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Post by partytentdown on Nov 15, 2022 11:31:45 GMT
I've just booked a bottom price pair for next August, the opposite side from where I was in June. No idea who I'm taking but including booking was less than £45 for the pair which is fine by me! Whereabouts are the bottom prices located?
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Post by fiyero on Nov 15, 2022 11:48:19 GMT
I've just booked a bottom price pair for next August, the opposite side from where I was in June. No idea who I'm taking but including booking was less than £45 for the pair which is fine by me! Whereabouts are the bottom prices located? Extreme sides of the seated blocks. I got seats 1-2. Not sure how far along they go but looks like next price band is 3x the price or more! EDIT: for the new dates you can't pick from the seating plan yet
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Post by danb on Nov 15, 2022 12:00:33 GMT
So essentially next to the stage where the illusion is least effective? For £22.50 I’d be ripping their arm off!
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Post by theatreian on Nov 15, 2022 15:15:28 GMT
For my 2nd visit I got two of the cheap tickets for January which came to £44.50 for the pair. Block F row M seats 1 and 2. I sat the opposite side before so sure these will be ok.
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Post by fiyero on Nov 15, 2022 20:19:40 GMT
Looks like the seating plan is available now. Only 26 bottom price seats per performance (The date I've picked £21.50 when the ones around them are £55)
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Post by jacklondon on Dec 23, 2022 12:08:47 GMT
My curiosity got the better of me and I caught up with this last night. I'd read some earlier reports that suggested that the dancefloor was busy rather than rammed, leaving enough room to dance. That didn't feel like the case last night with barely any room to move - certainly more rammed than many modern gigs I've been to. I wonder whether the numbers have changed or I just got unlucky with the part of the dancefloor I picked. Nevertheless, it didn't detract from what was a rather wonderful experience.
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Post by Marwood on Dec 31, 2022 16:30:36 GMT
Saw this yesterday afternoon: there were issues with the DLR from Stratford that meant by the time I got to the arena, joined the queue and actually got in, there was about 5 minutes before the show started, and the only proper space on the dance floor was right at the front but I managed to get to a really good position to see things, I’d say I was about ten or so rows from the front but I could see all the screens without having to turn round too much.
Obviously ABBA aren’t short of a few bob but the quality of everything in the show was top notch, the venue, lighting, lasers, projection and sound were all faultless, the closest thing I can compare it to was seeing an act like the Chemical Brothers or going to a club like Printworks. With regards to the actual ABBAtars, at first I thought the facial expressions and movement seemed a bit odd and creepy, like The Irishman or a cut scene from Grand Theft Auto: I don’t know if it was my brain getting used to them but by the end I had got used to it and didn’t think about it.
I’m not the biggest fan of ABBA, I’ve got a copy of Gold and that’s it so o don’t anything that wasn’t a single but I really enjoyed the show (didn’t enjoy who it was standing behind me that shouted ‘aha!’ in an Alan Partridge voice during Knowing Me, Knowing You though…)
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Post by ptwest on Dec 31, 2022 23:38:59 GMT
Went for a third visit this week. This show just makes me very, very happy. Went with friends, one of whom wasn’t an Abba fan when we went in but was converted!
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jan 1, 2023 18:14:36 GMT
I have friends who have been to see this 3 or 4 times, but once was enough for me. You cant fault what they have achieved here. The technology is fantastic, right down to the shadows on the floor and the sparkle from their costumes when they are in darkness at the back of the set. When they first appear, it tricks your mind because it's so well done. Unfortunately when you see them in close up on the screens, which is all the time, they appear a bit vacant and there wasn't enough expression to make it truely lifelike. They looked dead behind the eyes.
I was a bit bored after 30 minutes because i couldnt buy into the whole 'its a concert' scenario. It was more like a cinema because its all screens everywhere. Why are people shouting at screens? They cant hear you. Also, there were quite a few songs that were just video because the Abbatars were not used. Why?
The purpose built arena itself is a spectacular bit of kit and the lighting was very impressive. Being at a 1pm show on a sunday didnt help. Abba for me is best enjoyed after a few drinks, not on a dreary lunchtime, at a time when I'm usually reading the papers in bed, The show also started about 10 mins late. Wasn't anyone available to press play?
