when did abba first tour australia

ABBA Australian Tour 1977 Itinerary

• View history

ABBA Australian Tour 1977

February 27th - March 13th

ABBA & Management:

Promoter: Paul Dainty

Tour Leader: Michael Barnett

Australian Tour Manager: Michael Chugg

Asst. Tour Manager: Graham Maddigan

Production Manager: Eric Robinson

Publicity: Patti Mostyn

Australian Musical Director: Graeme Lyall

Play Dates:

Thursday March 3rd Sydney Showgrounds 8.30 p.m.

Friday March 4th Sydney Showgrounds 8.30 p.m.

Saturday March 5th Melbourne Sidney Myer Music Bowl 8.30 p.m.

Sunday March 6th Melbourne Sidney Myer Music Bowl 2.30 p.m. & 8.30 p.m.

Tuesday March 8th Adelaide Westlakes F'ball Stadium 8.30 p.m.

Thursday March 10th Perth Entertainment Centre 6.00 p.m. & 9.00 p.m.

Friday March 11th Perth Entertainment Centre 9.00 p.m.

Saturday March 12th Perth Entertainment Centre 2.30 p.m. & 8.30 p.m.

'ABBA' & Management Touring Party

Björn & Agnetha Ulvaeus

Benny & Anni-Frid Andersson/Fredriksson

Peter Grönwall

Hans Fredriksson

Stig Anderson

Paul Dainty

Mr & Mrs Thomas Johansson

Michael Barnett

Bob Jones & Richard Norton (ABBA personal security)

J. Spaulding & C. Broughton

Mr & Mrs Morris Smith (RCA)

'ABBA' & Management - Itinerary

Sunday 27th February Arrive Sydney, Australia

Flight QF 8

Time 9.15 p.m.

Limousines To Hotel

Hotel The Sebel Town House

Elizabeth Bay Road

Elizabeth Bay NSW

Phone (02) 358 3244

Telex: 20067

Monday February 28th

Press conference The Sebel Town House

11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. New Zealand Radio & Television

12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. 4BC Radio Brisbane

3.30 to 4.00 p.m. Television news & current affairs progs

4.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Press & radio

5.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. Sounds Unlimited & Flashez TV programmes

6.00 p.m. to 6.15 p.m. Daily Mirror newspaper winners

6.15 p.m. to 6.45 p.m. Countdown TV programme

The above is subject to slight alteration

Tuesday March 1st

Limousines 9.30 a.m. to:

'ABBA' life story interview EMI Sound Studios

231 Miller Street,

10.00 a.m. to 12 noon North Sydney

Phone: (02) 922 7866

Interviewer: Trevor Smith

Limousines Back to hotel

Sound rehearsal: Sydney Showgrounds

Driver Avenue, Paddington

Backstage phone: (02) 33 3520

Time: 8.00 p.m.

Depart Hotel 7.30 p.m.

Return to hotel when ready

Wednesday March 2nd

Sound & string rehearsal: Sydney Showgrounds

Return to hotel When ready

Thursday March 3rd

Concert One performance

Venue Sydney Showgrounds

Sound rehearsal: 2.00 p.m.

Depart hotel 1.30 p.m.

Depart hotel 7.00 p.m.

Show time 8.30 p.m.

Friday March 4th

Saturday March 5th Sydney to Melbourne

Luggage in lobby 8.00 a.m.

Depart hotel 8.45 a.m.

Depart Sydney 9.30 a.m.

Flight AN 1065

Arrive Melbourne 10.45 a.m.

Limousines To hotel

Hotel The Old Melbourne Motor Inn

Flemington Road, North Melbourne

Phone (03) 329 9344

Telex: 32057

Town Hall reception: To meet the Lord Mayor

Councillor Donald Osborne

Limousines depart hotel 12.30 p.m.

Reception 12.45 p.m.

Return to Hotel 1.30 p.m. (approx.)

Venue Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Kings Domain, Melbourne

Phone: (02) 63 8547

Sound Rehearsal: 4.00 p.m.

Depart Hotel 3.30 p.m.

Please note: before retiring for the night please put your watches back one

hour as daylight savings finishes on Sunday March 6th at 3.00 a.m.

Sunday March 6th

Concerts Two performances

Sound rehearsal: 12 noon

Depart hotel 11.30 a.m.

Show time (no. 1) 2.30 p.m.

Return to hotel 5.00 p.m. (if required)

Show time (no. 2) 8.30 p.m.

Monday March 7th

Tuesday March 8th Melbourne to Adelaide

Luggage in lobby 12.30 p.m.

Depart hotel 1.00 p.m.

Depart Melbourne 1.50 p.m.

Flight AN 204

Arrive Adelaide 2.25 p.m.

Hotel The Parkroyal Motor Inn

South Terrace, Adelaide

Phone: (08) 223 4355

Telex: 81256

Venue West Lakes Football Stadium

Turner Drive, West Lakes

Phone: (08) 268 2088 or 268 2254

Sound rehearsal: 4.00 p.m.

Depart hotel 3.30 p.m.

Wednesday March 9th Adelaide to Perth

Luggage in lobby 10.30 a.m.

Depart hotel 11.15 a.m.

Depart Adelaide 12 noon

Flight AN 6754

Arrive Perth 1.30 p.m. (Perth time)

Hotel The Parmelia

Mill Street, Perth

Phone: (092) 22 3622

Telex: 92365

Thursday March 10th

Venue Perth Entertainment Centre

Wellington Street, Perth

Phone: (092) 22 4766

Sound & string rehearsal: 3.00 p.m.

Depart hotel 2.30 p.m.

Show times 6.00 p.m. & 9.00 p.m.

Limousines available for return to hotel at anytime before, during and after performances

Friday March 11th

Sound check: at artiste's discretion

Depart hotel 8.00 p.m.

Show time 9.00 p.m.

Saturday March 12th

Sound rehearsal: at artiste's discretion

Depart hotel 2.00 p.m.

Show times 3.00 p.m. & 8.30 p.m.

Limousines available to return to hotel at anytime before, during and after performances

Sunday March 13th Perth to London

Luggage in lobby 5.15 p.m.

Depart hotel 5.45 p.m.

Depart Perth 7.30 p.m.

Flight QF 7

Arrive London 7.10 a.m. on Monday March 14th

• 1 Jim Croce
• 2 New Seekers

ABBA Omnibus

Everything abba for everyone | abbaomnibus.com abbaomnibus.net, european & australian tour 1977.

Setlist Venues Musicians Full Australian tour itinerary European tour programme Australian tour programme Preliminary setlist

2. That’s Me

3. Waterloo

5. Sitting In The Palmtree

6. Money, Money, Money

7. He Is Your Brother

8. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

9. Dum Dum Diddle

10. When I Kissed The Teacher

11. Knowing Me, Knowing You

12. Rock Me

13. I Am An A

14. I’ve Been Waiting For You

15. Mamma Mia

16. Fernando

17. Why Did It Have To Be Me

18. Intermezzo no 1

19. “The Girl With The Golden Hair” – a mini-musical – a. Thank You For The Music b. I Wonder (Departure) c. I’m A Marionette d. Get On The Carousel

20. So Long

21. Dancing Queen

22. Thank You For The Music (reprise)

So Long not performed at all concerts on European leg of the tour So Long not performed at first concert in Sydney, Australia on 3 March Mamma Mia reportedly performed after “The Girl With The Golden Hair” at one concert Fernando performed after “The Girl With The Golden Hair” at one concert, possibly in Melbourne, Australia on 6 March (matinee show)

I Wonder (Departure) released as the B side to The Name Of The Game single 17 October 1977

Excerpts from Fernando, Rock Me, Why Did It Have To Be Me, Money, Money, Money, and Waterloo released on the giveaway flexidisc EP ABBA/LIVE 77 December 1977

Fernando released on the CD/LP ABBA Live 18 August 1986 Money, Money, Money released on the CD ABBA Live 18 August 1986

Get On The Carousel released in ABBA – The Movie 15 December 1977

Venues Musicians Full Australian tour itinerary European tour programme Australian tour programme Preliminary setlist

ABBA – The Movie

ABBA – THE MOVIE on DVD

• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• Manage subscriptions

Flashback to ABBA in Sydney

Taronga Zoo, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW

Stunning harbour views as viewed from Taronga Zoo in Mosman.

#ilovesydney

LOG IN TO DOWNLOAD

All content assets downloaded from the destination nsw media centre are for editorial use only.

