Alright, it’s not Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Björn and Benny, but as close to the real thing as it gets.
Let’s face it, it’s not the now elderly members of the most successful band of the long history of pop we love, but their brilliant (and you can list as many positive adjective as you like here) music. And if this music is re-created by another Swedish ensemble as true to the original as in Waterloo’s case, I won’t say no if they wanna Lay All Their Love on Me.
A year after a mind-blowing performance in 2009, the ABBA Show returns to town on February 13th. Labelled as “absolutely the best ABBA since ABBA” by the most devoted fans, the show features Sweden’s Waterloo, a world renowned group who bring ABBA to life, together with The National Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by Matthew Freeman and original band members Ulf Andersson and Roger Palm. This is the biggest ABBA show the world has ever seen, performed in sold-out venues from the US to Australia. In February, the audiences of Budapest’s Sportaréna and Főnix Hall in Debrecen will experience the never-ending magic that is ABBA.
Calling ABBA’s music feel-good is a massive understatement. When the Beatles broke up in 1970, fans of pop music were left out in the cold. Fortunately for them, and every generation since, ABBA emerged soon, and in the space of ten years, the Swedish foursome became the second best-selling band in history. And although ABBA ceased to exist in 1982, not a single day has passed without a radio or TV channel playing one of their hits since. Every decade has its ABBA-related film or musical: the ‘90s brought us The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Muriel’s Wedding, in the noughties we’ve got Mamma Mia! both on stage and the silver screen. Dancing Queen is still a karaoke favorite, millions of girls have murdered it through the years, feeling every word of it.
And what’s the secret of ABBA’s brilliance? A creative chemistry between four great musicians, being at the right place at right time of pop history, and a touch of magic. This magic is brought to you by the ABBA Show, starting at the end of the 60s when Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida met to play together for the very first time, and taking you to the very peak of the reign of ABBA. Trust us, even if you don’t get a foolproof recipe for success, you’ll leave the venue with a massive smile on your face singing ABBA tunes in your head. And there’ll be thousands of people doing the same around you.
February 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Papp László Budapest Sportaréna 1143 Budapest, Stefánia út 2.