I'm curious as to why this is in the musicals section of the board when its not a stage show nor a musical.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 1, 2023 18:50:27 GMT
I have friends who have been to see this 3 or 4 times, but once was enough for me. You cant fault what they have achieved here. The technology is fantastic, right down to the shadows on the floor and the sparkle from their costumes when they are in darkness at the back of the set. When they first appear, it tricks your mind because it's so well done. Unfortunately when you see them in close up on the screens, which is all the time, they appear a bit vacant and there wasn't enough expression to make it truely lifelike. They looked dead behind the eyes. I was a bit bored after 30 minutes because i couldnt buy into the whole 'its a concert' scenario. It was more like a cinema because its all screens everywhere. Why are people shouting at screens? They cant hear you. Also, there were quite a few songs that were just video because the Abbatars were not used. Why? The purpose built arena itself is a spectacular bit of kit and the lighting was very impressive. Being at a 1pm show on a sunday didnt help. Abba for me is best enjoyed after a few drinks, not on a dreary lunchtime, at a time when I'm usually reading the papers in bed, The show also started about 10 mins late. Wasn't anyone available to press play? I'm curious as to why this is in the musicals section of the board when its not a stage show nor a musical. It's like you lept into my brain and stole all my thoughts on this thing... In the end it's all down to one word, nostalgia.
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Post by danb on Jan 1, 2023 19:00:29 GMT
I have friends who have been to see this 3 or 4 times, but once was enough for me. You cant fault what they have achieved here. The technology is fantastic, right down to the shadows on the floor and the sparkle from their costumes when they are in darkness at the back of the set. When they first appear, it tricks your mind because it's so well done. Unfortunately when you see them in close up on the screens, which is all the time, they appear a bit vacant and there wasn't enough expression to make it truely lifelike. They looked dead behind the eyes. I was a bit bored after 30 minutes because i couldnt buy into the whole 'its a concert' scenario. It was more like a cinema because its all screens everywhere. Why are people shouting at screens? They cant hear you. Also, there were quite a few songs that were just video because the Abbatars were not used. Why? The purpose built arena itself is a spectacular bit of kit and the lighting was very impressive. Being at a 1pm show on a sunday didnt help. Abba for me is best enjoyed after a few drinks, not on a dreary lunchtime, at a time when I'm usually reading the papers in bed, The show also started about 10 mins late. Wasn't anyone available to press play? I'm curious as to why this is in the musicals section of the board when its not a stage show nor a musical. Apparently its to do with a specific sort of projector overheating if its ‘on’ for too long. The ‘film’ bits give the Abbatar projector a chance to cool down.
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Post by mkb on Jan 1, 2023 19:05:48 GMT
What projectors? The main screen doesn't use projectors.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 1, 2023 19:20:47 GMT
What projectors? The main screen doesn't use projectors. There are projectors used on the screens that come down for a few songs (Waterloo etc) at the end. They hang in front of the main screens.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 1, 2023 19:21:48 GMT
I have friends who have been to see this 3 or 4 times, but once was enough for me. You cant fault what they have achieved here. The technology is fantastic, right down to the shadows on the floor and the sparkle from their costumes when they are in darkness at the back of the set. When they first appear, it tricks your mind because it's so well done. Unfortunately when you see them in close up on the screens, which is all the time, they appear a bit vacant and there wasn't enough expression to make it truely lifelike. They looked dead behind the eyes. I was a bit bored after 30 minutes because i couldnt buy into the whole 'its a concert' scenario. It was more like a cinema because its all screens everywhere. Why are people shouting at screens? They cant hear you. Also, there were quite a few songs that were just video because the Abbatars were not used. Why? The purpose built arena itself is a spectacular bit of kit and the lighting was very impressive. Being at a 1pm show on a sunday didnt help. Abba for me is best enjoyed after a few drinks, not on a dreary lunchtime, at a time when I'm usually reading the papers in bed, The show also started about 10 mins late. Wasn't anyone available to press play? I'm curious as to why this is in the musicals section of the board when its not a stage show nor a musical. Apparently its to do with a specific sort of projector overheating if its ‘on’ for too long. The ‘film’ bits give the Abbatar projector a chance to cool down. Nope, that's false info. I was told that by someone but it was debunked.
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Post by mkb on Jan 1, 2023 20:34:31 GMT
What projectors? The main screen doesn't use projectors. There are projectors used on the screens that come down for a few songs (Waterloo etc) at the end. They hang in front of the main screens. They are just bog-standard digital projectors to small screens. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's the big main screen that would be in question for over-heating. That that's been debunked sounds entirely credible.
