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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 27, 2022 8:52:32 GMT
Our poll is open.
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Post by steve10086 on May 27, 2022 9:15:58 GMT
Seems to be some comments on social media about the fact that ABBA won't be at tonight's show as they were there last night. Tonight's show is the first night for the paying public rather than invited guests so I can see their point. I think a lot of fans booked for tonight hoping they would be there. Maybe they will turn up. I do wish they’d explained that there would be a VIP “Opening Night” on the 26th, instead of performances beginning on the 27th. It did give the impression the 27th might be special. |
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Post by interval99 on May 27, 2022 9:20:08 GMT
Likely the only time I can be first to vote in a poll.
Five stars from me, not just for being a long time fan the production is truly state of the art and presented in a building specifically designed to maximize the elements and allowing the full immersion of the experience.
You will truly be seeing a presentation unlike any concert you have been to, they are not trying to recreating a standard concert they are pushing the boundaries of what the musical and visual experience of a concert show can be.
Hope the board members going this weekend are as astounded as I was.
With possibly best notices ABBA have ever had for any project the notice of its next engagement should be soon, I expect there will be some tweaks but as said before the fact they got this show fully loaded to go with all the vast complexity of it on-time and getting this reaction from all who has seen it is an amazing feat on its own.
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Post by partytentdown on May 27, 2022 10:43:22 GMT
I see maybe 3-4 'live' things a month and have done for decades. This is hands down in the top 2, maybe top 1 things I have ever seen. As above poster says, the production design itself is astonishing. It is very hard to explain but it's like watching an act from the past in a performance space from the future. I would go back in a heartbeat.
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1,743 posts
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Post by fiyero on May 27, 2022 10:52:40 GMT
I see maybe 3-4 'live' things a month and have done for decades. This is hands down in the top 2, maybe top 1 things I have ever seen. As above poster says, the production design itself is astonishing. It is very hard to explain but it's like watching an act from the past in a performance space from the future. I would go back in a heartbeat. This is certainly not making me regret my decision to book on a whim for bank holiday weekend! I can't wait |
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Post by alece10 on May 27, 2022 11:25:12 GMT
I see maybe 3-4 'live' things a month and have done for decades. This is hands down in the top 2, maybe top 1 things I have ever seen. As above poster says, the production design itself is astonishing. It is very hard to explain but it's like watching an act from the past in a performance space from the future. I would go back in a heartbeat. This is certainly not making me regret my decision to book on a whim for bank holiday weekend! I can't wait What day are you going? |
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Post by fiyero on May 27, 2022 11:31:28 GMT
This is certainly not making me regret my decision to book on a whim for bank holiday weekend! I can't wait What day are you going? Friday matinee |
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2,761 posts
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Post by n1david on May 27, 2022 11:38:36 GMT
I am not reading the reviews in order to avoid spoilers, since I'm not going until mid-June, but the headlines suggest that the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.
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Post by partytentdown on May 27, 2022 12:11:15 GMT
If you're an ABBA fan, take spending money for the merch shop!
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8,159 posts
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Post by alece10 on May 27, 2022 12:16:55 GMT
Great 2 page spread in today's Metro explaining some of the wizardry behind it and some staggering facts and figures. I tried to see if it was online but couldn't find it. I'm sure it's out there somewhere.
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Post by interval99 on May 27, 2022 13:31:37 GMT
Booking now to the end of May 2023.
Thanks to all who have posted about Stratford, did pop into the mall opposite Westfield (again long rows of shops, wearing trainers on next visit) which are more budget oriented and the ones I will need to use going forward with the increase in ABBA expenditure ( they are releasing new box sets of the album's now with Voyage and a full picture disc range of all of them this month so expensive times for ABBA fans even before the concert and merchandise).
Anyone recommend a trip to the big red tower or any other things to do and see in the area.
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Post by karloscar on May 27, 2022 14:07:47 GMT
There's a lot to be said for keeping a low profile and remaining a superstar. Agnetha and Frida both have such charisma and stage presence when they make an appearance. Would we feel the same if they were around all the time? Which other stars come close in this age of constant attention seeking and desperate need for likes on social media?
