Most of their fans still alive were too young, myself included, or not even born when they toured in 1979. I’m so incredibly grateful to them for creating this for us and hope that their legacy can live on through Voyage long after any of them are sadly no longer with us. It truly is an incredible experience!! What other artists choose to do with their own legacy is their choice but ABBA cannot be faulted for essentially giving their fans the most incredible live experience possible at this point in history. I feel blessed to have been able to see it at least once before I depart too.
Exactly.
In these days Ozzy’s health condition seems so poor, that he probably doesn’t have other choice but just stay at home!
was the venue going to be lying vacant if this show wasn’t on?
if not, can you see how allowing big name stars from the past to fill up these venues with computer generated shows might have an impact on actual performing acts?
how about the tag line for real gigs – “music acts you can touch with your hands!”
There was no venue. It was a piece of wasteland in East London! They built their own venue precisely for their needs.
What people seem to be forgetting is that this technology will only appeal to the Estates of acts who are dead (or acts who have a deceased significant member) or those like ABBA who simply don’t want to tour anymore. Either way, these shows are not replacing live music and will have zero impact on “actual performing acts”. ABBA Voyage hasn’t ‘replaced’ an ABBA live show, because they don’t want to do it.
Paul McCartney is already projecting his own John Lennon image during his shows. Queen may very well project their Freddy. etc. etc. The Revolution would love to project their Prince … I agree that it will have entertainment value – but my fear is that this project opens a can of worms that moves live gigs into a digital or semi-digital realm. Because people will see it as so much better than the real thing. But yes, everybody to their own taste! Who am I to complain :)
Macca is showing a film of Lennon. Showing films behind the band has been going on for decades so that’s not new.
Thank you the excellent review Paul. I appreciate your writing. I’m glad this unique kind of concert is clearly making a lot of folks very happy. I do see this kind of technology continuing to improve, and more shows employing it for various reasons- deceased band member, age, etc. The one tiny caveat that I’ve been thinking about is not related to the technology, but I wonder, as concerts with major acts become more and more expensive, if this kind of concert will somehow become kind of the new “cheap seats” of this century?
Given that places like the UK and the US (and elsewhere) are now “downwardly mobile” societies with shrinking middle classes and swelling underclasses where kids will not do as well (or even live as long) as their parents, going to live concerts will get more and more out of reach for most people.
If you ever read the novel Snow Crash, which first posited the concept of the “Metaverse”, “the few” enjoyed all of the things in life I might have taken for granted growing up– going to concerts, taking vacations, etc., while for “the many” that will mostly be replaced facsimile experiences of these sorts of things. I think it’s pretty clear that if we remain on the path we’re on, concerts will soon become a thing that “the few” will continue to experience in reality while “the many” will have to settle for simulations.
This is in fact how Mark Zuckerberg see’s the future of Meta– providing virtual experiences for the masses that can’t afford reality, which is enjoyed only by people that can afford it. This is not meant to take anything away from your experience or the joy this concert has delivered to so many people.
Thanks for keeping this website both interesting and useful!
Thanks Quake. It can be hard to remain respectful when your view is called ‘the dumbest comment ever’. I try. I’ll probably will keep my thoughts to myself (and go and listen to ABBA’s ‘Cassandra’ for a bit :D )
I should have said ‘mass self-deception’. :)
You seem to be both afraid for people and contemptuous of them, if you believe ‘mass self-deception’ is truly a threat. Without wanting to appear too conspiratorial, we should be far more concerned about the corporate processes of collecting data about our lives and how that can be used to manipulate us – not how we can be ‘deceived’ by dancing shadows.
Yes, if the artist concerned is still 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 and up for it. It’ll be a while before Sheeran / Adkins go this route.
But not if the youngest member of the group is 72 and the eldest 77. Plus it wan’t a surprise to anyone who went that a 28 year old Agnetha wasn’t actually on stage.
Stones / Queen / Genesis / Elton / Macca might want a word in Andersson jrs. shell-like. Imagine a Gabriel Collins Rutherford Banks Hackett concert like this in a few years….
Classic 5-man Genesis performing The Lamb? Sign me up! I suspect the cost to do something of this nature though would have to drop a LOT to make such a project viable. I mean, it’d be a bit niche, to say the least.
Queen circa ’86 might have legs. And don’t try to tell me that Roger and Brian aren’t already thinking about it……
I’m sorry but that is just about the dumbest comment I’ve ever read. Do you really think that all bands are going to be able to go the extraordinary expense of putting together a concert like this? This is a unique show born out of unique circumstances. The members of Abba are in their 70’s – Frida needs the use of a walking stick for heaven’s sake. They are one of the biggest bands in the world but don’t want to tour so this is a unique, never-before-done show to allow their fans the joy of going to an Abba concert. Don’t worry, your precious live music will continue unabated, and of course, you really don’t have to go to this if you don’t want to.
Yes. it will be immitated and incorporated in other live concerts. Maybe cheaper version. But others will do the same. Soon we’ll have fake Prince, fake Michael Jackson, fake Beatles. And people will love it.
Such a dumb comment- I’ve been to many gigs where the performer was going through the motions and had zero interst in interaction with the audience other than a few scripted comments. This is like complaining that film & TV are also a ‘mass deception’ & shouldn’t exist as there should ONLY be live theatre as thats the only way the actors can truly interact with an audience.