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Post by partytentdown on Jan 1, 2023 21:09:31 GMT
It's a purely creative choice. The two 'cartoons' are related to the theme of the 'Voyage' story and are supposed to replicate the kind of break you'd get in a 'real' gig to allow for a costume change/performer break.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 1, 2023 21:37:36 GMT
There are projectors used on the screens that come down for a few songs (Waterloo etc) at the end. They hang in front of the main screens. They are just bog-standard digital projectors to small screens. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's the big main screen that would be in question for over-heating. That that's been debunked sounds entirely credible. Yes I know. I believe the 'projector' rumor started on the Abba forums when people started to post negative comments about all the videos. Some ABBA Stan obviously made it up as an excuse and it became gospel for a while until others spotted how it was actually done and it was officially revealed in the program. My friend told me the projector story and I posted it here, but then someone came in and said that info was wrong and told us all how it was done.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jan 2, 2023 1:38:05 GMT
They are just bog-standard digital projectors to small screens. Nothing out of the ordinary I'm pretty sure that bog-standard projections don't get created by Industrial Light and Magic with a price tag of $175 million. It's a bit more than the old pepper's ghost illusion.
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Post by mkb on Jan 2, 2023 3:02:48 GMT
They are just bog-standard digital projectors to small screens. Nothing out of the ordinary I'm pretty sure that bog-standard projections don't get created by Industrial Light and Magic with a price tag of $175 million. It's a bit more than the old pepper's ghost illusion. Sorry, but I don't buy that. There's no way the small screens that hang from the auditorium ceiling cost anything like that. The multi-million cost is for the main front screen including the moving side portions.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 2, 2023 20:50:30 GMT
I have friends who have been to see this 3 or 4 times, but once was enough for me. You cant fault what they have achieved here. The technology is fantastic, right down to the shadows on the floor and the sparkle from their costumes when they are in darkness at the back of the set. When they first appear, it tricks your mind because it's so well done. Unfortunately when you see them in close up on the screens, which is all the time, they appear a bit vacant and there wasn't enough expression to make it truely lifelike. They looked dead behind the eyes. I was a bit bored after 30 minutes because i couldnt buy into the whole 'its a concert' scenario. It was more like a cinema because its all screens everywhere. Why are people shouting at screens? They cant hear you. Also, there were quite a few songs that were just video because the Abbatars were not used. Why? The purpose built arena itself is a spectacular bit of kit and the lighting was very impressive. Being at a 1pm show on a sunday didnt help. Abba for me is best enjoyed after a few drinks, not on a dreary lunchtime, at a time when I'm usually reading the papers in bed, The show also started about 10 mins late. Wasn't anyone available to press play? I'm curious as to why this is in the musicals section of the board when its not a stage show nor a musical. Apparently its to do with a specific sort of projector overheating if its ‘on’ for too long. The ‘film’ bits give the Abbatar projector a chance to cool down.
Apparently this is NOT true. This was rubbished in a recent interview with the producers by the ABBA Fan Club. They were passed on some of the fan comments about their being too much video - especially the two animation pieces. They were quite prickly about it!
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jan 2, 2023 22:26:26 GMT
I'm pretty sure that bog-standard projections don't get created by Industrial Light and Magic with a price tag of $175 million. It's a bit more than the old pepper's ghost illusion. Sorry, but I don't buy that. There's no way the small screens that hang from the auditorium ceiling cost anything like that. The multi-million cost is for the main front screen including the moving side portions. Sorry, you are incorrect.The price tag is from the use of motion capture technology, and all the work that Industrial Light and Magic had to do to de-age them, superimpose the body doubles onto their bodies, scanning costumes and adding them onto the bodies, plus the technology to be able to present them in the way they do. There was nothing bog standard about it.
The front screens were probably the cheapest bit of kit there.
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Post by danb on Jan 2, 2023 22:37:05 GMT
Apparently its to do with a specific sort of projector overheating if its ‘on’ for too long. The ‘film’ bits give the Abbatar projector a chance to cool down.
Apparently this is NOT true. This was rubbished in a recent interview with the producers by the ABBA Fan Club. They were passed on some of the fan comments about their being too much video - especially the two animation pieces. They were quite prickly about it!
Sharing information on here is always so welcomed, and discussed with positive, life affirming language. 👋
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Post by mkb on Jan 2, 2023 23:30:04 GMT
Sorry, but I don't buy that. There's no way the small screens that hang from the auditorium ceiling cost anything like that. The multi-million cost is for the main front screen including the moving side portions. Sorry, you are incorrect.The price tag is from the use of motion capture technology, and all the work that Industrial Light and Magic had to do to de-age them, superimpose the body doubles onto their bodies, scanning costumes and adding them onto the bodies, plus the technology to be able to present them in the way they do. There was nothing bog standard about it.