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8,159 posts
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Post by alece10 on May 27, 2022 14:44:39 GMT
Booking now to the end of May 2023. Thanks to all who have posted about Stratford, did pop into the mall opposite Westfield (again long rows of shops, wearing trainers on next visit) which are more budget oriented and the ones I will need to use going forward with the increase in ABBA expenditure ( they are releasing new box sets of the album's now with Voyage and a full picture disc range of all of them this month so expensive times for ABBA fans even before the concert and merchandise). Anyone recommend a trip to the big red tower or any other things to do and see in the area. I recommend tbe big red tower. Done it a few times. I fact I'm going up there next week before ABBA as there is a 2 for one offer. If you feel brave you can come down via a chute. Also if you take the DLR from Stratford to Custom House you can go over the river on the cable car to the o2 and some nice views. Then come back to Stratford on the Jubilee line. There is a luxury brand discount mall at the o2 also. Again if feeling brave you can walk right over the top of the dome. Or take the DLR to Tower Gateway and the Tower of London where the moat has been filled with 25 million seeds to create a carpet of flowers that you can walk through. |
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Post by steve10086 on May 27, 2022 15:55:35 GMT
I’ve done the slide at the Orbit (the big red tower) and would thoroughly recommend it (though it was expensive). Great view of London from the top, and presumably of the ABBA Arena now too.
I’d also recommend a wander around the Olympic Park itself. Such a vibrant and busy place - not like some derelict old Olympic sites around the world.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2022 16:24:30 GMT
Seems to be some comments on social media about the fact that ABBA won't be at tonight's show as they were there last night. Tonight's show is the first night for the paying public rather than invited guests so I can see their point. I think a lot of fans booked for tonight hoping they would be there. Maybe they will turn up. Stars only ever turn up for the opening night in any pre-arranged manner. Benny and Bjprn might pop in on occasion to see how the show is going if they are as hands on as they were in Mamma Mia but that isn't announced. |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2022 16:30:41 GMT
One thought I had was they body scanned and montion captured Abba but the Abbatars are them from say 45 years ago. Would movements have been speeded up to get them to move like they did back then or were they asked to do specific movements over the several week period and then put together to create the concert. The sensor suits were bodyfitting and Abba don't look that much different in size to what they were at their peak and any minor change in size can be amended in CGI I guess.
Will we get Beatles CGI show next? They have done Elvis and Roy Orbison before. Just think in 30 years time we'll get Rolling Stones avatars playing alongside the real Keith Richards
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Post by jek on May 27, 2022 16:41:23 GMT
Certainly worth walking around the Olympic Park. The North Park is wilder than the south and the wetlands (not technically part of the park but rather part of the East Village - previously the Athlete's Village) are really nice and interesting in an ecological sense (there is a whole system in the East Village whereby water is recycled and used, for example, in the toilets of Chobham Manor School). It is also nice to walk down the Tessa Jowell Boulevard in the south park. It's really well planted and you can watch as the East Bank (the new cultural hub) is taking shape. The BBC Music studios there (new home for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a huge library of sheet music and much else) was topped out this week. The new V&A, Sadler's Wells and London College of Fashion are all taking shape. The new buildings for UCL are also nearby. If you fancy a bit more of a walk then Here East (formerly the Olympic Broadcasting Centre) is huge and home to outposts of various universities, Wayne MacGregor dance studios (he didn't have far to go for his involvement with the Abba project) and much else. As a local resident I've been on tours inside Here East but as a casual visitor, while you can't get inside there are waterside cafes and generally a nice atmosphere. Here East will soon house the V&A research arm - currently housed in Olympia. There are increasingly reasons to visit Stratford. Of course the big unknown at the moment is whether the MSG sphere is actually going to be built. The building got approval from the London Legacy Development Corporation recently but it may be called in by Sadiq Khan.
