The Day of the Concert
The year was 2022, and London was buzzing with excitement as the highly anticipated concert drew near. Fans worldwide had flocked to the city, eagerly anticipating the chance to witness the legendary group in a way they never had before. The air was thick with anticipation as the crowd made their way to the stadium, each step bringing them closer to the incredible performance that awaited them. Finally, the stage was set, the lights were dimmed, and as the performers appeared before the crowd, the stadium erupted into a chorus of cheers and applause. It was a night that would go down in history as a testament to the power of music and the enduring legacy of one of the greatest bands of all time, some would say, and yet others would chagrin at the mention of the group ABBA.
This concert was the world premiere of a 90-minute spectacular held in London seven times a week until at least December, with the potential to extend until April 2026, when the permit for the site’s location expires. Unfortunately, this land has been designated for housing after this date, so 2026 is the end of this series of concerts.
Although Abba’s concert wouldn’t be the first virtual or hologram concert, it would be the most hi-tech out of anything ever seen before and is almost a must-see for any fans of the group or the technology.
The description of this concert could be just about any location or for any band with a big following. Still, this concert was just a little bit different, other than it being virtual or a hologram performance. First of all, the 3,000-capacity hexagonal arena in which the concert was to be held was explicitly built for this event, and the total production cost of nearly $175 million and took eight years to complete.
They needed years of secretive work to get to this point, protected by hundreds of nondisclosure agreements and fake company and project names. In December 2019, when the team submitted a planning application to the London authorities, they had the word “Logo” on the technical drawings of the building instead of “Abba” in the hopes they wouldn’t investigate further.
The concert production included five weeks of filming the real Abba in motion capture suits in Sweden, with over 200 cameras located in a 360-degree arc around the band as they performed. As a result, four body doubles with similar body characteristics and endless debates over the setlist.
Then on the technical side of things, you had 140 animators from Industrial Light & Magic and the visual effects firm founded by George Lucas that usually works on Hollywood blockbusters to crunch all the data together and try to splice everything seamlessly.
The group then needed something new to grab the public’s attention to help promote this recent hi-tech concert and what better way than to release a new album, “Voyage.” This was Abba’s first new album in nearly 40 years, so they had to get up to speed with modern music production, which took some time to get used to.
Then to round out this immense project, you had the coronavirus pandemic, materials for the arena’s sound insulation got jammed in the Suez Canal for two weeks, and wood for the building’s facade was meant to come from Russia but had to be re-sourced from Germany at increased expense after Russia invaded Ukraine and then finally, the concert could be launched to the public.
Calculations were finalized, and it was determined that Abba would need to sell 80% of its seats to make a profit and, depending on ticket sales alone, would determine the length of the concert run.
Who is ABBA?
First, some of our Acorn members might not be familiar with this group from Sweden, so let’s look at a quick Bio. ABBA is a pop group that rose to fame in the 1970s and remains one of the most iconic and beloved musical acts. The group consisted of two couples, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Catchy melodies, lush vocal harmonies, and a mix of disco, pop, and rock influences characterized their music. ABBA’s chart-topping hits include “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” and “Waterloo,” and their music has continued to inspire new generations of fans through the popular musical and movie adaptations of “Mamma Mia.” Despite disbanding in the early 1980s, ABBA’s music continues to captivate audiences and remains an enduring symbol of the 1970s disco era.
Abba was one of the most iconic bands of the 1970s, and their music has remained incredibly popular even to this day. So when news broke that the band would be reuniting for a new hologram concert, fans worldwide were overjoyed.
The First Concert with Some Bugs
The first concert was set to take place in Sweden, and fans from all over the world flocked to the city for the event. The buzz surrounding the concert was palpable, with fans eagerly speculating about what songs the band would perform and what the holograms would look like.
Finally, the day of the concert arrived, and fans streamed into the arena, eagerly awaiting the start of the show. The lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted in cheers as the holograms of Abba’s four members appeared on stage.
At first, everything seemed to be going perfectly. The holograms were incredibly lifelike, and the band’s iconic hits sounded just as good as they did in the 70s. But as the concert went on, fans began to notice some technical glitches. At times, the holograms seemed to flicker or glitch out, momentarily disrupting the performance.
Despite these issues, the band pushed on, playing hit after hit to the delight of the crowd. But as the concert came to a close, it was clear that something wasn’t quite right. The holograms seemed to be struggling to keep up, and at times it felt like they were almost lagging behind the music.
As the concert ended and the holograms disappeared from the stage, the crowd was left feeling a little disappointed. While the concert had certainly been a spectacle, it had been marred by technical issues that had detracted from the overall experience.
In the weeks that followed, Abba’s hologram concert was the talk of the music world. Some fans praised the band for their innovative approach to live performance, while others criticized the technical glitches and felt that the holograms had failed to capture the magic of a real live performance.
In the end, the success or failure of Abba’s new hologram concert was a matter of interpretation. While some fans felt that the band had hit all the right notes, others were left feeling like the holograms just didn’t quite measure up to the real thing. Since the first show, many of the technical glitches have been fixed, and the bigger release in London could go forward. The concert seemed to be a huge success, with all the fans excited to see Abba live again as they appeared at the height of their success in the late 1970s.
How Much?
Now for the big question, how much will it cost to see this incredible Abba concert? Well, the first major cost will be the airfare to London, then the hotel and incidental expenses. Now to get into the concert, you are looking around:
$25 for auditorium seating: Choose from a wide variety of seats at a range of different prices depending on where you’d like to sit. Pricing is based on the location of the seats, but every seat is a good one.
$65 for Dance floor: Get closer to the action with our Dance Floor tickets. These tickets are for standing (or dancing) only, so you’ll be closer to the stage than anyone else and free to dance anywhere within the area.
$172 for Dance Booths: We have eight Dance Booths in total, four for up to 10 people and four for up to 12 people. Each booth is named after people from the ABBA universe. These are flexible spaces, so you can book an individual ticket or book one or more whole booths for your party. Each booth has seating, plus your very own dance floor.
$37 for Accessible seats: The ABBA Arena has plenty of wheelchair spaces, ambulant seats, and seats suitable for a wheelchair user to transfer into. All of these seats and spaces must be booked in advance and are clearly marked on our seating plan.
Now that you know how much it will cost you, you might wonder what songs they will sing in their 90 min performance. Well, again, the Acorn is looking out for you, and the songs are as follows:
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
- Dancing Queen
- Thank You For The Music
- The Winner Takes It All
There you have it, folks. An old band with new technology revolutionizing the way we will see concerts in the future. We will be able to see performers or groups who have passed away or have broken up. We can see them in their prime when they were at the top of their game or relive old memories from years past, depending on how old you are. Either way, the Acorn members are saving their lunch money to get to London and see this exciting performance. So, Take a Chance on Me, and maybe we will see you there.
Until we see each other again, take care, and the Acorn has left the building.