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Post by ptwest on Aug 16, 2022 10:13:21 GMT
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.
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Post by tysilio2 on Aug 16, 2022 14:02:14 GMT
A friend of mine has said he's read this will tour to venues/cities in the UK but from what I've read on here that's just about impossible. Is its next likely venue (if anywhere) somewhere in Europe well into the future?
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Post by singingbird on Aug 16, 2022 14:51:56 GMT
A friend of mine has said he's read this will tour to venues/cities in the UK but from what I've read on here that's just about impossible. Is its next likely venue (if anywhere) somewhere in Europe well into the future? 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.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 16, 2022 14:55:09 GMT
A friend of mine has said he's read this will tour to venues/cities in the UK but from what I've read on here that's just about impossible. Is its next likely venue (if anywhere) somewhere in Europe well into the future? It definitely isn't going to tour the UK and it would be impossible. The venue is purpose built for the show/concert. Its a flat pack venue so can just be taken apart and shipped to the next location. That was the original idea however, if the London run goes on for a number of years, I believe they will build another venue so that the show can run in 2 places at the same time. My guess would be that it won't go to another European location yet as London is pretty central for a lot of Europe and people have been travelling from all over to come and see it in London. I think the next venue will be somewhere with a big ABBA fan base maybe Australia or the far east. There have been suggestions of Las Vegas in the future which could work but are the Americans big ABBA fans? I am not so sure. I believe they have a 5 year lease on the London site and it is then going to be developed for housing. I also think that, going on current London sales, it has a few years left in it before moving on.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 16, 2022 14:57:17 GMT
A friend of mine has said he's read this will tour to venues/cities in the UK but from what I've read on here that's just about impossible. Is its next likely venue (if anywhere) somewhere in Europe well into the future? 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
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Post by theatreian on Aug 16, 2022 15:34:00 GMT
Not so sure Abba are still as popular in Aus after seeing sales of the Voyage album in Aus are only 35,000.UK sales are 435,000. Germany has the highest sales at 500,000.
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Post by anthony40 on Aug 16, 2022 16:20:15 GMT
Not so sure Abba are still as popular in Aus after seeing sales of the Voyage album in Aus are only 35,000.UK sales are 435,000. Germany has the highest sales at 500,000. Trust me, the legacy (nay, the phenomena) that is ABBA is still alive and kicking in Australia
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Post by singingbird on Aug 16, 2022 18:03:09 GMT
Not so sure Abba are still as popular in Aus after seeing sales of the Voyage album in Aus are only 35,000.UK sales are 435,000. Germany has the highest sales at 500,000. Trust me, the legacy (nay, the phenomena) that is ABBA is still alive and kicking in Australia I walked to the venue from Stratford tube with 2 young Australians when I went. They were saying how jealous their mums were. I felt so happy when I heard this was launching in London but immediately realised just how hard that'd be for all the devoted Australian fans, who were the first to properly adopt Abba outside Sweden.
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Post by theatreian on Aug 16, 2022 21:48:56 GMT
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.
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Post by anthony40 on Aug 17, 2022 8:06:56 GMT
(Trust me) in time, this will travel to Australia.
When they launched Voyage their images were projected onto the pylons on either side of the Harbour Bridge- a nod to their time in Australia.
The hysteria in Australia (I still remember it) was comparable only to that of The Beatles.
That hysteria is something that is captured in ABBA-The Movie.
It is during this time that the phase 'sexy bottom' was first referred to about Agnetha- a phase that she still refers to today. She oftern says 'I'm more that a sexy bottom!'
It is also during this time where Agnetha's mental health issues started. She didn't like travelling and leaving their child. In the film she states about the fans, something to the effect 'they were hot, sweaty and frenzied and I feared they were going to get to me'.
Given that this concert is designed in such a way that neither of them have to physically be there- except Benny & Bjorn (if they're still around) to launch it, it will travel.
When ABBA first came to Australia, it took them 56 hours. Now (thank God!) from London, it's only 23- that's 23 hours actual flying time- but that's still a long way
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 17, 2022 10:33:32 GMT
Now on Seatplan. If you've been, and have a 'view from' photo, double points are available for the first 200 reviews.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 21, 2022 16:12:58 GMT
Now on Seatplan. If you've been, and have a 'view from' photo, double points are available for the first 200 reviews. I've got a couple of photos as sat in different locations each time. What does the points bit mean? I'm not that familiar with seat plan. Do you get a discount or something?
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 21, 2022 16:45:10 GMT
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Post by alece10 on Aug 21, 2022 17:10:25 GMT
Thanks. I'm going to trawl through my photos now.
