It’s finally happened: after four decades, millions of streams and several tantalising hints, ABBA are finally reforming.
Well, sort of. The band’s new virtual show, ABBA Voyage, is set to premiere on Friday May 27 and it’s already proving popular: in fact, the attraction has sold more than 380,000 tickets.
For any fans of the Swedish megastars, it’s looking like a must-see – but what exactly is it?
We break down the highlights of one of the summer’s hottest shows.
What is the Abba Voyage concert?
Despite vowing never to reform, ABBA finally announced that they were ready to do so in 2016… after a fashion. Starting on May 27, their new show will run until December, with concerts taking place every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The whole thing is set to take part at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Seating 3,000, the concert takes the form of a hologram show, with audiences watching avatars of the band strut their stuff around the stage.
The vocals, which were recorded in advance by the band, will accompany the ABBA-tars (groan) who were created with George Lucas’ studio Industrial Light & Magic. They were responsible for putting Star Wars’ digital effects together – in this instance, they developed the whole thing with motion-capture technology from ABBA’s band members.
Benny Andersson has also spoken about the experience, telling Variety: “Everyone who has been working on this project has done a fantastic job. That’s what I felt. It is us up there. It’s ABBA, and so beautifully done.”
The show won’t be in London forever, though: after December 2022, the ABBA-tars will hit the road with their 10-piece live band on a world tour that will last until 2026.
What can you expect to see?
Given that ABBA’s reunion was accompanied by a whole new album – their first in forty years, no less – we can expect to see some of their newest hits, most likely Don’t Shut Me Down and I Still Have Faith In You, which were written specifically for the show.
However, we all know what the audience want, and it’s to be transported back to a bygone era, where Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and all the other classics reigned supreme on the dancefloor.
To that end, expect an extended tour through the band’s back catalogue, incorporating all of your favourite hits. Bliss.
How can you get tickets?
Fortunately, they’re not yet sold out. Availability is good towards the end of the year, opening up in September through December.
In terms of pricing, you can get a space in the Auditorium from £21, and on the Dance Floor from £53.95.
If you really want to splash out, though, why not invest in a Dance Booth with your friends? These will set you back £143 per person - but arguably, it’s worth it.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster here.
