Anywhere in Australia would be a winner!! We are so used to travelling long distances for things we love. And ABBA are so lived and popular in the land down under! Bring on ABBA VOYAGE!!!
l wonder if there are enough fans to make it a financial success. l think singapore would be perfect because its somewhere in the asian middle, lots and lots tourists with money go there, as well as cuises would bring more and more of them. but maybe its difficult to find a suitable place for the arena there.
Bobby, I live in Melbourne, less that 10 minutes from where the proposed location would be at Flemington Racecourse. Melbourne has a population of over 5.4 million and over 9 million people visit this city every year.. Australia has had a fascination with ABBA from very early on and we hosted ABBAWORLD in 2010 for nearly 6 months. I think fans from all over Australia would come to see the show if it was in Melbourne. I can see running successfully in this region.
If they announce a United States voyage in Las Vegas, I will immediately book for the trip there, and if Abba is coming with a meet and greet, I will pay any price to see them!
@@alexioverdo5225 Yes, there are millions of us on this side of the world who love 🅰️🅱️🅱️🅰️🎶 and also that we were able to get to know their beautiful work in Spanish very well 😍🎶
Australia has to be the next destination for ABBA Voyage , it's the common sense next location that mirrors ABBA's progression. London was the spring board and Australia really put them on the map.. so yes, Australia has to be next... Love ABBA , this new journey is really exciting , especially for us old fans!!.. 🙂
I saw the ABBA Voyage back this fall in the UK and was blown away. I sure do hope they do this in Australia since they are so loved there. Can't say I wouldn't mind them doing one in America too! 🤞😁
As much as I’d love to see the Voyage Concert in Australia, we don’t have the population to sustain a long tenure here & its all about getting a profit on your investment. The Victoria government are cash strapped with cancellation of many previously announced works. I feel Singapore would be the better option, it’s close proximity to many countries in this part of the world, it’s a rich country who could afford the investment. It would be great to see it here in Melbourne, and yes we have a special connection to Abba, but we couldn’t sustain a long run like in London to get a return on the investment. Greetings from Australia BB..
I don't want to get anyone upset but i'm afraid i have to totally agree with your 'practical,realistic" cpnsiderations.I'm also sceptic about it for the very same reasons you've refered.
Wouldn't the investment be significantly smaller in subsequent iterations? I mean, the show already exists. The cost would be in duplicating the building and equipment.
@@toby9999 I feel building it, royalties and ongoing costs still be expensive.. I feel there’s also more chance filling a venue nightly in Singapore with surrounding countries than people flying to say Melbourne..
@@toby9999 yes, but its technically difficult and expensive l think. plus the costs for the place, for energy, for artists and all the people to get it run every night.
How long will it last in Australia? Is it feasible? The UK makes sense as it’s close to the rest of Europe. I think Las Vegas would be the most viable option.
Ce serait sympa pour ABBA , si le groupe pouvait retourner en Australie le pays qui les a accueilli à bras ouverts ❤ . Merc Bobby pour cette information
There have been at least two trips to Melbourne by the Voyage team, with three locations being considered. Flemington is my least favourite, despite the location only being 15 minutes away (traffic can take 1hr) from the CBD. Melbourne is the ABBA fan capital. In the 1970's we had the largest percentage of fans in the world. ABBA has recognised this by including footage of their appearance at our Town Hall in the "I still have faith in you" and the recent Eurovision tribute - Melbourne was there again. I am hoping for the Docklands location, as it will be a better location for those weekday shows, lots of hotels and restaurants. Plus I can walk from work 😊 Flemington can handle large crowds in the daytime, however at night that is the real question? I have got stuck in traffic to many times in that area, as it is an old area and little can be done to improve the roads.
ABBA Voyage I have to say was one of the best shows I have ever seen, it was perfect and surpassed my expectations. I do hope there is a DVD, I can but hope.
