ABBA: The Concert

In a real cliché girls’ night move, my ladies and I went to see an ABBA cover band at the Hollywood Bowl last summer. And at the risk of sounding like some sort of philistine, I have no shame in telling you it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a decade. And that’s not just the sangria talking. I did not care in the slightest that I was seeing a tribute act, not the original members. And I know I wasn’t the only one.

As a group of women in their mid-late 20’s, we were somewhat out of place. The other groups in attendance were mostly middle aged, even older than my parents, with a few scattered bachelorette parties and girls night outs. The group in front of us even openly shushed us when we were making too much noise during the opening act (high school bands competing for the ABBA-capella crown.)

As soon as ABBA – The Concert (as these imposters called themselves) hit the stage, all that slipped away. Everyone – young, old, man, woman – was singing and dancing as one. It seemed as if everyone knew every word, which is daunting if you think about how many hits they have and how old the songs are. During “Waterloo” I turned to the man next to me, unable to contain my joy. I grinned and yelled, “Waterloo! I love this song!” and he smiled back, slightly confused, and asked me in a heavy accent, “Are you Swedish?” “No!” I responded, and we gleefully continued belting the chorus back at the stage.

Let’s start with the name. ABBA stands for the members’ names – Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid. (A quick Google search also told me that Abba is a word in the New Testament of the Bible, an intimate word for God or Father. Interesting, for the band that sired a thousand covers and even a hit musical?) Sure, an acronym makes sense, but there’s something about the simplicity – A.B.B.A – that goes beyond just an acronym. There are four people, but it reduces them to just two letters, making them feel interchangeable and generic. It also feels significant that it’s the first in the English language, easily grasped by someone just learning the language (such as themselves.) Building blocks. Something to build more from.

Benny once said about the song “Money Money Money”, “I imagine someone else doing it, not necessarily us, someone standing on a platform, singing these lyrics.” With Mamma Mia!, they finally got their wish. The musical was produced for the first time on the London stage in 1999. “With Mamma Mia! Benny and Bjorn created and controlled their very own ABBA tribute band.” (Vincentelli, Elizabeth “33 1/3 ABBA Gold”). It’s a chicken or the egg scenario – was Mamma Mia! So successful because the world was already used to ABBA tribute bands? Or are ABBA covers successful because in our mind, we see Meryl Streep and Colin Firth singing the songs?

Despite the sheer audacity of their wardrobes, ABBA has always had somewhat of a visibility problem. The band members always kept a relatively low profile. Unlike the couples of say, Fleetwood Mac, Agnetha/Bjorn and Benny/Frida did not air any dirty laundry in public. They kept their relationships, divorces, and lives after the band broke up quite private. “You don’t really know who the ABBA members are as persons. They are perhaps perceived as somewhat anonymous providers excellent pop music, and not so much as ‘artists’.” (Carl Magnus Palm).