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Post by interval99 on Aug 25, 2022 22:27:44 GMT
Three months later and is the show still as good as new. Absolutely! The air of awe and unknown feeling of what the show would be has cleared and the Monday crowd were in full on party mode. Much more dancing during the show in the seats and a far more arm waving, dancing and singing dance floor crowd. Weekend crowd must be even more hyped.
I was seated on the side this time and it's a pity they did not use the swivel seats they have at the royal Albert hall as the angle is sharper than it looks and you do need to turn to get face on view. Dance floor seemed to have a lot of tall people in on the night. Its not sardines packed but not the spacious area they first advertised where you were meant to be able to walk around freely.
Cameras are now banned and the intro voice says filming will get you asked to leave whereas first weekend while it was announced no cameras it was open season with them.
Lots of people in homemade 70th and ABBA gear and if you could capture the electric buzz and vibe of people going in and the anticipation we would not be having an energy crisis.
Former cloakroom b is now a fully stocked shop and with several other pop up and walking sellers it was quicker to get merchandise. You can now get vinyl version of all the album's and CDs of voyage and gold as well as an exclusive bright orange vinyl of voyage only available at the show.
On the negative side T-shirts have gone up £5 to £35
Security and entry delay still not sorted and in the seated entry door it's a 20mins plus queue once crowds build due to badly organised security check. The same Guard has to explain to open bags and check it, then ask for person to empty pockets of metal items before doing a wand body check. Crowds good natured and the current warm dry nights is making this just about acceptable at the moment but as it gets colder and wetter I expect people will be less tolerant of waiting in the rain.
The lack of cover until you are in the foyer does show an issue with the building design, I love the look and the main arena part is great but the foyer is not much more than a wooden gazebo structure and will be a wind tunnel and freezing in the next few months unless they have some changes to come. The are also four corners where where the structure does not cover the inside allowing rain to come straight into the building.
The shows success has allowed them to increase prices and all the tickets I have brought are now between 20 to 40 higher on future shows.
London tube still filled with posters and advertising boards. Especially loved the lit up giant build board above the escalator for bakerloo line at Piccadilly tube where you can gaze up at the glowing faces of the group as you glide underneath them.
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Post by grannyjx6 on Aug 26, 2022 1:53:16 GMT
Booked tickets for April and used Seatplan as a guide, so thanks for the heads up about that. Amazingly, Ticketmaster had the cheapest tickets compared to the actual venue (side seats, but good reviews). Only booked because of the rave reviews on here, and my husband isn’t too keen on the fact that it’s so far away from the main London hub. For that reason I’ve booked the Sunday afternoon matinee, giving plenty of time to get there and back.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 26, 2022 7:36:03 GMT
Booked tickets for April and used Seatplan as a guide, so thanks for the heads up about that. Amazingly, Ticketmaster had the cheapest tickets compared to the actual venue (side seats, but good reviews). Only booked because of the rave reviews on here, and my husband isn’t too keen on the fact that it’s so far away from the main London hub. For that reason I’ve booked the Sunday afternoon matinee, giving plenty of time to get there and back. I'm sure you will have a great time. BTW Ticketmaster is the official ticket seller so when you go to the ABBA Voyage website and click on buy tickets it takes you to Ticketmaster. Also would suggest you check in advance on the TFL website to see if there are any weekend closures on the tube and DLR lines.
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Post by grannyjx6 on Sept 1, 2022 16:10:29 GMT
Booked tickets for April and used Seatplan as a guide, so thanks for the heads up about that. Amazingly, Ticketmaster had the cheapest tickets compared to the actual venue (side seats, but good reviews). Only booked because of the rave reviews on here, and my husband isn’t too keen on the fact that it’s so far away from the main London hub. For that reason I’ve booked the Sunday afternoon matinee, giving plenty of time to get there and back. I'm sure you will have a great time. BTW Ticketmaster is the official ticket seller so when you go to the ABBA Voyage website and click on buy tickets it takes you to Ticketmaster. Also would suggest you check in advance on the TFL website to see if there are any weekend closures on the tube and DLR lines.
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Post by grannyjx6 on Sept 1, 2022 16:11:43 GMT
Fingers crossed all the strikes will be over by then, but will definitely check before that the DLR and tube lines are open.
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Post by stevemar on Sept 2, 2022 11:35:38 GMT
To add to the chorus of approval, thumbs up here too. What a triumph of technical wizardry, a wall of sound and music and dazzling immersive atmosphere and lighting (though weak aircon). Great view from the seats - just off the centre. Danced about half the time as the seated audience was mostly seated, so it would be good to be on the dance floor another time.