New media user? Register now

• SUPPORTING IMAGES & VIDEOS SUPPORTING IMAGES & VIDEOS

On February 27, 1977, there was something in the air that night when iconic music sensations ABBA landed at Sydney airport greeted by 2,000 screaming fans. Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid had journeyed down under for a tour and Bandstand special, The Best Of ABBA . The popstars have actually visited the Harbour City twice — in 1976 they came to release their single Fernando .

So, to celebrate the launch of ABBA’s new album Voyage , why not start planning a trip to Sydney and follow ABBA’s footsteps exploring the city.

Stay where ABBA stayed The Swedish band rejuvenated and held a press conference at the magnificent modernist Sydney Hilton, which opened in 1975 — the second five-star hotel to open in Australia.

Then: The Hilton had a façade that resembled a concrete box and an interior dominated by beige and brown. Guests could sit in the underground speakeasy, Marble Bar, and sip Agnetha’s favourite tipple, whisky, or stock up on local fashion at nearby House of Merivale.

Now: Known now as the Hilton Hotel Sydney, the luxe property soars above Pitt Street, all glass and light. Perch at the opulent Glass Brasserie for Luke Mangan’s fine fare, slip into Marble Bar (yes, it’s still trending) for live music and cocktails, then rest your dancing feet in your Corner Suite with skyline views, plush linen and modernist pops of colour.

Play where ABBA played ABBA played a sold-out concert at the former Sydney Showground at Moore Park to 20,000 frenzied fans. “The Australian tour was the most incredible of all the things I experienced with ABBA. There was fever, there was hysteria, there were ovations,” said Agnetha Fältskog in her book As I Am .

Then: The Sydney Showground was home to an international speedway – Saturday nights were spent watching sprint cars race around the egg-shaped track. The Royal Easter Show was also a big event here before it moved to Homebush in 1998.

Now: The Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park is a now a playground for young and old, with a farmers market, cinema and adrenaline adventures. Stock up on organic goodies at the Cambridge Market , dine on pizza and pasta at Fratelli Fresh or go Hyper Karting on level five of the carpark.

Cruise the Hawkesbury on a piece of pop history In 1976, ABBA explored the tranquil inlets of Cowan Creek in the Hawkesbury River region on the MV Kangaroo – a classic 36-foot Halvorsen boat, which you can still hire today.

Then: ABBA lounged on day beds on the rear deck, stopped for a beach picnic and jumped in a rowboat to explore the pristine surrounds of the Hawkesbury. You can watch their MV Kangaroo antics in their music video, Tropical Loveland .

Now: MV Kangaroo is like stepping back in time with an intricately crafted wooden interior, galley kitchen and nautical stripes. Have a steer of the original galver, soak up the sunshine on the rear deck and cook fresh-caught fish on the barbecue.

Cruise Sydney Harbour to Taronga Zoo On their first visit in 1976, ABBA cruised the glittering harbour pausing at Taronga Zoo where Frida and Agnetha cuddled a four-month-old red kangaroo.

Then: By the late sixties, Taronga Zoological Park Trust had built the large exhibits we know today for big cats and apes and removed the monkey circus and elephant rides to make way for Platypus House and the walk-through Rainforest Aviary.

Now: Catch a ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo and spend the day marvelling at giraffes, Sumatran tigers and elephants, all with a stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Then stay overnight in a luxurious eco resort right inside the zoo at Wildlife Retreat.

Visit a Koala Sanctuary Like most international tourists, ABBA were keen to see koalas up close, so they visited the Koala Sanctuary at Bobbin Head in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

Then: Nestled in beautiful bushland dotted with waratahs, the sanctuary was established in the 1950s and there were enclosures for about 20 koalas.

Now: While ABBA’s koala corner closed long ago, visit Koala Park Sanctuary in West Pennant Hills and see kangaroos, dingoes, wombats and emus. There’s also a farmyard petting zoo and acres of rainforest and bushland.

Stay in ABBA’s secret sanctuary According to those in the know, ABBA stayed with Reg Grundy, the late entertainment industry mogul, in his waterfront home in the leafy enclave of Narrabeen.

Then: The singing superstars bunkered down here for some relief from the fan hysteria that followed them everywhere on the 1970s tour.

Now: Escape to ABBA’s beachside bolthole Narrabeen and spend the day surfing, sunning and sipping by the sea. Grab breakfast from Oceans , margaritas from Mexicano , pizza from Moonlight Social House , and Mid-Century treasures from Eclectic Find .

To follow in ABBA’s footsteps and plan a trip to Sydney, go to www.sydney.com .

Share your favourite holidays in Sydney and NSW on social media using @sydney #ilovesydney @visitnsw #lovensw.

Please stay up to date on the latest NSW Government health advice regarding COVID-19 and travel within NSW, here .    

Houseboat, Hawkesbury River Credit: Destination NSW

Houseboat on the Hawkesbury River near Wisemans Ferry at sunset.

Curious giraffes peering over their enclosure at Taronga Zoo, Sydney.

North Narrabeen Beach, North Narrabeen Credit: Destination NSW

Surfer's arriving early to catch a wave at North Narrabeen Beach, North Narrabeen.

• Accommodation

Arts, Culture and Heritage

• Nature & Adventure
• Food & Drink

MORE INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

More Inspirational Stories

Everything Free at Vivid Sydney 2024

Sydney 2 days ago

A first-timer’s guide to Vivid Sydney

Sydney 3 weeks ago

Arts, Culture and Heritage Sydney

Where to eat, stay and play during Vivid Sydney

Arts, Culture and Heritage Food & Drink Luxury

Great Southern Nights Guide: Western Sydney

Sydney 1 month ago

Arts, Culture and Heritage Nature & Adventure Food & Drink

Dive Into Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ Nightlife

Arts, Culture and Heritage Food & Drink Sydney

Great Southern Nights Guide: Sydney

Accommodation Arts, Culture and Heritage Food & Drink

The ultimate Swiftie guide to Sydney

Sydney 2 months ago

Road Trips Arts, Culture and Heritage Food & Drink Sydney

Your Sydney summer culture guide

Recharge in the Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains 2 months ago

Accommodation Road Trips Nature & Adventure Food & Drink Luxury Sydney Blue Mountains Central West

Reset on a NSW short break

NSW 2 months ago

Accommodation Road Trips Sydney Blue Mountains Country & Outback

10 things to do in Sydney during summer holidays

Sydney 3 months ago

Accommodation Food & Drink Luxury

And action! Step behind Sydney’s scenes

Arts, Culture and Heritage Food & Drink Aquatic & Coastal

8 luxe hotels for Sydney staycay

NSW 3 months ago

Accommodation Food & Drink Luxury Sydney

Where to eat, stay and play in Bondi

Aquatic & Coastal 3 months ago

Food & Drink Sydney

10 ways to soak up Sydney’s summer

A music lovers’ guide to Sydney

Arts, Culture and Heritage 3 months ago

Embark on a luxury Sydney Harbour cruise

Luxury 4 months ago

Accommodation Food & Drink Aquatic & Coastal Luxury NSW Industry Sydney

6 beachside breaks on the North Coast

NSW 4 months ago

Accommodation Family Road Trips Arts, Culture and Heritage Food & Drink Aquatic & Coastal NSW Sydney Lord Howe Island North Coast

Western Sydney's CHU Restaurant by China Doll crowned Asian Restaurant of the Year

Sydney 4 months ago

Food & Drink NSW Industry

Sydney's Maybe Sammy #1 in Top 500 Bars

Breweries, bars, live music, pho and community in Marrickville

Food & Drink 4 months ago

How to savour Sydney’s sunshine

NSW 5 months ago

Road Trips Arts, Culture and Heritage Nature & Adventure Food & Drink Aquatic & Coastal Sydney Blue Mountains Central Coast

Uncover the ultimate creative playground in Sydney

Sydney 5 months ago

Chippendale Neighbourhood Guide

Arts, Culture and Heritage 5 months ago

10 sensational Sydney bars

Sydney 6 months ago

Accommodation Food & Drink Luxury NSW Industry Sydney

Embark on an edible Sydney adventure

Food & Drink 6 months ago

Family Aboriginal Culture Nature & Adventure Aquatic & Coastal Sydney Blue Mountains

