ABBA Voyage to embark on global tour

The wildly successful ABBA Voyage virtual concert residency is set to tour the world, Universal Music Group chair Lucian Grainge has revealed.

More than one million tickets have been sold for the production, which has been a sensation since debuting at the demountable 3,000-cap ‘ABBA Arena’ at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in May 2022.

The project, which blends the virtual and physical worlds, brought the Swedish group – Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus (co-founder of lead investor Pophouse), Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – back to the stage (in avatar form) for the first time in 40 years, backed by a 10-piece live band.

The four members of ABBA spent five weeks being filmed by 160 cameras for motion capture as they performed the 22 songs that make up the show’s 95-minute runtime.

“Plans are now in development to take ABBA Voyage around the world”

“Plans are now in development to take ABBA Voyage around the world,” said Grainge during UMG’s Thursday (2 March) earnings call, as per Variety. There has been no indication as to when the tour will start, with Universal and ABBA yet to comment further on the plans.

The purpose-built ABBA Arena was devised by entertainment architect Stufish, under the direction of Gisla, fellow producer Ludvig Andersson and director Baillie Walsh. The structure is able to be relocated to another site at the end of its London tenure.

“There’s no reason why it couldn’t run and run and tour,” producer Svana Gisla told IQ last year. “It’s almost unbelievable how well it’s been received and continues to be received. It’s a special experience for us to be inside that auditorium with 3,000 people and watch people having such fun.

“This has never been about technology. This has never been about creating a spectacle. This has always been about creating the best possible ABBA concert we could. And every single decision, every step of the way, has been considered with only that in mind.”

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