ABBAholic

Just when I thought I had finally weaned myself off ABBA songs after watching MamaMia! three weeks ago, I had to do it all over again this evening.



And now, once again, I have to wipe that silly grin off my face as I hum Dancing Queen while wrapped in my towel galeking to the shower, I Have A Dream, stirring my sleepy morning kopi and Super Trouper, windows down speeding to work.

Goddamit!

We paid 75 bucks a piece to catch ABBAmania, arguably the best current Tribute Band to the Swedish Fab Four and it was worth every penny. Tonight's performance, like their recent 18-week run at London's West End, was a complete re-creation of ABBA's last live concert in 1979 right here in the Esplanade Theatre. Shortly after, much to Music-World's lost, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and Agnetha Fältskog called it quits. I hear they have never said so officially but, hell, we're not going to see them together as a group on stage anytime soon.

Anyway, it was a memorable evening. One of the few occasions where patrons of the Esplanade Theatre could get up and boogie to the music. I have been to The Durian many times for Musicals and Opera and it felt kinda' fun but weird to be dancing in the otherwise stoic-ly scarlet confines of the theatre hall.

Musically, ABBAmania were, in my book, very very ABBAish. I mean I haven't watched the real group live so I shall refrain from saying just how much the Tribute Band resembled the real McCoy in terms of percentages. But their vocals were amazing. If you closed your eyes, and took a rewind to 1979, lets just say it was believable that ABBA was right there on stage.

And when ABBAmania ended the evening with Waterloo at a quarter past ten, just like how they had started the night's repertoire at 8pm, it was perhaps fitting when 'Bjorn' proclaimed that it was really ABBA we should be saying this to ; Thank You For The Music.

I agree.