Exploring Sydney's Parramatta

Accommodation Family Arts, Culture and Heritage Luxury NSW Industry Sydney

Follow the Sapphire Coast oyster trail

Food & Drink 7 months ago

Road Trips Food & Drink Aquatic & Coastal Luxury NSW Industry NSW Sydney South Coast

8 ways to play at FIFA Fan Fest

Sydney 7 months ago

Food & Drink Sport Sydney

10 spectacular Sydney dining experiences

Food & Drink 8 months ago

Dive into Sydney's arts and culture

Arts, Culture and Heritage 8 months ago

Hit refresh at Sydney's world-class spas

Luxury 8 months ago

Luxury Sydney

Tackle these 5 NSW sporting events

NSW 8 months ago

Sydney Snowy Mountains South Coast

Immerse yourself in Sydney arts and culture

Arts, Culture and Heritage NSW Industry Sydney

Family fun in Sydney

Family 8 months ago

Feast from the Blue Mountains to Orange

Food & Drink 9 months ago

Sydney’s art scene with Aarna Fitzgerald Hanley

Sydney 9 months ago

6 snuggle-worthy NSW tiny stays

Nature & Adventure 9 months ago

Road Trips Sydney Country & Outback North Coast South Coast

Cruise the coast from Coffs to the Tweed

NSW 9 months ago

Accommodation Road Trips Nature & Adventure Food & Drink Aquatic & Coastal Luxury NSW Industry NSW Sydney North Coast

Reset and re-energise in NSW

Accommodation Road Trips Arts, Culture and Heritage Aboriginal Culture Nature & Adventure Aquatic & Coastal Luxury NSW Sydney Blue Mountains Lord Howe Island Outback NSW

Be inspired by Sydney’s art & soul

Arts, Culture and Heritage Aboriginal Culture Food & Drink

Connect to NSW’s Aboriginal culture

Family Arts, Culture and Heritage Aboriginal Culture Nature & Adventure NSW Industry Sydney Blue Mountains Central Coast Central West Country & Outback North Coast Outback NSW South Coast

Four soul-warming winter road trips

Road Trips 9 months ago

Accommodation Road Trips Aboriginal Culture Nature & Adventure NSW Sydney Blue Mountains Country & Outback Outback NSW

Sydney’s music scene with Jake Smyth

Arts, Culture and Heritage NSW Industry NSW Sydney

Be spellbound by magical Mudgee

Accommodation Food & Drink Luxury NSW Industry Sydney Central West

Relax and rekindle in NSW wine country

NSW 10 months ago

Accommodation Road Trips Food & Drink Luxury NSW Sydney Country & Outback

Escape to a luxe countryside retreat

Accommodation Road Trips Food & Drink Luxury NSW Sydney Blue Mountains Central West

See Sydney anew on a cultural tour

Family Arts, Culture and Heritage Aboriginal Culture Food & Drink NSW Industry NSW Sydney

Credit: Destination NSW

Vivid Sydney 2023 - Written in the Stars

#feelnewsydney #vividsydney

From 24 May to 15 June, Vivid Sydney returns to spark connection, wonder and reflection through Light, Music, Ideas and Food.

Over 23 nights, activations, projections, gigs, performances, talks and food will converge across our Harbour City as we explore this year’s theme of humanity together. The best part? So much of Vivid Sydney is free for you to experience (save for tapping your Opal card, of course!).

See our guide to free Vivid Sydney events below – some require you to register in advance as they have limited spots, but we’ll signpost those. To plan your Vivid Sydney visit, don't forget to use  MyVivid  to save your favourite events and create a shareable itinerary.

Vivid Sydney’s famous Light Walk is completely free, so lace up your sneakers and take in the 8km stretch packed with wondrous installations and projections. To make the most of your experience, we suggest you break up the Light Walk over several nights. The walk stretches from Circular Quay all the way to The Goods Line, and features over 30 large-scale projections and immersive, interactive works. See the full program or check out our top picks below.

LIGHTING OF THE SAILS: ECHO BY JULIA GUTMAN

This year, witness the Sydney Opera House sails be transformed by a p rojected tape stry of fabric with 2023 Archibald Prize winner Julia Gutman’s reimagining of the Narcissus myth. Each year, the Lighting of the Sails is always captivating, and Julia’s beautiful blend of storytelling, fabric patchworks and technology will be a truly unique spectacle. The beauty of this story will reverberate in your mind long after the lights are switched off.

SEA, SAND AND STARS  

Immerse yourself in celebrated Chinese-Australian artist Guan Wei's visionary world. Watch as the story splashed across the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s fac a de take s you f rom deep in the sea to the outer reaches of space, and back to Bondi Beach. This is the first time Guan Wei’s work has been transformed into a light projection and the result is a poetic journey that explores both the mystical and the everyday.

Get ready to lose yourself in this hypnotic, full-body experience where light and sound combine to distort space and perception. This free installation at Harbour Park, Barangaroo by Spanish light and sound studio Playmodes is a mesmerising encounter that challenges and expands your sense of possibility and reality. It’s time to explore new horizons!

Step into this large-scale circular projection by Leila Jeffreys and Melvin J. Montalban and witness the ethereal dance of the brolga, one of only two native Australian cranes. These majestic, larger-than-life birds soar as though in mid-air, inviting you to reflect on the wonder of nature and our enduring connection with the environment. 

GUMSCAPE WITH ROAD AND CREATURES  

Strap yourself in and get ready to embark on a surreal road trip with legendary Australian musician and artist Reg Mombassa. Watch Customs House come alive with retro-futuristic robots, one-eyed koalas and other strange creatures in this reimagining of Australian icons. You can also catch Reg performing as part of Dog Trumpet for a live and free concert outside Customs House on Saturday 25 May at 7:30pm.

HIKA RAKUYO 

Experience the ephemeral beauty of life through a dazzling light and laser show at Cockle Bay. Direct from Japan, this stunning work by Tokyo-based artist collective ETERNAL Art Space is inspired by Japanese philosophy, Australian flora, the transient beauty of flowers and our deep connection to nature. 

GLOBAL RAINBOW

Gaze up as beams of rainbow lasers stretch 40kms across the Sydney cityscape from the Sydney Tower – wrapping its arms around Vivid Sydney with a spectrum of hope and inclusivity.  

Look up at a building that looks back at you. Step up to the Omnivisu view finder in Tumbalong Park, and see your own eyes projected onto a distant building. This work by Berlin and New York-based design studio TheGreenEyl gives the otherwise faceless silhouette of our city a human face.

SYNTHETIC HUM(AI)NITY

This piece by Sydney based studio VANDAL is a triptych of humanity, technology and Artificial Intelligence splashed across the ASN Clock Tower. Step up to this visual, interactive and conceptual exploration of our evolving relationship with AI and rethink what it means to be human.

It’s time to take a seat and make a new friend! As you approach this fun, interactive work from Amsterdam-based design studio VOUW Studio, an illuminated chair unfolds inviting you to sit down. Once seated, the chair next to you becomes available, encouraging an unexpected encounter with someone you’ve just met.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR (DRONE SHOW)

Look up and witness a heart-stirring drone show painting the sky with universal symbols of love. This aerial spectacle of light and colour celebrates our innate capacity to connect. This not-to-be-missed show will dazzle Vivid Sydney for three nights only on the 8, 9 and 12 June. 

Tumbalong Park, the heart of Vivid Sydney's Light Walk, transforms into Tumbalong Nights, a vibrant stage for contemporary music, echoing with sounds that celebrate our shared humanity. For 23 unforgettable nights, the park comes alive under the starlit sky, featuring a stellar line-up of international voices, local talent and DJs – all for free. Plus, special performances for kids light up the stage every Saturday at 5pm.

You can turn up any night of the festival and experience music that will move you or get organised and pop our highlights below in your diary now.

MALLRAT AND TIFFI (FRIDAY 24 MAY)

Get ready to kick off Tumbalong Nights in style and immerse yourself in a night of indie-pop and intimate lyricism from internationally adored Brisbane export Mallrat and the wry and dreamy sounds of Western Sydney’s tiffi.

JALBU MUNA (SATURDAY 25 MAY)

Join this powerful celebration of the stories and songs of First Nations women. This vibrant, all-women line-up bridges culture, Country and generations through a night of music, dance and First Nations traditions at Tumbalong Nights. This free night of music is curated by musician Deline Briscoe and features Christine Anu, Kee'ahn and many more. 