"THEY'RE HERE" is all the headlines needed to read as ABBA touched down in Australia in 1977. Everyone knew who "they" were. Mama Mia, which shot ABBA back to #1 after Waterloo was never to be released as a single if not for a Melbourne based show called Countdown, and it's host Ian 'Molly' Meldrum seeing it's hit potential. RCA caved and released it in Australia only, due to Molly's hounding and public demand. Of coarse it was then released internationally after it was at #1 for weeks here. Melbourne/Australia gave ABBA their second chance, and it worked.
I think that considering the number of inhabitants, the best location would be the USA, and secondly Japan The inhabitants of Australia are only 27 million, even though they were undoubtedly the country that loved ABBA the most. South America should not be overlooked either
@@toby9999 Not in a confrontational way, but I don't feel they're too close really... only some of them, like NZ and Indonesia. Central America is closer to London than Mumbai is to Melbourne, so I don't feel that's really close. Even Bangkok and Hong Kong are over 7.000 km from Melbourne 🥲. I mean.. Sure, they're closer than what they are to London but not really close.😅
If it’s Australia then Melbourne is the logical option. It’s our cultural and entertainment hub. Melbourne has always been more artsy than any other city,
Australia welcomed ABBA in 1976-77 then dropped them, as reflected in the chart results from late 1977 to 1982, and the low sales of Voyage. The Australian passion for ABBA is more of a self-perpetuating myth.
@MiguelGonzalez-ov3xy that's an excellent and highly accurate summation of the Australian experience. Any ABBA fan who was around in the late '70s will tell you what it was like during those years. 55-70 year olds will tell you "I was always an ABBA fan", and it's crap. They weren't. They dropped them like a ton of bricks like everyone else. It was the Eurovision experience all over again. ABBA were highly uncool, and even now they are considered a nostalgia act. Björn Again and BABBA, the prime "tribute" acts, treat the music as cabaret fluff and the band members themselves as a joke. If Voyage were to be a success anywhere else, my pick would be Tokyo.
@MiguelGonzalez-ov3xy you're right on. It's also interesting to note that "serious musicians" in Australia have no time or regard for them, whereas their overseas counterparts, Dave Grohl being the most famous example, admire and appreciate their work massively. There's a huge cringe about them in Australia.
I saw the show in London 3 times and live in the Melbourne so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I don’t know about Flemington though, I feel it needs to be a little closer to the CBD
Thank you for confirming plans for more Voyage venues on earth. It's good to know we don't have to travel interstellar LOL. Love all your updates. Was hoping for Sydney but will settle for Melbourne. I live near Sydney so much more affordable to get to Melbourne than London. However I still might go ahead with plans to see it in London then pop over to Sweden to visit the ABBA museum and all the wonderful things Stockholm has to offer too. 🙂
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 (translation: please please please please please please please). But yes, not holding my breath until the deal is done and announced. I'm not sure it would have the longevity of the London arena and it would need to, in order to be worth building the infrastructure. But as Melbourne is a 3 1/2 hour flight from my home, I'm really keen for Voyage to come to Melbourne. Hej då Bobby's Brother. Thank you for the update!
Las Vegas still makes the most sense next. I can’t imagine a lot of people flying to Australia to see the ABBA show, but I certainly can see a lot of people flocking to Las Vegas to see the ABBA show.
London was the place to be when it comes to music but Las Vegas is the place to be when it comes to SHOW. When you take a look at the London audience half of the visitors are there for great entertainment. It's partying, people are continually running around fetching drinks from the bar that is open throughout the whole show. You'll find the same kind of people in Las Vegas. And you need to attract them if you want a show to run for years.
@@katherinekoza6536 Of course. But Voyage can't be supported just by Australian fans. People fly in from around the world to London to see Voyage, and I think Vegas is likely more suitable for attracting outside visitors - that's pretty much what it does.
I think rather than a long residency this could be an attempt to see whether or not they can construct a pack up and down version of voyage. I've been to the London show 3 times and parts of it look like it could be taken down and rebuilt. I live in Melbourne and there is so much space in Flemington (the suburb mentioned) this could be built in especially around the showgrounds.