Even though I fully entered into the spirit of the occasion, it still felt a bit odd - particularly during the extended anime sequences. Like a lot of concerts, the words weren’t always clear, but at least the volume covered our singing.
I wanted it to last longer, but I guess they are keeping back songs for changes in the repertoire, and the length is pretty standard for a gig.
Whilst we enjoyed the Olympic Park and restaurants at Westfield, the walk even with a pdf map from Stratford lacked basic signposting both ways, and following the crowd would have left us going the wrong way after the concert.
But everything else is pretty good!
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Post by richey on Sept 4, 2022 12:56:01 GMT
So I finally saw this last night after incredibly managing to avoid any major spoilers for the last few months. Wow what a show! We had seats on the very back row and occasionally the holograms looked a little flat, but boy the sheer spectacle made up for it. The screens, the lighting...incredible. When the lights descended from the roof, the view across the auditorium was breathtaking. I loved the choice of songs. When it started with one of my two favourite songs from them, then I knew it was going to be good. To then have my second favourite (When All is Said and Done) included when I wasn't expecting it actually made me cry, especially given my personal circumstances at the moment. An incredible show,there will be a return visit hopefully on the dancefloor for a different perspective.
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Post by distantcousin on Sept 7, 2022 20:22:05 GMT
Are they employing dynamic pricing on this show? I swear the same tickets for the same dates I looked at a couple of weeks ago have gone up from 65 to 97!!!?? Money grabbing b'stards!
Unfortunately it seems like Saturday afternoon (what we wanted) is the most expensive performance on any given week! Even the evening is cheaper
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Post by talkingheads on Oct 16, 2022 17:11:38 GMT
Saw it today. Incredible. I was stood right at the front and after a while I forgot it was a screen. I love that they included a bit of badinage and talking to the audience. Lovely to hear songs like The Visitors and Summer Night City too, not just a greatest hits. Is it right that they actually recorded more songs to update the show at some point?
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Post by alece10 on Oct 16, 2022 17:42:04 GMT
Saw it today. Incredible. I was stood right at the front and after a while I forgot it was a screen. I love that they included a bit of badinage and talking to the audience. Lovely to hear songs like The Visitors and Summer Night City too, not just a greatest hits. Is it right that they actually recorded more songs to update the show at some point? Yes there are a few more songs recorded, good excuse to go back again.
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Post by edi on Oct 18, 2022 17:40:51 GMT
TBH I wasn't that keen on this. It is like the difference between a CD and Vinyl. I found it very clean and sanitised.
Saying that, it was worth seeing it just for the technology. It's amazing how fast things are changing.....
In addition I am very glad it wasn't "ABBA Greatest Hits". That would have added to the CD ambiance.
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Post by fiyero on Oct 19, 2022 8:47:53 GMT
TBH I wasn't that keen on this. It is like the difference between a CD and Vinyl. I found it very clean and sanitised. Saying that, it was worth seeing it just for the technology. It's amazing how fast things are changing.....
In addition I am very glad it wasn't "ABBA Greatest Hits". That would have added to the CD ambiance. That was my main reason for going, the whole show! I was at the very back so could really take in all the lighting and effects in the auditorium
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Post by interval99 on Nov 14, 2022 21:38:17 GMT
Email for priority booking from tomorrow just arrived with general booking from Thursday for new booking period To the end of November 2023.
One of the hottest tickets in town, visitors from around the world and the ABBAtars will have played more concerts than the real ABBA did in their heyday, although with the sellout voyage concerts, Mamma Mia still playing in London and around the world, the Mamma Mia party dinner event still running and opening new venues, countless abba tribute bands playing around the world and the 30 year old gold album still in the charts they are having a pretty good heyday now.
Remarkable way for them to celebrate their 50th year since their first official recording as a group with people need love in 1962.
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Post by alece10 on Nov 14, 2022 21:43:18 GMT
Well I've been twice now and plan on another visit in the NY, just love the whole thing. Recommended it to my neighbours (couple in their early 30s) they went with friends and were in the dance arena. They just told me it's one of the best things they have ever seen and one of them has already booked again to take his mum. Just shows it attracts all generations.
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Post by karloscar on Nov 15, 2022 0:57:12 GMT
Now that the devoted fans have seen it (once at least) and raved about it for weeks, it's interesting that those with a more casual acquaintance with the songs, those going along out of curiosity, or dragged there by partners are reacting on social media in a similar way to the devotees. Friends who would once have said "I hate Abba, but..." think it's one of the best shows they've ever seen.
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Post by fiyero on Nov 15, 2022 10:56:00 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!
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