CLUB BROADWAY + THE CARPENTERS FROM KEMPSEY (SATURDAY 1 JUNE)

This will be an unforgettable night of theatrics, singalongs and laughter as show-stopping musical theatre sensation Club Broadway sing you through top musical numbers with all the energy of a big night out. Don’t miss fabulous tribute band The Carpenters From Kempsey who’ll also grace the Tumbalong stage.

K-INDIE MUSIC FEST FEAT. SILICA GEL + SUNWOOJUNGA (FRIDAY 7 JUNE)

Immerse yourself in the captivating sounds of Korea's most exciting K-Indie acts, sunwoojunga and Silica Gel. This Australian exclusive performance is a unique opportunity to experience the depth and diversity of Korean music: a blend of folk, indie-pop and rock.

GRENTPEREZ AND FRIDAY* (SATURDAY 8 JUNE)

This promises to be a night of fresh sounds to elevate the Saturday night of your June long weekend. Enjoy the R&B and vintage bossa nova croon of 22-year-old Western Sydney sensation grentperez and the genre-bending groove of FRIDAY*.

3% PRESENTS 'KILL THE DEAD' ALBUM LAUNCH (FRIDAY 14 JUNE)

An extraordinary celebration of First Nations stories and sound, the innovative rap powerhouse 3% will take centre stage with a performance of its debut album  KILL THE DEAD . See the whole album performed live, plus catch appearances from all the album’s guest contributors including Jess Mauboy, Tia Gostelow, Marlon Motlop, Stay True God and Denni.

BUDJERAH AND JEM CASSAR-DALEY (SATURDAY 15 JUNE)

Join pop sensation Budjerah and singer-songwriter Jem Cassar-Daley as they close Tumbalong Nights out with an evening of soul-stirring R&B pop and indie magic on 15 June. This is your opportunity to experience two of Australia's most compelling voices with a night of uplifting melodies and storytelling.

Vivid Ideas is more than a series of talks; it's a platform for activation and inspiration, an opportunity to challenge and reshape perspectives on the world and peoples’ role within it.

This year’s theme of humanity will be grappled through live performances, panel discussions, walking tours, immersive dance pieces and other thought-provoking experiences. Spark your empathy, intellect and imagination with our free program highlights below.

AFTER THE FACT

Join a free, lively and stimulating panel discussion every weeknight that dissects the day's news and current affairs, moderated by Tom Wright. A great way to kick-off your Vivid Sydney evening and to engage more deeply with the day’s breaking news with a drink in hand at Rekodo, Barangaroo House.

WINDOW DRESSING  

This performance art piece turns the Frank Gehry-designed building at UTS into a canvas of illuminated stories, inviting onlookers to peer into eight windows animated by a “performance” in each, allowing you to indulge our natural curiosity about the lives of others. Right in the Fire Kitchen action, this free show is not to be missed when visiting The Goods Line.

A NEW NORMAL

What does sustainability look like in the not-too-distant future? Find out when you sit on furniture made entirely from rubbish, feel the heat radiating from a sauna powered by leftovers and see below the bonnet of an old petrol car transformed into a solar-powered 'forever car'. This immersive future-prototype hub is an opportunity for people of all ages to see sustainable, innovative ideas up close and in action.

SPIRITS OF THE HOEY

It’s time to relive the glory days of legendary Sydney music venue, the Hopetoun Hotel, through a panel chat and VR documentary. Featuring Hoey-regulars Sarah Blasko, Clyde Bramley, Sally Seltmann and more, this is a fun and illuminating trip down memory lane.

Don’t forget to register for tickets to attend this free event here .

ART AFTER HOURS X VIVID SYDNEY

This Vivid Sydney special edition of the Art Gallery of NSW’s ever-popular Art After Hours brings together stellar Light Walk artists Julia Gutman, Leila Jeffreys, Reg Mombassa and Guan Wei. They’ll discuss art's role in understanding humanity and the talk will be moderated by Benjamin Law.

NOWHERE TO BE

Watch this breath-taking portrait of a bustling world in stillness. This free, Australian premiere of this compelling documentary offers a fresh look at the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of 31 international cinematographers. Surprising, moving and utterly compelling, catch it at UTS’ Chau Chak Wing Museum on The Goods Line.  

SAY MY NAME: THE HUMANITY OF NAMES

Explore what it means to have a so-called “unusual” name in a panel discussion led by Jan Fran. Hear personal stories and cultural histories, then leave with insights and tools for rectifying mispronunciations and working together for a more respectful and inclusive society. Don’t forget to register for tickets to attend this free event here .

This year Vivid Sydney is serving up two Food options where you can experience the best of the globe’s cuisines for very little. In fact, you can visit VividPlace Food Trail and Vivid Sydney Fire Kitchen without spending a dime. You’ll have to exercise very strong willpower though, as the air will be filled with the delicious smells of fire cooking and market fare. Rest assured, there are options at either end of the Light Walk to suit anyone on a budget.

VIVIDPLACE FOOD TRAIL

Behind Customs House, Sydney Place and Bulletin Place laneways transform into VividPlace Food Trail, a night market that brings the world's culinary delights to the heart of Sydney. With over 20 restaurants, bars and market stalls to choose from, it's a chance to explore global cuisines right on Circular Quay's doorstep, no reservations required.

VIVID FIRE KITCHEN

Bask in the glow of open flames and enjoy the best of flame-cooked street food as you celebrate the diversity of NSW’s food scene. Food trucks, markets stalls and barbecue stands will serve the best Filipino, Spanish, Sudanese, Lebanese, Greek, Mexican and Italian dishes, plus much more. You’ll also be able to catch cooking demos by the best in the business.

At Vivid Sydney, every activation is an invitation to explore and celebrate the many facets this year’s theme of Humanity. We hope our many free events help to enlighten, entertain and inspire you across the 23 nights of the festival.

Vivid Sydney 2024 - HIKA RAKUYO Credit: ETERNAL Art Space

Vivid Sydney 2024 - HIKA RAKUYO

Vivid Sydney 2024 - NEST Credit: Leila Jeffreys and Melvin J. Montalban

Vivid Sydney 2024 - NEST

Vivid Sydney 2024 - 3% Credit: Savitri Wendt

Vivid Sydney 2024 - 3%

Vivid Sydney 2024 - Club Broadway Credit: Dream Syndicate

Vivid Sydney 2024 - Club Broadway

Vivid Sydney 2024 - Fire Kitchen Credit: Destination NSW

Vivid Sydney 2024 - Vivid Food - Vivid Fire Kitchen

ALL ASSETS FROM THE DESTINATION NSW MEDIA CENTRE ARE FOR EDITORIAL USAGE ONLY AND MUST BE USED IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

For all non-editorial usage, please visit the Destination NSW Content Library .

REGISTER NOW

Access assets curated for media and content creators..

Permission Request

Destination NSW wants to access your Destination NSW Media Centre account.

This application will:

• View your basic account information
• View your email address
• View your phone number, if provided
• View your street address, if provided
• View basic information about your organization, if provided
• View your site usage
• View your asset download activity

This access will help Destination NSW manage copyright owner rights, provide you with digital assets, keep you updated with new information and improve your user experience.

Do you agree to allow this access? If yes, click the REGISTER button.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

Destination NSW wants to review your registration for your Destination NSW Media Centre account.

This review will:

• View your basic information about your organisation, if provided

This will assist Destination NSW manage copyright owner rights, provide you with digital assets, keep you updated with new information and improve your user experience.

By clicking REGISTER, you agree that you have read and agree to the TERMS & CONDITIONS and Destination NSW's PRIVACY POLICY

Local news:

Sign up to newsletters from 7NEWS

How australia helped catapult abba to stardom.

ABBA - Part 1

Forty years ago, Australia was gripped by ABBA mania.

The talented Swedes were mobbed everywhere they went. Young and old lined streets and packed their concerts.

We embraced them wholeheartedly as honorary Aussies, which was fitting because, without Australia, they may not have become one of the greatest music groups on earth.

In an Australian exclusive, Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog revealed to Sunday Night the pivotal role our nation played in catapulting ABBA to the top.

A special revelation from ABBA - their secret project is unveiled. Head inside the recording studio with the band as they work on their new masterpiece.

Rewind to 1974 and the relatively unknown ABBA was representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Swedish foursome was up against Australia's own red hot favourite Olivia Newton-John, who was allowed to compete for Britain because of her UK heritage.

