‘ABBA Voyage’ like no other

LONDON — It took over five years from conceptualization to execution to launch the mixed reality show called “ABBA Voyage,” with computer-generated avatars performing like the original foursome backed by a 10-piece live instrumental band in a custom-built arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park east of this city proper.

Don’t think “ABBA Voyage” features a tribute quartet pretending to be Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus. They’re avatars on stage, not holograms, created from the image and likeness of the four ABBA stars who, for five weeks in a Stockholm studio, were strapped with sensors hooked to computers that brought human movement into clones.

ABBA sang, danced, emoted and spoke wearing motion-capture suits in the digital process to bring to life avatars that took the form of the four in how they looked in 1979.

This is what ABBA looked like in 1979

Creating the avatars was half the challenge. The other half was producing a 90-minute concert with avatars belting out ABBA’s biggest hits on three 9.5-meter-high, 65-million-pixel LED TVs. The main screen is at center stage where the avatars appear in human size. Two giant panels flank the middle to magnify the performers. If you didn’t know they were avatars, you’d think they were human. It’s mind-blowing how technology can recreate a human body from over 40 years ago to engage an audience in a virtual reality experience.

Sensors on ABBA’s outfits are tacked to capture movements for recreation on avatars

ABBA was formed in 1972 and soared to stardom after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo two years later. Faltskog and Ulvaeus were married as were Lyngstad and Andersson. When both marriages ended in divorce, the group split up in 1982. However, ABBA’s songs continued to resonate with sales of 150 million records and its music was immortalized in the stage blockbuster “Mamma Mia” that toured worldwide. In 2000, ABBA was offered $1B to reunite but declined. “Mamma Mia” later became a movie in 2008 and a sequel was released in 2018.

Fans crowd a merch stand where programs are sold.

In 2016, the idea was hatched to produce “ABBA Voyage” and five years later, the quartet recorded an album of the same title to promote the show. A $175-M budget was raised and in 2022, “ABBA Voyage” shoved off. The show runs seven days a week and every night is a sellout, earning over $2M a week. ABBA Arena has a capacity of 3,000 — half standing, half sitting — with the average ticket selling for over $100.

Over 20 songs are on the set list with favorites like SOS, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Chiquitita, Fernando, Mamma Mia, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Voulez Vous, Waterloo, Thank You For The Music, Take A Chance On Me, The Name Of The Game, Money, Money, Money, Dancing Queen and The Winner Takes It All.

ABBA Arena’s domed roof weighs about 745 tons and it will be quite a chore to relocate the building when the residency ends in May next year. The site has been earmarked for a residential development. So, producers are now looking for an alternate location. Replicating the system of 500 moving lights, 291 separate speakers, 870,000 watts of audio amplification, 30,000 individually controllable light points, almost 850 powered cable winches covering an area of 2,500 square meters and over 100 kilometers of production cabling won’t be easy.

Watching “ABBA Voyage” is like living a dream. You’re wondering if it’s a fantasy but when the lifelike ABBA-tars move and sing like ABBA did, you realize this is surreal. Music has broken the barriers of space and time. Sailing along on the amazing “ABBA Voyage” puts you in step with the evolution of entertainment technology and reminds you that the future is now.