Voyage Concert Review

I enjoyed reading your review, Johnny - thanks for taking the time. And glad you enjoyed the show.

About the avatars: one or two have found them occasionally unconvincing, with 'glassy' eyes. That obviously wasn't your experience.

Interesting that unlike some, WAISAD wasn't a highlight in the show for you and didn't work for you (even though you rate the song itself), and that you'd replace it from the set list.

Maybe it could have been called "ABBA GOLD - THE SHOW!" They could still have included a couple of new songs and two or three non-hits, as they have, but it's obviously mostly about the big hits, as you describe. Of course, by calling it that, there wouldn't be much of a link to the Voyage album. But really, apart from the title of the album and a couple of the songs from the album included in the show, it's more of a commercially-convenient link than anything else, imo.

From a few reviews (official and otherwise) I've seen of the show, I think Frida seems to be the most convincing ABBAtar? Someone said that "they did Bjorn dirty" and, elsewhere, someone suggested that Benny must have slipped the designers an extravagant tip because of how well he looks!

Is WAISAD in danger of becoming a marmite moment in the show? Some of those reviews I mentioned included claims to have been a bit teary. Others have been a bit frustrated that they had to sit through a song they didn't know. Could issuing this version as a single - even a radio buzz track - elevate the song's profile and act as a kind of ad for the show? Given how well the single was received, and given that it was created for the show, I'm surprised that nobody yet has called DSMD a show highlight.

johnny, am I right in thinking that Eagle is the original recording in its entirety - not just the original vocals supported by the house band? That seems a bit cheeky. I've seen snippets of VV that sound live - I hope that's what happens in the show.

Each time someone describes the Waterloo presentation, I get slightly more disappointed. Imagine what a shining moment in the show it could be if all that footage was going on behind the ABBAtars as they performed it? Is it the original track or the band behind ABBA's vocals?

I've seen snippets of the KMKY video, BAAB, and it looks fantastic. Ditto LAYLOM. Where the ABBAtars are included, I have virtually no problem with videos. I wonder if any of the alleged 5 or six other songs are in video format.

Actually, I like DYMK in the Show because apart from Björn introducing the song, the song became more of a Girls Song, because the Girls sing the lead throughout the song, or do I remember that wrong ?

HOMETIME: Indeed the KMKY video looks stunning, I don't have a problem with the ABBATARs on video actually.

It looks like releasing DVD's with the ABBAtars would go down well, judging by the above reviews. Maybe that is a way of getting some money back? I would buy a DVD with a few of them on! Obviously, not at the detriment to the show, but as a taster maybe? Would obviously, have to look really, really good and convincing!!

Feel free to refer to me as Eddie. You always post kind words which mean a lot. I agree drafting, putting into words and posting a review is difficult. Sometimes a wonderful experience of being present at a concert of such magnitude leaves you bereft of speech because you are left stunned and astonished.

I was so pleased when I first heard Eagle was on the setlist but so disappointed by it being a cartoon. I was also disappointed with the lacklustre DSMD performance and reception.

On the hand really pleased with Hole in Your Soul and The Winner Takes it All - despite not being favourites of mine.

Highlights for me were SOS and Knowing Me Knowing You and also LAYLOM and SNC.

Went last night.

I thought it was great and the ABBAtars are very realistic, and the personal bits with each band member addressing the audience are truly lovely, however I don't get why they aren't on stage the whole concert.

Having videos for Eagle, Waterloo and others was. let down and the energy in the auditorium dipped every time the ABBAtars weren't on stage. We've all seen Waterloo from 1974, don't need to see it again.

10/10 when the ABBAtars are on stage with the band. The band are great! But 4/10 when they're playing the videos.

Thanks for that, jchanabbafan. I'm going at the end of next week and the excitement is building nicely. You've whetted my appetite further. I love that your faves are reasonably deep cuts.

I don’t know how much to write here. Many people who have gone have left their great reviews and I’m not sure how mine will add to that. Equally, there’s the risk of being spoiler-heavy and ruining the experience for someone yet to go. Having said that, I’m not sure that all I had read really prepared me for the experience.

From the moment the ABBAtars rose out of the stage, it was astonishing. The way the sequinned fabric on the cloaks moved and caught the light, the way the ABBAtars shifted slightly in their positions as they readied themselves for performance was so… real.

The Visitors was a superb way to open. The moody first verse gave us time to properly gawk. I thought that, being a nerdy fan, I might have been alone in getting goosebumps, but there were a few people around me on the dancefloor showing each other their forearms, where the hair was standing. I’m guessing it’s a common enough reaction? The thump of the beat kicked in and it all kicked off. The heft of the live drums really pushed the song along and raised the crowd’s energy. A couple of songs not too well known to the more casual fan was a good opening strategy. The show had somewhere to go.

We know the setlist inside out and people’s experiences have been shared. I think the flow was actually pretty good. Every so often, I’d try to speculate on whether a vocal came from studio or good live recordings, but I failed. The processing (and the overall experience) made it hard to tell. And that kind of technical sleuthing takes you out of a great moment, anyway.