In the seaside resort of Brighton, ABBA took to the stage and performed 'Waterloo'.

The song resonated with fans and they won the contest.

However, like many one-hit-wonder Eurovision winners, ABBA’s career faltered with the release of their second song.

“We chose the wrong song as a follow up…in everybody’s minds, it seemed that they had decided (we) would be forgotten," Bjorn Ulvaeus confessed to Sunday Night reporter Rahni Sadler.

"It was a struggle and we have our Australian friends to thank for the fact that we came back.”

So how did Australia help catapult ABBA to stardom?

Countdown host Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum began playing their music videos to Australian audiences.

“We got a great reaction from the public.” Meldrum told Sunday Night .

In fact, the moment 'Mamma Mia' went on sale in Australia, it shot straight to number one.

Before long ABBA was topping the charts all around the world and the rest is history.

Over a ten year career, ABBA became one of the most successful bands in the world.

Catchy choruses and upbeat music delivered hit after hit with a staggering 380 million records sold.

But a highlight will always be the 1977 tour of Australia.

“The fantastic amazing thing was having people along all that way, waving with flags and banners," Ulvaeus told Sunday Night .

"That was something incredible because that rarely happened those days, anywhere.”

Stream free on

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Head over heels: why an Abba obsession is as Australian as Muriel’s Wedding

Of course we were excited about the pop group’s new album – this is the place where an Abba TV special got more viewers than the moon landing

W hen Abba announced their first new album in 39 years last week, Benny Andersson said the band’s most memorable concert experience was their first Australian gig: in torrential rain in Sydney, in 1977. “It still sits in my mind. It was pouring down, there was mud all over the place, and 50,000 umbrellas. It was a wonderful sight.”

Australia’s feverish affection for Abba has long been a curiosity to other countries. Already, preorders for Abba’s upcoming album Voyage are selling out on the Australian site, but our national devotion to these flamboyant Swedes has been going strong for some 46 years.

I was five years old when I first heard the euphoric opening bars of Dancing Queen. From that moment, I was captivated.

I coveted my mum’s Abba Gold CD, poring over the liner notes which to this day remain dog-eared and covered in sticky, yoghurty fingerprints. My best friend, Lucy, also fell hard and it was perhaps a peculiar sight for two five-year-olds in 1992 to be roleplaying “Abba” in the playground and competing over who got to be our favourite member, Anni-Frid (it was always Lucy because she was a brunette and I was blond). We’d even coerce our younger siblings into playing the parts of Benny and Björn, orders with which they would begrudgingly comply.

Twenty-nine years on, my unabashed infatuation with Abba has yet to subside and last week’s announcement marked a day I never thought would come.

After achieving moderate success in European countries, Australia catapulted Abba to stardom way back in 1975 after the music video for I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do aired on Countdown. From there, Abba held the No 1 spot on the charts for 39 weeks during 1976 with Fernando spending a whopping 14 weeks at No 1 in Australia. Countdown host Molly Meldrum famously made a decision after 12 weeks not to show the music video, resulting in furious Abba fans causing a switchboard meltdown at the ABC. The video was reinstated for the remainder of its No 1 position.

Even as a five-year-old, the music videos were a key part of my fascination with Abba. Rainy days were spent obsessively watching and rewinding a VHS compilation of clips, always fast-forwarding the 80s ballad, One of Us, because the theme of divorce and break-ups was a) rather too complex for my five-year-old brain and b) just seemed decidedly boring as Agnetha repainted an apartment in the video (present day me now considers this their best work).

A 1976, an Abba-in-Australia TV special got more views than the 1969 moon landing. The Best of Abba was screened four times to record-breaking ratings.

Abba-mania reached fever pitch during the 1977 tour – their only concert tour of Australia and, with an entourage of 106, the biggest tour ever attempted in the country at the time. Fans and media besieged the Swedes from the moment they got off the plane, climbing barricades, cyclone fences and throwing themselves in front of their cars. In his book Bright Lights, Dark Shadows, Abba historian Carl Magnus Palm quotes tour manager Thomas Johansson: “A mother ran up and put a baby down on the highway so that [the] caravan of cars would stop – only to get an autograph. That was to the extreme, but that sums up how mad and totally crazy the whole thing was.” According to the same book, the manager of a hotel Abba slept at in Melbourne cut up their bed sheets after they left, and distributed squares of it through the Sunday Observer.

In her autobiography, As I Am: Abba Before & Beyond, Agnetha recalls the mayhem that had consumed Australian fans. “There was fever, there was hysteria, there were ovations, there were sweaty, obsessed crowds. Sometimes it was awful. I felt as if they would get hold of me and I’d never get away again.”

The 1992 release of Abba Gold saw the Abba revival gain momentum, but it wasn’t until 1994, when both Muriel’s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert made their debut on screens, that our obsession reignited.

Muriel’s Wedding, the story of a social outcast and Abba fan, tapped into the national psyche and spawned a catalogue of new catchphrases including Muriel’s quip: “Now my life’s as good as an Abba song. It’s as good as Dancing Queen.” Australians collectively embraced our past as Abba superfans and Abba became woven into our national identity.

When ABBAWORLD, an interactive museum exhibition, toured Australia, emblazoned on the entrance wall was: “There is nothing more Australian than an unhealthy relationship with Abba.”

Each May, thousands of people descend on the small town of Trundle, in regional New South Wales, for Australia’s only festival dedicated to the Swedish supergroup.

Australian fans who have been fortunate to nab tickets to one of the virtual concerts, performed by Abba-tars and held in a purpose-built arena in London, are all holding their breath, unsure whether international travel restrictions will allow them to make the pilgrimage next year.

But for five-year-old me, and for the many of us in Australia who woke at 2.45am last Friday for the global announcement, the news of a brand new album has simply brought a surreal comfort during uncertain times.

• Pop and rock

Most viewed

During the 1970s, fate - in combination with talent and hard work - would have it that one of the most dominating forces within the field of popular music was a group from Sweden. ABBA, a musical entity consisting of two couples, became by far the most successful act of that decade, even one of the biggest phenomenons’s of the whole century.

As far as the world knew, ABBA's story started in April 1974 when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo, but by that time the group had existed for two years and the individual members were virtual show business veterans in their native Sweden.

It all began in June 1966, when Björn Ulvaeus met Benny Andersson for the first time. Björn was a member of the Hootenanny Singers, a popular folk music group, while Benny was a member of the Hep Stars, Sweden's number one pop band at the time.

In the summer of 1966, the two groups were touring Sweden's popular open-air Folkpark circuit when they happened to meet up at a crossroads. The Hootenanny Singers were planning a party that night and invited the Hep Stars to come along. Björn and Benny soon found that they had a lot in common, and when they met at another party later that summer, they decided that they should try to write something together.

With the help of Björn's father, they transported all the instruments and amplifiers to his office in the middle of the night. The result was a song called Isn't It Easy To Say, which was later recorded by the Hep Stars, and the first seeds had been sown for what eventually would blossom as ABBA.

By 1969, the popularity of the two groups had begun to wane somewhat, and after their respective summer tours of that year, the Hootennany Singers became more or less a recording act doing the occasional live performance, while Benny chose to leave the Hep Stars altogether. The two friends continued to write and record songs, encouraged by record company owner and publisher Stig Anderson who was to become ABBA's manager. Stig had great belief in the the songwriting and producing talents of Björn and Benny, assuring them that they would achieve worldwide success sooner or later.

The second Björn & Benny single was a song called Hej gamla man! ("Hey Old Man!") which featured the backing vocals of their respective fiancées Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, the first time the four future ABBA members appeared on the same record.

Frida, who had been a recording artist since the autumn of 1967, had met Benny when she appeared with a cabaret act in the town of Malmö in the south of Sweden in March 1969 - the Hep Stars had an engagement at another venue in the same town. Agnetha, a successful solo singer since her breakthrough in early 1968, had met and fallen in love with Björn in May 1969 when the two of them appeared in the same TV special.

It was as the cabaret act Festfolk, having the double meaning "engaged couples" and "party people" that the foursome first introduced themselves to the public in November 1970. This first attempt was ultimately not very successful, and all thoughts on a permanent group where shelved for the time being.

Meanwhile, they continued to appear on each other's records, and working together in different constellations. In July 1971 Björn and Agnetha got married, and in the autumn of that year Björn and Benny started working as house producers at Stig Anderson's record company Polar.