Thank you. that’s the sort of concerts I avoid anyway – wouldn’t you agree?
Your comment was was that a live concert is all about “interaction between audience and ‘artist’, and if it’s all pre-programmed Isn’t that lacking the true soul of a real live concert?” Which seemed to suggest that all live gigs are a mystical spiritual communion between artist & audience – which in many/most cases it isn’t. The idea that this concert is a lesser thing than a ‘live’ gig, just because it uses digital imagery (even though the music itself is performed completely live) just comes across as snobbish.
I remember when SDE was the only site I could visit without pathetic name calling for having a different opinion. Oh well…
Having listened to the Wembley live album I thought the audience interaction was rather awkward… at worst it was embarrassing. Referring to Agneta as the blond one, and the rather odd way she asked ‘what do you think of our band’… personally I’m looking forward to going and marvelling at the spectacle. I’m very pleased that there are two tracks from The Visitors in the set list at the moment, hopefully those will prove to be enormously popular choices – I first came across the song The Visitors last November when it was playing in record shop in Scarborough… it’s now one of absolute faves.
Really excellent review Paul – I feel like I was at the event. The setlist is a bit “meh” – those songs that they left off ‘Money Money Money’, ‘Super Trouper’, ‘The Name of the Game, ‘I Have A Dream’ and ‘Take A Chance On Me’ were probably their biggest UK hits. In time, they will probably drop the newer songs or jumble the set list – to encourage repeat visits. What price are the tickets?
They start from about £21.
The setlist = Meh??? I am not a mega fan but a huge fan and only saw my first show yesterday but have friends who attended pre-fanclub/press night and all attended on the 26/27 and they agree the setlist is is beyond perfection. The opener is out of this world and then followed by Hole In Your Sole…for any ABBA fan…F@&KING AMAZING! Then of course all the many, many, many hits. Impossible to include them all. This show is something on another level. For me, the setlist was absolutely faultless. When you experience the EVENT you will understand. The live band is exceptional. How the ABBAtars and band become one is out of this world. I have seem over 1000 concerts in my 50 years on this earth (1st at 14) and across the globe and this is up there as one of the best performances ever.
Thanks for your comment – now I really want to go. Expensive weekend in London ahead!
Absolutely worth experiencing. I have spent the early evening till now after returning from London listening to the setlist and also playing original vinyl copies of their LPs in tears, simply trying to digest what I saw.
Good heavens. Now I have to fly to London again. It sounds like it will be well worth the trip.
Were you allowed to film anything or did all phones have to be put away?
Phones were not allowed to be used, although plenty of people were taking sneaky pics, or filming little bits. I’d actually encourage anyone planning to see it not to look at anything on youtube or similar because there’s no way it can do it justice.
I saw videos from friends who saw all 4 on stage and nothing else compares or is as real. This ABBA Voyage experience is not to be compared to anything else…just go and you will be transported to different space and your mind will be taken to a truly magical place. Believe it, you are left with wanting more and more. The show is over before your mind has a chance to compute the whole thing is progected on an impressive screen, except for the fabulous live band.
I’ve read a few comments that especially in closeups the eyes of ABBAtars look lifeless. Judging by the clips online, I have to agree, they look almost demonic. Also, some of the audience clips, especially those taken from a distance, make ABBAtars and the whole group look flat, and too thin if the show’s viewed from the side.
So is the screen itself something groundbreaking and able to display 3D in some way, or are the ABBAtars simply displayed ‘flat’ on it, like in a film? I mean, I understand there was all that great effort which went into creating the ABBAtars, but like most of us know, it was made clear many times that they wouldn’t be holograms and the technology would be all new.
I must have understood it all wrong because I’ve been wondering how they could achieve these 3D characters with only light. I mean, the light would have to hit a surface to show, right? Also, I remember seeing some early design sketches that showed a runway into the audience, suggesting the ABBAtars would actually be in the middle of the audience. So my understanding was there would be something really groundbreaking in the display/execution of the show and not just in the creation of it.
From what I understand they now basically have a mammoth screen where they are showing computer-generated films of the ABBAtars. And the illusion of seeing live people comes from the design/look of ABBAtars being so convincing. The ABBAtars are not in 3D, but the effect comes from all the lights and stuff going all around in the venue? There’s supposedly some kind of surround sound going on, which people in the seated areas could detect.
Also, the big screen is quite far back from the edge of the stage. The reason must be that audience right at the front need to have some distance to the screen. If not, they would realize they’re basically watching a screen.
Sorry if that sounds disheartening, I’m just trying to understand the mechanics of it all.
I don’t understand the mechanics of it and as far as I am concerned it’s all but irrelevant. It works brilliantly. You CANNOT judge it by clips online. That is not giving you an accurate representation. It only works if you are there in person.
I’ve seen a couple of short videos on YouTube now and have to admit it has reduced me to tears. What you have said Paul confirms what a few others have said in print.
I am so pleased that it has gone down well for all concerned. I was at the opening night of Before The Dawn so if this comes close, equals or surpasses that I can imagine how everyone felt.
I hope others here who are going drop their thoughts here.
Bravo.