This Friday (May 27th) the digital ABBA avatars will perform for the first time in front of a large audience in London. According to ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus, it is no coincidence that the arena built especially for the show is in London and not somewhere else. If the stars had been in a better position, the “Abbatares” might now be performing in the Ruhr area instead of – around 750 km as the crow flies – in the British capital.
There would have been enough space for the ABBA Arena in the Ruhr area
According to “Spreeradio”, Ulvaeus is said to have informed the “dpa” that the location of the event was chosen according to two criteria: Firstly, reasons of space influenced the decision, secondly, the headquarters of the company responsible for the virtual “abbatare”. The reason why the “Voyage” arena could not be accommodated in Stockholm was that the city was “too small”. The complex technology for the extraordinary digital concerts simply needs space. Therefore, “the question was rather: London or the Ruhgebiet,” according to the musician.
Abbatar engineering company is based in UK
A place was also sought “where the show could stay for a long time”, which could theoretically have been in Germany, according to Ulvaeus. However, since ILM, the engineering company responsible for the concerts that also created the avatars, is based in the UK and US, the “London infrastructure would be better suited for this project”. The arena is now located at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, very close to the Olympic Stadium.
What is known about the event so far
How exactly the shows will run is still unclear. What is known, however, is that the avatars will perform a selection of ABBA’s biggest hits within 100 minutes, accompanied by a live band. The band had already posted some hints and sneak peaks on social media in the past few weeks. For example, fans were able to admire photos of the “Abbatares” and also learned that the stage outfits were created by well-known designers. The fashion label Dolce & Gabbana was also involved in the design process.
The first tickets for the event are said to have sold so well that the organizers even added new dates to the tour schedule. However, these do not seem to be as popular as expected.
ABBA are celebrating their musical success and their now total of nine studio albums with a ten-piece box set that will be released at the end of May. ROLLING STONE is giving away three of the collection boxes until May 31st.