In the spring of 1972, it was decided to try the foursome concept again, and the first true ABBA single, People Need Love, was recorded. Released under the somewhat clumsy name "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid", it became a Top Twenty hit in Sweden. On the back of that success, the two couples started to record a whole album together in the autumn of 1972, although they were far from sure if there was any long-term future in the group.

In February 1973, they took part in the Swedish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest with Ring Ring, a song composed by Björn, Benny and Stig. At the time of the contest, Agnetha was highly pregnant with Björn's and her first child, daughter Linda.

The group only finished third that year, but the Swedish and English-language singles and the album of the same name were by far the most popular of the Swedish contestants, and they soon found themselves at the top three places of the Swedish combined singles and albums chart. It was only with this final confirmation of their popularity that the four decided to put their respective solo careers on the back burner and concentrate on the group.

Everyone realised that the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida (as Anni-Frid now was called on their records) was far too unpractical, however. For the sake of convenience, Stig Anderson had come to refer to them as ABBA - an acronym of their Christian names - and when a "think of a name for Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida" competition held in a newspaper reached the same conclusion, the decision was sealed.

The only problem was that there already existed a Swedish canned fish company of that name, but when Stig asked them if they would mind lending their name to a popular music group, they fortunately did not object.

During the summer of 1973, the group set out on a tour of the Swedish Folkparks, but it was not until the autumn, when they started recording their next album, that ABBA became their official name. Late that year, Björn, Benny and Stig made a new attempt to come up with a winner for the Eurovision Song Contest. This time, the result was Waterloo, which effortlessly won first the Swedish heats in February, and then the finals in Brighton, England on 6th April 1974.

The Waterloo single became their first truly international hit, topping the charts in England, West Germany, Norway and Belgium, and reaching the Top Five in several other countries. Even the United States succumbed to the instant hit quality of Waterloo, sending it to Number Six on the Billboard Charts.

ABBA soon found themselves travelling all over Europe, appearing on countless TV and radio shows over the next several months. But as many Eurovision Song Contest winners can testify, it is one thing to have a big hit with your winning song, and another to follow it with something that proves that you are more than a one hit wonder.

ABBA ran into trouble almost immediately when every single they released in the UK over the next 18 months barely scraped into the charts, although they had continued success in many other European countries.

The autumn and winter of 1974 and early 1975 saw the group touring Europe and also recording their third album, simply titled ABBA upon its release in the spring of 1975. It was with the third single from that album, SOS, that they finally had a big UK hit again, the first of 18 consecutive Top Ten hits.

This was followed by Mamma Mia, their first UK Number One since Waterloo, and the song that together with I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do gave ABBA their great breakthrough in Australia during the summer of 1975. The enormous success ABBA had in several other territories notwithstanding, Australia was perhaps the country that most wholeheartedly embraced ABBA over the next few years.

In March 1976, ABBA released their Fernando single, which was one of their most successful ever. The same month they started recording sessions proper for their Arrival album, which was released in the autumn, reaching Number One virtually everywhere. The album had been preceded by the Dancing Queen single, released in August 1976, but actually recorded at the same time as Fernando a full year earlier. ABBA's biggest selling single ever, Dancing Queen was also their only US Number One.

The next single from the Arrival album was Money, Money, Money, and while this song conquered the charts, ABBA were busy preparing for their tour of Europe and Australia, due to commence in February 1977. Notable for the 3.5 million ticket applications that were received simply for the two concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, the tour was a complete success with capacity houses everywhere. Small wonder that the current ABBA single, Knowing Me, Knowing You spent five weeks at Number One in the UK charts.

When the tour reached Australia in March, work was also begun on the feature film ABBA - The Movie, which went on to become one of the most successful films worldwide during 1978.

Back in Stockholm after the tour, Björn and Benny started writing new songs, and in May 1977 the group began recording sessions for what was to become ABBA - The Album. The release of the album in December 1977 (the Nordic countries only, the rest of the world in early 1978) had been preceded by the single The Name Of The Game. Just as ABBA - The Album was released in Sweden, Agnetha also gave birth to her second child, Christian.

The second single from the new album was Take A Chance On Me, another major hit which also reached the Number Three in the US. Indeed, part of the spring of 1978 was devoted to a major promotional campaign in the United States, a territory notable for being a little more resistant to ABBA's charms than most other countries. As a result, ABBA - The Album became their highest charting US album ever, reaching Number Fourteen.

ABBA themselves were soon back in the studio again, recording tracks for a new album. The first result of those sessions was the Summer Night City single, released in September 1978. Ultimately not included on the upcoming album, it was ABBA's last Number One hit in their native Sweden, reaching the top position on 6th October, the same day that Frida and Benny finally got married after more than nine years as a couple.

In January 1979, the group released another single, Chiquitita, which was premièred at an all-star UNICEF gala in New York, becoming ABBA's most successful single of 1979. On a more distressing note, the release of the single coincided with the news that Björn and Agnetha had decided to get a divorce. Although there was much speculation that this would mean the end of ABBA, both parties agreed that their marital split actually took a lot of tension off their working relationship

Work on the new album continued throughout the spring, and in April 1979 the Voulez-Vous album was finally released, almost at the same time as Does Your Mother Know, the last single to feature Björn as lead vocalist.

The autumn of 1979 saw the group set out on a tour of Canada, the United States and Europe, and at the same time they released their brand new Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) single. The tour ended in Ireland in November, and was followed by the release of the successful I Have A Dream single.

A new year meant a new album, and 1980 was no exception. February found the group back in the studio again, although for the first time since 1975 they actually took a break from recording work to complete their final tour, taking place in Japan during three weeks in March. It was not until July that a new single appeared, The Winner Takes It All, which reached Number One in the UK, The Netherlands, and Belgium.

The next single, Super Trouper, was released as the lead-off single from the album of the same name in November 1980, and was the last of ABBA's nine UK Number Ones, a statistic topped only by The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard.

If this seemed like a promising start for the new decade, February 1981 brought further sad news when Benny and Frida announced their divorce. Echoing Agnetha's and Björn's statement, Benny and Frida maintained that their marital split did not affect their work with ABBA, and the group soon started recording what was ultimately their last album.

In December 1981, the single One Of Us was released almost simultaneously with the album The Visitors, and both releases soon found themselves in the higher regions of the charts all over Europe.

1982 turned out to be ABBA's final year together, and although they planned to record a new album, they did in fact only release two singles and the compilation double-album The Singles - The First Ten Years.

The double-album was soon at the top of several charts, but the first of the new singles, The Day Before You Came, met with mixed reactions. It only reached 32 in the UK, although in Sweden, Norway and The Netherlands, it was a Top Five single, even reaching Number One in Belgium.

The very last ABBA single to be conceived and released by the group during their active life was the December 1982 single Under Attack, which also had varied success on charts over the world.

Around this time, the individual group members were starting to feel that it was time to take a break from ABBA and move on to other challenges for a while. As it turned out, the four of them never recorded together again.

But after a few years when pop music fans had been distracted by new groups and new sounds, public interest in the Swedish foursome reached new heights in the 1990s. The compilation album ABBA Gold, released in 1992, topped the charts the world over, becoming the group's biggest seller ever.

However, despite all this revival success, no reunion has been on the cards as yet, and the group members constantly deny that they have any such plans. But the music is still there for anyone to enjoy - and a remarkable legacy it is, too.

Carl Magnus Palm.

Freeola.com

Remembering ABBA: The Movie

By Julie Burns | September 21, 2021

Shot across six weeks in 1977 on their seminal Australian 10-day tour, ABBA: The Movie remains the band’s definitive in-concert document…

According to one review critic: “[ ABBA: The Movie ] was really the first widescreen pop music showcase… It remains a very rare portrait of a 70s pop band at the height of its popularity.”  

Digitally remastered and re-released in 2008, ABBA: The Movie was first conceived as a home movie, a TV Special, then a documentary, before this ‘rockumentary concert’ movie.  

As writer/director Lasse Hallström’s first film in English, he later found fame with movie hits including What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? , Chocolat , and The Cider House Rules . He also directed the majority of ABBA’s 38 promotional videos, from 1974 debut Waterloo to their farewell Head Over Heels , in 1982.

Chiming with the release of ABBA: The Album , ABBA: The Movie  spans songs from the LP plus earlier hits, and such otherwise unavailable gems as Get On The Carousel .  

