Voyage Concerts

I have mixed feelings about Voyage coming here to Melbourne, as truedogz says our government just had the 'Horror' budget and given they decided not to have the commonwealth games after saying they would have them ended up going pear shaped.
The government want to ban gas appliances which means the people who work in the Gas industry will lose their jobs, there is so many things wrong I don't want to get too political as it's not what this forum is about.
I just feel even though it would be great it's not a good time at the moment.

Noel Gallagher said he saw the show abd was very impressed with it - and wouldn't mind an Oasis one.

www.nme.com/news/music/noel-gallagher-would-be-bang-up-for-oasis-hologram-show-after-watching-abbas-voyage-concert-3756769#

So I saw the concert twice this week (my fourth and fifth time). On Sunday afternoon I was standing for the first four songs right at the front of the stage. Then I had to leave and I spent thd rest of the concert in the area for the disabled far right to the stage (funny in a way but at least I could judge it from a different angle).

My conclusions:

1. it isn't true that the concert can be enjoyed equally from the different parts of the arena

2. the avatars are not as realistic as they seemed to be when watched from the front of the dance floor - you can clearly tell it is a screen you're watching

3. the 3D effect is somewhat lost when watching it from the side too - the avarars are strangly distorted then

4. the see-through screens are very obtrusive when watching from the side and they ruin the songs, which are performed behind them (Don't Shut Me Down and Thank You For The Music)

2. Whilst I wouldn’t say it’s obvious it’s a screen you’re watching, I did pick up on the fact that it’s not as realistic close-range. However, it does vary. At times one of the ‘Tars can look much more like the real thing than it does at others, and I’d apply this to all four of them. They’re not consistent. It’s OK though, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment.

4. Yes, I’d definitely agree with this. I was stood right at the front for the whole show last time I saw it. The curtains or see-through screens were indeed obtrusive. It was frustrating being able to see the ABBATars but not properly.

I hadn’t realised how good the avatars look doing DSMD. I was totally entranced by Agnetha on the screens that come down - this is her most realistic rendering I think.

I was at Voyage on Friday for the 3rd time and this time I was in area K, so as far to the right of the auditorium as one can get, while the other times I was more looking 'head on' at the stage, and I'm not sure if it was down to my positioning or the completely new band but this time it sounded different - in a good way. The songs' production had little bits I hadn't heard before, and ABBA's vocals were muted for the second chorus of Fernando so that you could hear the audience singing along (has it always done that? If so I didn't notice before). Obviously the backing band didn't stray too far from the original production, but it was nice to have a few different flourishes to keep things fresh and exciting). Strangely, from my different seating position, it was now Björn who looked the least life-like, and Agnetha more-so. Frida was the most life-like of the 4, followed by Benny, and that has always been the case no matter where I was sitting. A thoroughly enjoyable night. On a slightly different note, the day before we saw Mamma Mia in London, and although there are mixed opinions on this forum about Mamma Mia in general, it was excellent - and a million times better than the film!

Michal, yes the 3D effect was lost in some parts, but not completely, and not enough to make me never sit in that area again (although I wouldn't deliberately choose it if there were other options available). Regarding the sound, it wasn't quite as loud - the 2nd time I went which was this time last year it was almost too loud for me, and one of the arena staff kept asking on this year's visit if my young children wanted ear defenders. I'm glad they turned the volume down a slight notch. I naively looked around to see if Frida had made a sneaky appearance, then remembered she was in Sweden that day getting her award! 😁

Arrived at the ABBA Arena..

New tickets on sale for abba voyage now until 11th of May 2025

yeah i noticed that, I`m in Australia, and will often just log on and see what tickets are available....  I have no qualms if they want to pack it up and move it here  

I’ll probably end up eating my words if it happens, but I don’t see a second venue happening anywhere. I still think they’ve bitten off a lot more than they can chew with this and it could still be a very long time before they see any profit.

If it was really that easy, why aren’t other acts doing it? I know Kiss have talked about it but so far nothing’s happening. ABBA have the mass appeal that made it more viable, but I still don’t believe set changes and other venues are even remotely in the pipeline.

jj mentioned in his review in another topic how, at times, some of the ABBATars looked better than at others. I noticed that too. It would suggest to me that it was worked on over a considerable length of time and that perhaps technology improved enough to make them more realistic. But if that’s the case, why didn’t they go back and re-do some of the sequences where they don’t look as good? Answer: probably not even remotely financially viable to do so. And therefore a setlist change is even more unlikely.

"Victoria’s bulging debt means the Allan government is unlikely to be able to afford the tens of millions of dollars needed to secure the blockbuster ABBA Voyage production, in a sign Labor may finally be constraining spending in the state.

Labor insiders confirmed to The Australian Financial Review that despite enthusiasm for the holographic concert, which is turning over $3 million a week in London, the promoter’s demand for the Victorian government to provide up to a third of the estimated $100 million cost to host it in Melbourne was proving a bridge too far.

In May, Treasurer Tim Pallas delivered a $15.2 billion deficit, with net debt growing from $156 billion next year to $188 billion by 2028, as the government refused to press pause on major projects including the $125 billion Suburban Rail Loop and the $20 billion North East Link.

ABBA Voyage, which opened in London in May 2022 and features 3D renderings of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in their prime, sold more than 1.5 million tickets in its first 15 months, according to Bloomberg. But the production also required a purpose-built 3000-seat venue – ABBA Arena – in East London, to be built at a cost of £140 million ($270 million).

Business chiefs argue the economic boost to Melbourne from the production would be worth the huge outlay.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra, who met ABBA Voyage chief executive Michael Bolingbroke in London in June, said the event would be a coup for Melbourne.

“ABBA Voyage is not just a stage show, it’s a year-long attraction that will bring in visitors from across the world to Melbourne,” Mr Guerra said.

“On top of the obvious economic boost, there is a social one in terms of opening long-term job pathways for Victorians, for a period of years, not months.

“When we met with the ABBA Voyage team in London as recently as June 2024, their ambition to establish it in Melbourne was very much alive. The state government should do everything in its power to secure this opportunity for Victoria.

“It would further reinforce our mantle as the entertainment capital of Australia.“

Labor insiders warn the optics of spending up to host the event as staff at major Melbourne hospitals were told to save money by turning off lights and freeze new hiring, as reported by The Age, would not fare well.

“If I was an adviser in the treasurers’ office, I certainly would point that out. As a whole of government you’d need to time it appropriately,” one said.

“If [Labor and the promoters] can meet in the middle it will get up, but the asking price is too high right now. Their request is to build a new location because this needs specific technology, which they have in London. It is a huge infrastructure investment they’re asking for.”

Victorian tourism, sport, and major events minister Steve Dimopoulos said: “As Australia’s major events capital, we’re always looking at new opportunities and events for our calendar.”

Local promoters TEG Dainty declined to comment.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas and Premier Jacinta Allan have handed down their first state budget together."

www.afr.com/politics/cash-strapped-victoria-set-to-reject-blockbuster-abba-show-20240807-p5k09n

That’s a good trailer! I like to see live footage sync’d with studio recordings. I almost forget that live footage exists for some of those songs as I rarely watch it other than The Movie.