I felt I was in a time warp – they looked like ABBA, dressed
like ABBA and sounded like ABBA.
The group was billed as The
Music of ABBA, ARRIVAL from Sweden
and as I took my seat last evening at the Collier Theatre for the
Performing Arts in Medford, I naively assumed it would be random people singing
and playing ABBA music. From the minute they stepped onto the stage I was blown
away by their looks and by the end of the concert I was totally convinced that these
talented young people were not just performing ABBA music but that they were,
in fact, ABBA!
History reflects that the ABBA name sprang
to life in 1973 and was derived from the first initial of each member, Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid. ABBA jump started their career after winning
the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 but dis-banned in 1982 after dealing with
death and kidnapping threats. This could
not hold back the phenomenon that has followed ABBA music to this day as they profit
from record sales of over 400 million.
The
Music of ABBA, ARRIVAL from Sweden consisted of four young
performers taking on the personality and identity of the original ABBA
members. Jenny, as Agnetha, recreated
the heyday of ABBA with her singing of “As
Good As New”. Vicky, as Anni-Frid, sang
one of my favorites, “Money, Money, Money”. There
was also “SOS”, “Waterloo”, “Mama Mia”, “Chiquitita”, and the songs just went on and
on.
After 90 minutes of non-stop hits the
group walked off stage leaving me sad to think they would not be performing “Dancing Queen”. A standing ovation by the audience
brought the group back to the stage with a final sing-along of “Dancing Queen” that had everyone on
their feet.
If you are anywhere close to an
upcoming concert be sure to check them out.
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