By the time of ABBA’s arrival in Australia on 27 February 1977, the group’s record sales had eclipsed that of The Beatles. We meet the Swedish ‘Fab Four’ at a ‘welcome’ press conference. When asked: “Is every performance ‘traumatic’?”, Benny answers, “Every show you’re nervous,” and, “I’d hate the sound of 30,000 fans booing!” As for Agnetha: “I find the travelling very hard. I start to think, ‘Where am I? Which city?’” Björn says: “It’s an unsocial life, it kills creativity in a way I don’t like.” Livewire Frida adds: “It’s boring to travel, fantastic to be onstage!” Did they make loads of money? “A lot of money coming in, a lot of tax to pay. Money isn’t that important, it’s liking the work that is,” says Benny. And to Agnetha, how did it feel having the sexiest bottom in pop? “How can I answer that? I don’t know, I haven’t seen it!” (It still caused some off-tone-titled gig reviews such as ‘Agnetha’s Bottom Tops Show!’). ‘ABBA Risk Their Lives’ ran a more serious headline, when rain-swept arena stages threatened danger (a distinct hazard for then-pregnant Agnetha, necessitating many of her scenes shot in close-up).

The quartet, clearly in their heyday, are dynamic onstage. For optimum acoustic recording, the film sticks mainly with one indoor gig at Perth Entertainment Centre. Latest album tracks are showcased: He Is Your Brother ; Eagle ; the startling Agnetha and Anni-Frid duet to I’m A Marionette .

Classic hits, of course, rock the crowd: SOS , Money, Money, Money , So Long , Rock Me , to Fernando ; the girls’ favourite, Dancing Queen , and their lesser-known slower duets, I’ve Been Waiting For You to Why Did It Have To Be Me? .

More material not instantly recognisable includes Benny playing his prog-rock pop Intermezzo No. 1 ; the instrumental Stoned and Swedish traditional songs Johan Snippen and Polka Goes , performed by Benny on accordion.

Even the film’s country-and-western track intro is an early 70s Björn and Benny composition: Please Change Your Mind , performed by Swedish country band Nashville Train – who were made up of several musicians from ABBA’s studio band.

Dizzyingly edited from Hallström’s 50 hours of footage, unusually, no out-takes or DVD extras would ever surface. Concert coverage is spliced throughout with the (deliberately) thin fiction of hapless DJ Ashley Wallace, assigned to interview the band and despite frequent near misses, unable – until the last minute – to do so (a plot device apparently kept from the group to add authenticity).

After a surreal dream sequence in which the girls sing The Name Of The Game , he finally gets to meet and talk with them all in an elevator. Traversing Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne, Ashley interviews members of the public on the appeal of ABBA. A surprising number of under-12s are fans of their music and perhaps sum it up best as “Special” and “Happy”.  

Huge crowds had come to watch the band perform, while cheering fans lined their entire 19km airport route to Melbourne. ABBA-mania in full swing.

Björn Ulvaeus later admitted to some misgivings about ABBA: The Movie. “…Quite honestly, I don’t think that films with pop stars work very well. Of course, The Beatles are an exception and Tommy was a big hit – but there have been lots of other pop films that have sunk without trace… Seeing the film came as a bit of a shock. It’s hard to recognise yourself up there on a giant screen in Panavision. But then we’ve had many moments when it has been hard to accept the things that have been happening to us.”  

Nevertheless, on departing Down Under, the message was positive: “We had such a good time,” the foursome agree. As DJ Ashley broadcasts his hard-won interview, in the background plays ABBA’s timeless concert closer, Thank You For The Music . More than 40 years on, the sentiment is still shared by the band’s global fanbase.  

Read more: Making ABBA’s Waterloo

Read more: making abba’s ring ring, check out abba’s official website here.

Julie Burns

Andy bell talks erasure: abba-esque, the best pet shop boys cover art, you may also like.

Madonna Superfan – Anna-Clare Mumby

Superfan: Mute Records – Dennis Yarwood

Depeche Mode – covers for the masses

Alison Moyet interview

Erasure Interview: Turn On The Bright Lights

Search classic pop.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Privacy Overview

The Official Site

Get the ABBA newsletter

Receive the latest ABBA related news and promotions. Your information will never be sold, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

In focus: ABBA On Stage

During ABBA’s years as an active group, most top-level artists were expected to conduct regular, extensive worldwide tours. Although ABBA didn’t quite play the game according to the rules, they did meet their audience from time to time.

Then, in 1974, the international breakthrough with ’Waterloo’ happened. At the same time the four friends cemented their working relationships and changed their name to ABBA. It was only then that they conducted a tour that took them outside Swedish soil. The original plans for the outing were quite extensive, but it was soon clear that the ’Waterloo’ hit alone would not be enough to sustain a really major tour. Tentative dates in England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Turkey, Israel, Greece, Yugoslavia and Spain were abandoned, and only West Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordic countries remained. Agnetha and Björn didn’t want to be away from their one-year-old daughter Linda for too long either, and therefore the itinerary was divided into two parts: Denmark, West Germany, Austria and Switzerland in November (as it turned out, the Switzerland concert was cancelled because of poor ticket sales), with a trek of the Nordic countries following in January 1975. However, except for this last leg of the tour, the venture was only partially successful. Clearly, ABBA had not built up the broad fan base needed to truly attract a non-Scandinavian audience to a concert hall.

During the summer of 1975, Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida made their second and last trek of the Swedish folkparks, although it was much less extensive than the outing two years earlier. The folkpark circuit had traditionally been a very modest set-up, where artists were expected to perform two or sometimes three gigs a day – at different venues. They would rush in to the park, set up their gear and storm through a 30-minute show before dashing off to the next engagement. In 1975, ABBA were bona fide pop stars and had altogether different ambitions with their concerts, bringing a quite elaborate show with special effects into the parks. In part, the tour also served to compensate for a cancelled outing planned for the previous summer.

The final shows A further two and a half years elapsed before ABBA went on tour again. In the meantime, Agnetha and Björn had become parents for the second time and then divorced. Agnetha was now more eager than ever to stay home with her children. However, in 1979 the group agreed that it was high time that they did a tour again, and they also wanted to explore the possibility of improving their fortunes in North America, where they had only done television appearances before. In September they set out on a tour of North America and Europe, starting in Canada. The three weeks in North America were followed by a ten-day break before the group ventured out on their tour of Europe. Perhaps the most famous part of this tour was the six nights spent at London’s Wembley Arena, where ABBA’s television special ABBA In Concert was filmed. As it turned out, ABBA In Concert and ABBA – The Movie were to remain the only documents available to show the group live in a bona fide arena concert. In 2004, ABBA In Concert was released on DVD, with rare bonus selections. Read more about ABBA’s tour of North America and Europe in the Articles archive.

After returning home from the tour of Europe in November 1979, ABBA took a break, then started writing and recording what was to become the Super Trouper album. But in March 1980, they put on their stage costumes again, embarking on what was to be their very last tour as they spent three weeks visiting the arenas of Japan. After the Japanese venture, ABBA’s public profile became lower than ever, with a minimum amount of television performances as their only public outings. In early 1981, Benny and Frida announced their divorce, killing the last vestiges of romance in the ABBA image and further increasing the emotional distance between the four friends. At the end of 1982, the group finally called it a day. The ABBA era was over.

ABBA tour dates This list of live concerts covers the tours conducted during the period 1974–1980, when the group operated under the name ABBA. It lists only concerts actually played, not dates that were cancelled or prematurely announced. Furthermore, it is limited to concerts played as part of an official tour, not one-off club gigs.

