ABBA followers the world over yesterday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Swedish supergroup’s Eurovision victory in 1974, and one crowd had been handled to a shock look by band member Bjorn Ulvaeus.
It was the group’s Eurovision triumph 50 years in the past with their track Waterloo that kickstarted their phenomenal success, an occasion marked by ABBA followers all the world over on Saturday with particular occasions. The BBC, who hosted the occasion again in 1974 when all of it started, gave over their BBC Two Channel to “ABBA Evening”, together with a brand new documentary charting the band’s fortunes during the last 5 a long time.
On stage in London, the forged celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Mamma Mia! musical, after which had yet another deal with for the viewers – with the looks of Bjorn Ulvaeus – one quarter of ABBA, and one half of the band’s songwriting duo (together with Benny Andersson).
When Ulvaeus took to the stage at London’s Novello Theatre, launched by producer Judi Cramer, he was usually understated. In a TikTok video posted by theatre-goer Kelly Allen, he’s seen telling the viewers:
“About this time within the night, precisely 50 years in the past, I used to be standing on one other stage right here within the UK. It was the second time I entered the stage that evening as a result of me and my three bandmates had been known as again to carry out our track a second time. As a result of the juries of the Eurovision Last had delivered their verdicts. Nul factors from the UK!
“Regardless of that, we gained, and by the thinnest margin within the historical past of Eurovision… On an evening like this, it’s unusual to assume that, if we hadn’t gained… I likely wouldn’t be standing right here immediately… so I’ve obtained to thank Waterloo for. However, on this room, I can admit that after I loosen up at dwelling, placed on some music, it isn’t Waterloo.”
He mused on the band’s success over the previous 50 years:
“Individuals typically come as much as me within the streets and I can see of their faces, they’re about to say one thing which they assume, ‘He’s by no means heard this earlier than.’ And out comes, ‘Thankyou for the music, Bjorn.’ And it’s very touching. Each time the identical ideas undergo my thoughts, the truth that, in some way, ABBA has managed to the touch so many hundreds of thousands of lives all through the world, era after era. Individuals ask me, ‘How does it really feel so that you can know that? It’s a really elusive feeling, it’s extra to do with gratitude and humility than satisfaction. It humbles you to know that so many individuals have listened to one thing that you just’ve created and that they’ve been made joyful by it, or unhappy, and that it has meant a lot for them and their lives.”
He expressed his gratitude for “the sheer existence of music, as a result of what sort of world would we’ve with out music? I feel one of many most interesting examples of how you should use music in an uplifting method to make folks joyful, it’s Mamma Mia!”
And he completed:
“I won’t be right here for the subsequent massive anniversary, however my avatar will.”
ABBA have bought extra anyplace between 150million and 385million data of their stellar profession, Mamma Mia! continues to play to full theatre crowds the world over, and ABBA Voyage – the place the avatars of Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad carry out all their greatest hits in a specifically made East London area – continues to play to full homes two years after its arrival.