Taking it all the way

THE sounds of a helicopter over the speakers in the hall heralded the arrival of Abba’s most well-known tribute band, all the way from Sweden to Kuala Lumpur’s KLCC Plenary Hall, last Saturday night.
Arrival from Sweden landed on stage to deliver a show reminiscent of Abba’s heydays with costumes and moves similar to the original Swedish band’s. The two-hour-or-so performance took fans along on a fun ride of Abba’s greatest hits plus a few not-so-familiar ones.
The group comprises founder Vicky Zetterberg (also known as Victoria Norback), Jenny Gustafsson, Jonas Karlsson and Rolf Ivraeus. But after some 22 years performing as Abba lookalikes, it somehow doesn’t seem outlandish to identify them as their idols – Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson – respectively.
The four soon proved why they are worthy to take on their idols’ mantle, not only as the one tribute band to receive approval from Abba’s Ulvaeus and Andersson but also the only act to have exclusive rights to use official Abba costumes and to have original Abba musicians playing with the band.
This time, the four brought along bass guitarist Mike Watson, who had played with the original band for 10 years, as well as two other backup musicians and two backup singers.
Together, they recreated that Abba magic that first lit up the international music scene in 1974 at the Eurovision Song Contest with Abba’s breakthrough song, Waterloo.
The Plenary Hall was soon ringing to the familiar tunes of SOS, Money Money Money, Honey Honey, Voulez Vous, Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight), The Name of the Game, and Super Trouper.
These are just some of Abba’s 1970s hits that were made even more popular to a whole new generation of fans in the still-running 1999 West End musical Mamma Mia, which also had a 14-year run on Broadway, and the 2008 movie starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried based on the musical.
A sequel to that movie, due next year, is expected to draw even more fans to Abba’s music.
There were other golden nuggets from Abba’s past that night: Knowing You Knowing Me, Fernando (a personal favourite), Waterloo (of course) as well as Take a Chance on Me.
But one major highlight of the night had to be Gustafsson (Fältskog)’s heartfelt rendition of The Winner Takes It All, a song Ulvaeus wrote purportedly in reference to his divorce from Fältskog.
Karlsson with his electric guitar and Ivraeus on keyboard also had their moments in the limelight, showing off their musical skills on the instrumental piece Intermezzo No.1, as well as giving a drawn-out instrumental postlude to an earlier medley of The Name of the Game and Eagle, which had the crowd clapping in appreciation at the end.
Arrival also had the crowd up on their feet and fingers pointing to the sky on Mamma Mia, and doing a sweeping wave with their hands on Chiquitita.
By the time, the evening ended with the encore, Thank You for the Music and Dancing Queen, a mini disco party was happening right in front of the stage and people were having a ball.
There was even a couple, Alan and Carol Wallace, who came all dressed up as Fältskog and Ulvaeus. Who cares if his golden locks turned up to be a hairpiece: that night, he was channelling his idol, and she hers, and kudos to them both.
The Arrival from Sweden shows in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 2 and 3 were organised by AC Music Entertainment.