1974 Tour of Europe November 17. Copenhagen, Denmark: Falkonercentret November 18. Hanover, West Germany: Kuppelsaal November 19. Munich, West Germany: Deutsches Museum November 21. Frankfurt, West Germany: Jahrhunderthalle November 22. Berlin, West Germany: Hochschule für Musik November 23. Nuremberg, West Germany: Meistersingerhalle November 25. Innsbruck, Austria: Kongresshaus November 27. Vienna, Austria: Stadthalle November 29. Bremen, West Germany: Glocke November 30. Hamburg, West Germany: Musikhalle

1975 Tour of the Nordic countries January 10. Oslo, Norway: Chateau Neuf January 11. Stockholm, Sweden: Konserthuset January 12. Lund, Sweden: Olympen January 17. Copenhagen, Denmark: Tivolis konsertsal January 18. Gothenburg, Sweden: Scandinavium January 20. Helsinki, Finland: Finlandiatalo January 22. Umeå, Sweden: Universum

1975 Tour of the Swedish folkparks June 21. Skellefteå, Sweden: the local folkpark June 22. Sunderbyn, Sweden: Sunderby loge June 25. Hudiksvall, Sweden: Köpmanberget June 26. Björneborg, Sweden: the local folkpark June 27. Borlänge, Sweden: the local folkpark June 28. Eskilstuna, Sweden: the local folkpark June 30. Stockholm, Sweden: Gröna Lund July 3. Malmö, Sweden: the local folkpark July 4. Storebro, Sweden: the local folkpark July 5. Kristianopel, Sweden: Masten July 6. Gothenburg, Sweden: Liseberg July 7. Borgholm, Sweden: Slottsruinen July 8. Linköping, Sweden: the local folkpark July 9. Gamleby, Sweden: the local folkpark

1977 European and Australian Tour January 28. Oslo, Norway: Ekebergshallen January 29. Gothenburg, Sweden: Scandinavium January 30. Gothenburg, Sweden: Scandinavium January 31. Copenhagen, Denmark: Brøndbyhallen February 1. Copenhagen, Denmark: Brøndbyhallen February 2. Berlin, West Germany: Berliner Deutschlandhalle February 3. Cologne, West Germany: Sporthalle February 4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Jaap Eden hal February 5. Antwerp, Belgium: Arenahal February 6. Essen, West Germany: Grugahalle February 7. Hanover, West Germany: Ellenfriedehalle February 8. Hamburg, West Germany: C.C.H. February 10. Birmingham, England: Odeon February 11. Manchester, England: Free Trade Hall February 12. Glasgow, Scotland: Apollo Theatre February 14. London, England: Royal Albert Hall (two concerts) March 3. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Showgrounds March 4. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Showgrounds March 5. Melbourne, Australia: Sidney Myer Music Bowl March 6. Melbourne, Australia: Sidney Myer Music Bowl (two concerts) March 8. Adelaide, Australia: West Lakes Football Stadium March 10. Perth, Australia: Perth Entertainment Centre (two concerts) March 11. Perth, Australia: Perth Entertainment Centre March 12. Perth, Australia: Perth Entertainment Centre (two concerts)

1979 North American and European Tour September 13. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Edmonton Sports Arena September 15. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Pacific National Exhibition September 17. Seattle, Washington, USA: Seattle Arena September 18. Portland, Oregon, USA: Paramount Theatre September 19. Concord (Bay Area), California, USA: Concord Pavillion September 21. Los Angeles/Anaheim, California, USA: Anaheim Convention Center September 22. San Diego, California, USA: San Diego Sports Arena September 23. Tempe (Phoenix), Arizona, USA: The Active Center September 24. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Performing Arts Theater, Aladdin Hotel September 26. Omaha, Nebraska, USA: Civic Auditorium September 27. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA: St. Paul Civic September 29. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Auditorium September 30. Chicago, Illinois, USA: Auditorium Theater October 2. New York, New York, USA: Radio City Music Hall October 3. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Music Hall October 6. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Forum October 7. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Maple Leaf Gardens October 19. Gothenburg, Sweden: Scandinavium October 20. Stockholm, Sweden: Isstadion October 21. Copenhagen, Denmark: Falkonerteatret October 23. Paris, France: Pavillion de Paris October 24. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Ahoy Sportpaleis October 25. Dortmund, West Germany: Westfalenhalle October 27. Munich, West Germany: Olympiahalle October 28. Zurich, Switzerland: Hallenstadion October 29. Vienna, Austria: Stadthalle October 30. Stuttgart, West Germany: Sporthalle Böblingen November 1. Bremen, West Germany: Stadthalle November 2. Frankfurt, West Germany: Festhalle November 3. Brussells, Belgium: Forest National November 5. London, England: Wembley Arena November 6. London, England: Wembley Arena November 7. London, England: Wembley Arena November 8. London, England: Wembley Arena November 9. London, England: Wembley Arena November 10. London, England: Wembley Arena November 11. Stafford, England: Bingley Hall November 12. Stafford, England: Bingley Hall November 13. Glasgow, Scotland: Apollo Theatre November 15. Dublin, Ireland: R.D.S. Main Hall

1980 Tour of Japan March 12. Tokyo, Japan: Budokan March 13. Tokyo, Japan: Budokan March 14. Kohriyama, Japan: Sogo Tai-iku-kan March 17. Tokyo, Japan: Budokan March 18. Tokyo, Japan: Budokan March 20. Fukuoko, Japan: Kyu Den Tai-iku-kan March 21. Osaka, Japan: Festival Hall March 22. Osaka, Japan: Festival Hall March 24. Nagoya, Japan: Aichi-ken Tai-iku-kan March 26. Tokyo, Japan: Budokan March 27. Tokyo, Japan: Budokan

Forgot password?

No account yet? Get one

The ABBA Quiz is for all ABBA fans who want to test their knowledge of ABBA’s rich history and achievements. Join our friendly competition, learn new things about the band and share your score with your friends.

Already have an account? Log in

Forgot password

Enter the e-mail you created your account with and we’ll send you a link for a new password.

You have signed out

Were happy to have you back soon.

Log back in again?

Change e-mail

Change your e-mail connected to ABBA site. This requires re-login.

Delete account

Delete your account by entering your email and password in the fields below.

Update profile

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• March Madness
• AP Top 25 Poll
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Kiss sells catalog, brand name and IP. Gene Simmons assures fans it is a ‘collaboration’

It’s never really the end of the road for Kiss. The hard rock quartet have sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million, it was announced Thursday. (April 4)

FILE - Gene Simmons, from left, Tommy Thayer, and Paul Stanley of KISS perform during the final night of the “Kiss Farewell Tour"at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 2, 2023. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

• Copy Link copied

It’s never really the end of the road for Kiss . The hard rock quartet have sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million, it was announced Thursday.

This isn’t the first time Kiss has partnered with Pophouse, which was co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. When the band’s current lineup — founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — took the stage at the final night of their farewell tour in December at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, they ended by revealing digitized avatars of themselves.

The cutting-edge technology was created by George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pophouse. The two companies recently teamed up for the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, in which fans could attend a full concert by the Swedish band in their heyday, as performed by their own digital avatars.

The ways in which Kiss’ avatars will be utilized has yet to be announced, but Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says fans can expect a biopic, a documentary and a Kiss experience on the horizon.

An avatar show is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2027 — but don’t expect it to look anything like “ABBA Voyage,” Sundin told the AP. And fans can expect it to kick off in North America.

Sundin says the goal of the purchase is to expose Kiss to new generations — which he believes sets Pophouse apart from other acquisitions of music catalogs .

“The record companies, the three big ones that are left, they’re doing a fantastic job, but they have so many catalogs and they can’t focus on everything,” he says. “We work together with Universal (Music Group) and Kiss, even though we will own the artists rights, and we’re doing it in conjunction with Kiss. But yes, we bought all rights, and that’s not something I’ve seen that clear before.”

“I don’t like the word acquisition,” Gene Simmons tells the AP over Zoom, assuring the band would never sell their catalog to a company they didn’t appreciate.

“Collaboration is exactly what it’s about. It would be remiss in our inferred fiduciary duty — see what I just did there? — to the thing that we created to abandon it,” he continued. “People might misunderstand and think, ‘OK, now Pophouse is doing that stuff and we’re just in Beverly Hills twiddling our thumbs.’ No, that’s not true. We’re in the trenches with them. We talk all the time. We share ideas. It’s a collaboration. Paul (Stanley) and I especially, with the band, we’ll stay committed to this. It’s our baby.”

And within that: no more live touring, for real. “We’re not going to tour again as Kiss, period,” he says. “We’re not going to go put the makeup on and go out there.”

Kiss are Pophouse’s second investment outside of Sweden: In February, Cyndi Lauper entered a partnership with the company which including the sale of the majority share of her music and a new immersive performance project she’s calling an “immersive theater piece” that transports audiences to the New York she grew up in.

The aim is to develop new ways to bring Lauper’s music to fans and younger audiences through new performances and live experiences.

“Most suits, when you tell them an idea, their eyes glaze over, they just want your greatest hits,” Lauper told the AP at the Pophouse headquarters in Stockholm in February. “But these guys are a multimedia company, they’re not looking to just buy my catalog, they want to make something new.”