With ABBA Voyage now taking bookings up to its fourth anniversary in May 2026, it’s fair to say that this groundbreaking digitally enhanced show has been a huge success.
In fact, ABBA Voyage has become a byword for the whole avatar concert concept. Mick Jagger called it a “technology breakthrough” and suggested that he wouldn’t be averse to using it to keep the Rolling Stones on the road (not that the real band are currently showing any signs of coming off it). And, just this week, Brian May was talking about the possibility of using hologram technology to get the original Queen line-up back together at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
The big advantage that ABBA had, of course, was that all their members were alive and able to take part in motion capture sessions to ensure that each of them moves as they should in the final show. We’re pretty sure that the death of a member or two won’t stop other bands reviving themselves in the future, though.
In fact, ABBA Voyage could end up being one of the most influential musical events of the decade. From an initial investment of £140 million, it’s estimated to have made over £100 million in 2024 alone, and has the big advantage of staying in one place - the 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - rather than having to soak up touring costs (though it should be said that there is a 10-piece live band to pay).
Speaking to Music Week, though, producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson say that their intention wasn’t to blaze a trail for others to follow.
“We never saw it as a new format but rather something quite unique that works for ABBA,” they point out. “We just tried to make something beautiful that would hopefully stir up emotion in the concert-goer. It was never about the tech, never about ‘activating a catalogue’. It was only ever about love for the craft and curiosity.”
The ‘catalogue’, of course, is ABBA’s huge library of classic songs, and the producers feel that it’s this, along with the knowledge that Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida were closely involved, that keeps people coming back for more.
“ABBA Voyage’s success is equal parts the appeal of ABBA themselves and the timeless music that they created,” say Gisla and Andersson. “It carries so much nostalgia and emotion, and all we had to do was protect that.
“We think that the audience can feel that what they’re experiencing is made by ABBA. That their DNA is in everything.”
What next, though? We know that Pophouse Entertainment, an investor in ABBA Voyage, has a Kiss avatar show in the works, and there are certain to be others. Gisla and Andersson, though, feel that it’s important that those who follow them tread their own path.
“The possibilities have always been there, but perhaps it took us to venture ahead,” they say. “We would hope that whoever comes after us would do something different, find their own idea and motivations. ABBA Voyage was never a format to copy.”
Tickets for the show are available now on the ABBA Voyage website.
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