That said, the vocal/band mesh on Eagle seemed a bit weak. It was my least favourite part of the show. Not just because of the video – I just wasn’t taken by the sound mix. Surprisingly, the crowd on Saturday didn’t seem put off by the two animated videos. In fact, Voulez-Vous really had the audience going – dancing, singing, disco handclaps, A-Ha’s out the wazoo. They loved it. I imagine it might have been one of the night’s very biggest numbers had it been “performed.” Even though I knew it was coming, the transition from LAYLOM to SNC was still a breathtaking moment.

Having read other people’s reviews here, I think I was expecting less from DSMD. But I actually quite liked the presentation. The recognition factor surprised me: I really thought more people would be singing along. And of course that happened every now and then with the deeper cuts. To be honest, that suited me quite well because sometimes the crowd singing was too obtrusive. And the crowd weren’t too fussed about listening to the spoken bits (which were a bit too quiet): only Benny’s moment got any real attention. (Bjorn’s bit about DYMK bordered on cringey, TBH)

Speaking parts aside, I was impressed by how much personality they managed to get into the ABBAtars. It seemed reasonably true to the performances we’ve seen on TV and film over the years. Obviously, body doubles supported the movements but they clearly studied those moves. The ABBAtars themselves are fab. Frida seemed to be the best executed all round – from facial expression to performance energy. Mesmerising. Benny clearly slipped a few quid to the team, because he seemed to have been upgraded to bona fide hottie. Agnetha was beautiful but I think slightly idealised, if that makes sense. She was – is – way more than a range of pretty sadnesses, adjusted for tempo. Maybe Bjorn pissed the team off? I dunno. He didn’t seem especially Bjorny to me. I loved some of the other finer details, like a mic stand rocking back and forth as it found its centre of gravity again.

The videos were all superb. Loved them. The KMKY and LAYLOM ones in particular made me wonder how brilliant the show might be with a VR headset.

The costumes are fantastic. Only the jumpsuits with the rhinestone names seemed to hark back to the old days. Everything – from colour and texture and cut – was beautiful. The scope for a range of ABBAtar dolls shouldn't be overlooked,

I understand that it’s too soon for a “live” album, but I think the occasional single could be warranted. The arrangements have solidified the core ABBAness, but have managed to freshen some of the tracks. To my ears, The Visitors, WAISAD and LAYLOM have been updated, and could work well as promo singles for the show. Maybe SNC too.

My least favourite moment was Eagle, but I’m surprised to say that HIYS didn’t grab me as much as I’d expected. The rest of the show was solid gold climax after climax. ISHFIY was really quite an emotional moment and left me a bit choked up. TWTIA was fab too – my sister was a bit teary there too.

I’ll go again when the setlist changes. Maybe even before. I wondered what kind of coincidence was at play when the first three songs I heard in the foyer afterwards were TACOM, ST and MMM.

Ultimately, I’m thrilled to have experienced that. Uh-MAZING

It's fantastic to see that "we" find the experience out of this world, words can hardly do it justice, but we've all had a good go...
Can't wait to see it again, I've always said on set change, so hoping that won't be to much longer now, saw it in the first month of release, time is ticking by now, getting eager to see it and pick up on those little nuances and probably enjoy it more 2nd round rather than being in awe...

Tony, I am so glad you finally saw the show and I enjoyed reading your concert review. I still have fond memories of my experience. It was amazing and one of the best concerts I have been to.

Hey there and Gday from Australia.

We flew over especially from Oz in October for the show and was so blown away by it. Just reading this thread, i was reliving the whole experience again and great to see a very common denominator which it really is quite mind blowing. My husband and I just kept looking at each other and saying WOW. I had down quite a lot of research about the show since it started so i really went in expecting to be well versed on what to expect and even still no amount of research prepared me for what i saw.  For them to open with The Visitors was surreal as that's my favourite track and it really just maintained the pace for me the whole show with the exception of Eagle and VV which i was a tad confused by, but certainly didn't mar the experience at all. 

One highlight, pinch me moment where i really wish i had a remote control to rewind was the cut between Lay all your love on me into Summer night city. OMG that literally blew my mind. Even typing this my whole body just gets goosebumps.

As we were travelling with my mum who didn't come to the show, we really wanted her to see it,  so literally got back to the hotel and logged into the website and booked the last 3 tickets for the next night even though they weren't seated together, it was going to be the only chance we had to see it again.  Mum came with us the following night and loved it too. When I saw her in the foyer i asked what she had thought and she started crying.  She said there was a single older lady sitting next to her that was quite overwhelmed by Winner takes it all and starting sobbing, so mum held her for the song as they watched it together. 

Such is the power of music hey? 

I`m in Melbourne Australia, and producers appear to have confirmed that they are in talks with the city, which would be amazing to get, however a recent article stated Singapore might be the one chosen. Even if it is, its an only an 8 hour flight rather than 24. HA 

The more I think about it, the more a venue in Australia for this seems logical. The other side of the world from London, they wouldn’t be competing with each other and would attract people from all over their respective hemispheres/regions.