ABBA Voyage Concert Experience

Well, I finally got to see this last night (I would pick the hottest night of the year, although it was lovely and cool inside). I've deliberately avoided this thread, or any other potential online spoilers, since just before it opened, as I didn't want to know more than I already did. In a weird way, I wish I had known more as I might have modified my expectations and enjoyed it more. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but my expectations were so high after all the hype and 5 star reviews, and it just wasn't what I was expecting.

I suppose my biggest issue is that I thought it'd feel like seeing Abba in concert, and it really didn't. When the four of them first appeared they were extremely convincing (and when they come on as they are now at the end, which was a beautiful touch, if I hadn't known better I'd have sworn that was them really standing in front of me) but I felt like some weird choices were made that undercut the experience they were trying so hard to create.

Abba were my childhood band. I grew up with them, and, more than that, Benny Andersson is probably the closest I have to a musical hero. When I was getting really into musical theatre, that was the direction he was also going in. When I was getting really into folk music, he happened to be making records in the same style. As a piano player, he's probably my biggest influence. At every point in my life, there has been amazing new Benny Andersson music, and Abba is just one little part of that for me.... so I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this.

So - the positives... I thought the set list was pretty great - I always imagined that, if they returned, they'd kick off their show with The Visitors, and that's what they did! Opening with two lesser known album tracks was a bold move - and they're both songs I adore (although Hole in Your Soul feels more like a concert climax to me). It was strange that four major hit singles (Money Money Money, Super Trouper, The Name of the Game and Take a Chance on Me) weren't included, but I was really happy they made way for some other material. When all Is Said and Done in particular was a lovely choice, especially as the lyrics seemed really apposite in the context of an artist and their fans. There were also some lovely musical arrangements - e.g. having Thank You for the Music driven by accordion, rather than piano.

I loved the use of one of Benny's solo instrumentals as the opening music, and I really liked the snowy trees projection at the start. I also thought the band were absolutely amazing, and really captured the sound of Abba and their regular musicians. I thought the lighting design was incredible and, yes, at times it did feel like Abba were there in front of me. I also thought the venue was perfectly designed, and it never felt crowded or uncomfortable.

But the negatives... I just expected that the quartet would somehow be on stage with the band, as they always were in their concerts. I don't know how this would be achieved, but everything about the way this was promoted was saying that they'd achieved the impossible, so I assumed they'd found a way. Having them separate, and seemingly miles away at the back of the vast stage, made it feel just weirdly unreal. Abba never performed like that.

More importantly, I just thought they'd be there, performing 'as live' for the whole concert. I didn't like the animations because I couldn't assimilate them from where I was standing (right up front) and they didn't make logical sense. If Abba have gone off for 'costume changes', why can we still hear them singing and playing? I was particularly disappointed, because Eagle is one of my very favourite Abba songs, and I'd have loved to see them perform it with the energy and style that you can see on the video of their 1979 Wembley show.

Worse still were all the songs where the screen suddenly turned into a giant video screen - e.g. Knowing Me Knowing You. This immediately gave away that it was a screen, for anyone who hadn't twigged, and totally broke the illusion. It was a big ask for us to suspend disbelief - especially when we see a young Abba performing songs we know they haven't written yet - but the show was close to achieving this amazing piece of slight of hand, and then they just broke the spell. I really don't get why.

Ultimately, it felt very clever (the de-aging was astonishingly well achieved, and the 3D illusion pretty spectacular) but I just couldn't relax into it. I felt like it didn't gel and, sadly, it didn't move me. The best moments were the most natural - e.g. seeing Bjorn switching his electric guitar for an acoustic between numbers. If they'd gone for realism throughout, I think it could have been pretty incredible - especially if they'd found a way to bring them to the front of the stage and have the band behind and around them.

I'd be interested to see this from further back in the auditorium, and would probably appreciate a second visit more, now I know what to expect. But, for me, it wasn't half as convincing as putting on the Live at Wembley double CD and closing my eyes...

Thanks Alece10 that makes sense if they want to freshen it up maybe add a seasonal number for festive period etc.

I’ve suspected for a while that the awful new Christmas song from the Voyage album will be added for the “festive season”.

Saw this Sunday afternoon, and loved it!

I'm an Abba fan in the sense that I love their music when I hear it, so I mostly only know the hits and the songs that get radio airplay, and the ones in the musical "Mama Mia" lol!

As such, I still enjoyed the two openers, as from where I was (dance floor centre view, two thirds of the way back), the Abba Avatars looked astonishingly real (give or take a slight slow motion feel to their movements), and I loved the way the girls were dancing together, and we got close ups of the keyboards and the dancing on the side screens, just like a real gig.

I found myself in tears when the hits were played, as it felt like Follies, with the youth of the performers rediscovered, and aging and death seemingly conquered.

I did not appreciate the two massive animations, where it was just a giant cinema screen. After all, even Gorillaz, which specialise in animation, give you a live Damon Albarn in front of the animations. I did not want to be reminded that it wasn't a real concert, and these two animations spoiled the illusion for a moment.

I also would ditch some of the off cuts for more hits. Abba have many more hits that weren't played, not least "Money Money Money."

That said, this was an astonishing show, and although I rated it 4 stars above, it was easily 4 and a half, for me, and I'd raise my rating to 5 if they ditched the two cinema presentations and added hits with the Avatars.

Saw this for the second time last week and thought it just as dazzling as the first time. In fact I think I enjoyed it more because a) I didn’t have the concert goers from hell around me this time and b) the dance floor is the place to be for the full experience. This really pulls the virtual concert concept into another stratosphere.

The thing is, they could have just stuck to the Abba gold playlist and that would have been superb given those songs are peerless but I really appreciate the fact that they have treated the set list like it was a real concert. I love the visitors as an opening, there’s something icy and uncompromising about it while your senses are being boggled by what you are seeing. By waiting till song three before going for a hit it allows you to adjust to the spectacle before the party really begins. Also, seeing it for the second time made me really appreciate “when all is said and done”. I’ve always loved the song and it certainly needed rescuing back from Pierce Brosnan, but the lyrics are the perfect build up to the chat about reforming and then singing the new songs.

The audience treated this like it was a real Abba concert, cheering each song, singing and dancing along and having a great time. I did the same, it retains its 5 star must see status from me.

There's no way it'll tour to other venues. The show and the venue are pretty intrinsic to each other. The venue, however, can be packed down and reassembled elsewhere - a bit like a high-tech travelling circus, so I'm sure it will move on elsewhere. That's the plan anyway, but I think they're just taking things one step at a time. I imagine they want to get as many people to see it in London as possible, and they chose London because it's a bit of a crossroads for people travelling from all over. I'm sure Australians must be itching to see it, though, so I hope it makes it down under at some point.

You must have been typing at the same time as me as we have said almost the exact same thing, glad you agree about the Australia possibility. They love ABBA down under don't they

Trust me, the legacy (nay, the phenomena) that is ABBA is still alive and kicking in Australia

Glad to hear it. I was just surprised at seeing these figures how little Voyage had sold.

Now on Seatplan. If you've been, and have a 'view from' photo, double points are available for the first 200 reviews.

Not so much a discount, alece10, more a something. When you've earned enough points, you can exchange them for theatre tokens.

We have a short thread here:
theatreboard.co.uk/thread/9268/seatplan

Well worth doing, in my experience.