Abba Voyage celebrated its third anniversary on Tuesday night, and I had the extreme delight of being there to celebrate.
The widely acclaimed experience has been running for three years and appears to have been attended by everyone and their mums, and I don’t mean figuratively, as the event has become a sweet mother-daughter event bringing together Abba fans of every generation.
On Tuesday night, the Pudding Mill Lane arena opened its doors to press and celebrity fans for what can only be described as the best Tuesday night I may have ever had.
Some major changes have been made, and while some fans might be sad to learn a song has been dropped from the original set list, they’ll be delighted to learn the gig now includes four additional bangers.
Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money and Take a Chance on Me, some of Abba’s most beloved hits are now included in the set list, scattered throughout the new lineup.
Obviously, these songs are some of the band’s most famous, and the addition has somehow made the already perfect and incredibly profitable show even more sublime.
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Of course, the flawless production means that every song is unique and with frequent laser and light shows accompanying each song.
These additional four hits are no different, with Supertrouper getting some of the loudest applause of the night, and the staging of each feeling fresh and exciting to keep audiences captivated.
One change that won’t please everybody is the removal of the hit song When All Is Said And Done.
While it’s a beautiful song and was very much a beloved part of the original lineup, I didn’t feel like the show would have improved by keeping it in.
The show felt well choreographed and while every fan might have a personal favourite song not in the line-up (for me it’ could be’s either If It Wasn’t For The Nights or Slipping Through My Fingers) the set list is still ace, with a mix of some of the classics and some of the lesser-known hits.
The additional songs also mean that the runtime is now 100 minutes rather than 90 minutes, which means fans are getting even more bang for their buck!
At the beginning of the concert, I noticed fans taking snaps of people in a box, it was then later announced that the people were none other than former married couple, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad from Abba!
At the end of the concert, Frida said to the concertgoers: ‘Thank you for all of your support over the years. It’s hard to imagine that’s 50 years or more. I am turning 80 this year! I love you, thank you.’
In a statement ahead of the concert, Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida said: ‘When we first opened, we never imagined that we’d still be in London three years on.
‘We’re very grateful that so many of you have joined us. Of course, the reason for us being able to sustain our concert for so long is because of our incredible audience. As we say in Sweden… Vilken resa!’
As a special post-concert treat for the third anniversary, Benny and Frida were joined by Elvis Costello and Guy Garvey for an intimate performance for invited guests.
Guy sang The Winner Takes It All, while Elvis sang Knowing Me Knowing You, with Benny playing a grand piano for both acoustic performances.
The audience, including celebrity guests Richard Osman, Rob Brydon, and Eleanor Tomlinson, all joined in at the chorus and listened in rapture as Benny, 78, commanded the complete attention of the room.
While this obviously isn’t going to be something that happens at every concert in the future, it was incredible to see the ageing popstars support their digital legacy and ‘Abbatars’ as they can see with their own eyes how much their catalogue of music continues to have an impact decades on.
ABBA Voyage is available to book until January 2026.
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