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Post by karloscar on May 27, 2022 17:07:47 GMT
One thought I had was they body scanned and montion captured Abba but the Abbatars are them from say 45 years ago. Would movements have been speeded up to get them to move like they did back then or were they asked to do specific movements over the several week period and then put together to create the concert. The sensor suits were bodyfitting and Abba don't look that much different in size to what they were at their peak and any minor change in size can be amended in CGI I guess. Will we get Beatles CGI show next? They have done Elvis and Roy Orbison before. Just think in 30 years time we'll get Rolling Stones avatars playing alongside the real Keith Richards They captured the Abba members in performance, then they used body doubles choreographed by Wayne McGregor before combining the two digitally to get the final effect. That's why doing it with dead stars would be problematic. |
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Post by partytentdown on May 27, 2022 17:18:42 GMT
One thought I had was they body scanned and montion captured Abba but the Abbatars are them from say 45 years ago. Would movements have been speeded up to get them to move like they did back then or were they asked to do specific movements over the several week period and then put together to create the concert. The sensor suits were bodyfitting and Abba don't look that much different in size to what they were at their peak and any minor change in size can be amended in CGI I guess. Will we get Beatles CGI show next? They have done Elvis and Roy Orbison before. Just think in 30 years time we'll get Rolling Stones avatars playing alongside the real Keith Richards They captured the Abba members in performance, then they used body doubles choreographed by Wayne McGregor before combining the two digitally to get the final effect. That's why doing it with dead stars would be problematic. The programme lists the body doubles in the credits and there also some (small) photos of several dancers wearing the costumes and surprisingly, paper face masks of the ABBA members, presumably these are some of the people who were merged with the real ABBA to create the abbatars. |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2022 17:41:37 GMT
Thanks for the feedback, so it was Abba dimensions but some of the movements were done by younger people. Did Abba re-record the vocals or are they using originals with the orchestra backing them. Benny and Bjorn of course can have redone their instrumental parts but theladies vocal range may be different now to what it was all those years ago?
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Post by Jon on May 27, 2022 17:45:52 GMT
Certainly worth walking around the Olympic Park. The North Park is wilder than the south and the wetlands (not technically part of the park but rather part of the East Village - previously the Athlete's Village) are really nice and interesting in an ecological sense (there is a whole system in the East Village whereby water is recycled and used, for example, in the toilets of Chobham Manor School). It is also nice to walk down the Tessa Jowell Boulevard in the south park. It's really well planted and you can watch as the East Bank (the new cultural hub) is taking shape. The BBC Music studios there (new home for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a huge library of sheet music and much else) was topped out this week. The new V&A, Sadler's Wells and London College of Fashion are all taking shape. The new buildings for UCL are also nearby. If you fancy a bit more of a walk then Here East (formerly the Olympic Broadcasting Centre) is huge and home to outposts of various universities, Wayne MacGregor dance studios (he didn't have far to go for his involvement with the Abba project) and much else. As a local resident I've been on tours inside Here East but as a casual visitor, while you can't get inside there are waterside cafes and generally a nice atmosphere. Here East will soon house the V&A research arm - currently housed in Olympia. There are increasingly reasons to visit Stratford. Of course the big unknown at the moment is whether the MSG sphere is actually going to be built. The building got approval from the London Legacy Development Corporation recently but it may be called in by Sadiq Khan. Stratford is nice even with all the various building work. Can't wait for the new V&A to open. |
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Post by harry on May 27, 2022 17:48:52 GMT
I’ve done the slide at the Orbit (the big red tower) and would thoroughly recommend it (though it was expensive). Great view of London from the top, and presumably of the ABBA Arena now too. I’d also recommend a wander around the Olympic Park itself. Such a vibrant and busy place - not like some derelict old Olympic sites around the world. There’s also a path called the Greenway (which runs over a huge waste pipe - maybe don’t think too much about that!) that you can pick up just across from the ABBA Arena. If you walk it in the North West direction it gives a good view of the Orbit tower and the Olympic stadium and takes you to Victoria Park which is a lovely place to wander round on a sunny day, or joins up with the canal which is great for a stroll. You’ll see how the redeveloped industrial area around the Arena becomes sits alongside the more old school East End residential areas too. |
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Post by theatreian on May 27, 2022 21:06:54 GMT
The real ABBA appeared at the end What a show and what a moment!
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Post by stompboy2 on May 27, 2022 21:45:57 GMT
They only appeared digitally… all part of the magic… very clever. Benny and Bjorn were there, standing in a dance booth for the whole show.
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Post by Sam on May 27, 2022 22:21:29 GMT
Lol if you think Stratford Westfields is big, wait until you see Shepherds Bush Westfields.
When I went I managed to park in car park B level 2 right by the exit out to the restaurants so it was a nice easy 15 minute walk to the arena and back.
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