By: Denet Grampp
Photo credit: Photo Courtesy ARRIVAL From Sweden
Cutline: ARRIVAL From Sweden will be performing the music of ABBA, Friday July 29, at Sandy Amphitheatre.
INFO BOX:
ARRIVAL From Sweden at Sandy Amphitheatre
Friday July 29, 2011, 8 p.m.
Admission: Premium $25, Priority $23, Lawn $15, Lawn Chairs $20
ARRIVAL From Sweden arrives Friday on the Sandy Amphitheatre stage to perform the music of ABBA.
“This is the third year, and every year people go crazy,” said Mearle Marsh, community events director for Sandy.
Karla Marsden, producer for the Sandy Arts Guild, has attended the concert twice and plans to go again this year.
“There is no concert that is more fun than this for dancing and singing along,” Marsden said. “It’s a rocking house.”
Marsh said the venue doesn’t usually book cover groups, but they made an exception for this one.
“There’s no way you’re getting ABBA,” Marsh said. “They will not perform together.”
In a 2008 interview with the Sunday Telegraph, original member Bjorn Ulvaeus explained ABBA’s position on touring.
“We will never appear on stage again,” Ulvaeus said. “There is simply no motivation to re-group. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were.”
ABBA is an acronym for the four original Swedish members of the group, Anni-frid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha. The two engaged couples combined their vocal and songwriting talents and broke into the music scene in 1974 when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo.” A string of hits followed and the group continued performing even after the two couples divorced.
Today ABBA continues to sell records, fueled in part by the popularity of the Broadway smash “Mamma Mia.” The musical features hit songs from the group and has been an international success. In fact, the show opened this month in China with the music reworked into Mandarin.
Given the universal appeal of the music of ABBA, there are several tribute groups out there to choose from. After viewing what was available, Marsh said ARRIVAL was far above the competition.
According to the groups website, ARRIVAL features authentic costumes and original ABBA musicians. ARRIVAL From Sweden is the only group who has the exclusive right to copy ABBA’s original outfits.
The group has a tight tour schedule with performances booked into 2012 and an international list of successfully sold-out shows.
Marsh said the shows typically involve everyone on their feet, dancing and having a great time with this band.
“It’s just so much fun,” Marsh said. “They’re really very good.”
Marsh said reserved seating for the concert is sold out, but there is still room on the lawn. He said the intimate nature of the venue promises patrons are never far from the action on stage.
“It’s a party up there,” he said.