The front screens were probably the cheapest bit of kit there.
You have shifted your argument. I don't doubt the motion capture cost a lot and is not bog standard. I never said otherwise. My comment was entirely in reference to the small screens that are projected onto and hanging from the ceiling. However, I'm intrigued by your claim that the huge wraparound screen was the cheapest bit of kit. All the stuff I've read says that involved a multi-million cost including the link I posted way up thread about the same technology at Universal Studios. There's nothing about those costs in the link you provided. Do you have a source?
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jan 3, 2023 1:17:17 GMT
You have shifted your argument. I don't doubt the motion capture cost a lot and is not bog standard. I never said otherwise. My comment was entirely in reference to the small screens that are projected onto and hanging from the ceiling. However, I'm intrigued by your claim that the huge wraparound screen was the cheapest bit of kit. All the stuff I've read says that involved a multi-million cost including the link I posted way up thread about the same technology at Universal Studios. There's nothing about those costs in the link you provided. Do you have a source? There's no argumeent to shift from. And I don't need to have a source, because I didn't make that claim.
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Post by mkb on Jan 3, 2023 7:09:08 GMT
You have shifted your argument. I don't doubt the motion capture cost a lot and is not bog standard. I never said otherwise. My comment was entirely in reference to the small screens that are projected onto and hanging from the ceiling. However, I'm intrigued by your claim that the huge wraparound screen was the cheapest bit of kit. All the stuff I've read says that involved a multi-million cost including the link I posted way up thread about the same technology at Universal Studios. There's nothing about those costs in the link you provided. Do you have a source? There's no argumeent to shift from. And I don't need to have a source, because I didn't make that claim. In response to my: ...you said: So, you do appear to have made that claim. Maybe you meant something else?
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Post by anthony40 on Jan 3, 2023 13:19:51 GMT
As much as I truly love ABBA- always have, always will- this thread is becoming boring.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 3, 2023 13:25:42 GMT
Bikering over the cost of something is a complete waste of time.
We will never know how much it 'really' cost as the figures quoted only exist for taxation and promotional (wow it cost THAT much, it must be amazing!!!) purposes in the first place.
The price tag quoted will have been the original budget not the final cost and I can assure you that figure will be far FAR higher than what it actually cost.
The price quoted in this case includes the building of the arena and everything else, so bickering about how much a projector may or may not have cost is a little pointless.
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Post by mkb on Jan 3, 2023 15:23:35 GMT
Bikering over the cost of something is a complete waste of time. Well yes and no. If it's true, as claimed, that the giant, super high contrast and super high resolution tv screens are the cheapest bit of kit there, I am genuinely excited about what that means. It means that the speed at which local cinemas transition from digital projection to this new technology, which we all agree is absolutely stunning, will be much faster than I thought. We can expect to see it in use as backdrops for theatre and gigs too. This will be a game-changer, so I'd really like to know if there's anything in the claim on costs. I'd be amazed if people in theatre haven't already been enquiring on the economic viability of this technology, so there will be information out there amongst techies, and I wondered if the other poster was one such. I imagine that those who work on production designs for arena gigs for global superstar singers will be first. The screens they already use are impressive, but the ones at Voyage go well beyond those. The Eurovision Song Contest also has a history of using the latest technology for its huge screens, so it will be interesting to see what Liverpool delivers. Apologies for repeating what I said earlier about The Bourne Stuntacular, but I haven't been wowed so much as when I saw actors performing in front of one of these screens and I struggled to work out which ones were real and which were on screen. It really was thrilling, and, for me at least, I find the technical aspects of these shows -- and the economics is a major part of that discussion -- to be of significant interest.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jan 3, 2023 16:25:30 GMT
mkb You obviously have some reading comprehension issues: I said the screens were PROBABLY the cheapest bit of kit. You wrote " I'm intrigued by your claim that the huge wraparound screen WAS the cheapest bit of kit " There is a big difference between those words and their meaning. I never wrote what you claimed.
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Post by mkb on Jan 3, 2023 16:52:24 GMT
What was perceived as bickering has turned nasty with that first line, so to spare everyone else, I'll disengage and allow the thread to get back on track.
However, if there are any techies with information as to the economic viability of more widespread use of the new screen technology, I'd love to see discussion of that. Are there theatre industry expos where people go to see the latest such innovations?
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