I think due to the huge amounts of money spent creating the show that opportunities globally must be explored. I can see after the London residency ends that it makes sense to tour the show. But it, I suspect, will be a clearly limited residency ie Melbourne for 6 months, Toyko for 4, Vegas for seven etc. Then it would be fantastic to find a new location in London.
Well, Flemington is very close to where I live, so I'm all for it! I don't see how it can be financially viable, though, certainly not in the long term. It would make better sense in Singapore or Las Vegas, frankly.
Oh god I hope its true.....I live in Western Australia and to go to England is a big ask........Melbourne would be much better. I have followed ABBA from the beginning ( saw them here in Perth in 1977 ) and would love to see this new show. Please, please, bring it to Australia......(after all, WE discovered them before anyone ).......Remember Countdown ??..
I'm not sure Voyage in Melbourne would pull in the type of crowds London has. However, would be really lovely for the Australians to have it, and I feel they deserve it. Perhaps it would increase tourism and like London, people would keep going back to it.
Hi BB. I have travelled to London 3 times to see Voyage 10 times. I am from Melbourne and cannot see how a population of only 5 million could sustain a multi-year residency. We are so far away from the rest of the world. 23 hours flight time from London and 15 hours from the USA west coast. With all my heart I want Voyage in Melbourne, but I think it makes more sense to set up in Las Vegas or some other world tourist destination that is more accessible and can attract hundreds of thousands over the coming years. Love you BB.
Being from Melbourne I would love to see Voyage come here. I travelled to London last year to see the show and I believe others would do the same here, incorporating it together with holiday. Plenty in Australia will come to see the show just like the stage show Mamma Mia, bring it on I say 😃👌🎼❤️
I want the '77 Tour Film, but that footage used in the Voyage format would be great too (although some of those songs may not resonate with the casual observer).
50 years ago ᗅᗺᗷᗅ won ESC with "Waterloo" April 6 1974 also the same day "Hooked on a Feeling" First #1 on Billboard from Sweden 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 40 years ago won "Diggi loo diggi ley" Herreys (3 brothers) 25 years ago won "Take Me to Your Heaven" Charlotte Perrelli (née Nilsson)
Hi B.B. When you said about Benny wanting to go to Australia on NewsNight I saw that , for the reason that during the early ABBA years it made ABBA carry on. When it struggled to carry on in the UK. This puzzled me ! Why because the early ABBA years music is because of the reason why I like ABBA myself.. What I do think what might be a struggle , is that Agentha is scared of flying long distances wherever it might be to go to the opening day of the arena. Even though the past she did travel the world. It was the flight going to America during a storm , that made her scared. If she don't turn up at the arena. It might disappoint people. Anthony UK.
I think Australia is a good choice. 27 million there, 5 million in New Zealand and over 270 million in Indonesia. NZ and Indonesia are both close enough that it wouldn't be too much of a flight, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
I love the music at the end of your videos. I think las Vegas will have a long standing attendance. Melbourne,I don't know the country enough to comment.
Since the preparation time for this show, even though it would already be the second theatre, is still reportedly 1 1/2 to 2 years, I think the ABBA Voyage team does not want to lose any more steam after the 50 year Waterloo anniversary. If they wait until 2027 to open the second arena, people might have cooled off considerably compared to today... So my guess would be that this article is not necessarily about Melbourne getting the ticket within a few weeks, but more about the Voyage team wanting to make a final decision about the next location within the next few weeks. To not lose any more time. The article just colored this news in the Melbourne colors as Melbourne is one of the candidates. But I do not think it means Melbourne is the front runner.
I live in Australia, invest in musical theatre and saw ABBA Voyage last week in London. ABBA was huge in Australia 40 years ago and Australia was influential in ABBA’s global success. The problem with any show in Australia is the high cost of mounting it, Australia’s small population and the lack of the constant flow of tourists that London benefits from. Magic Mike came to Australia, admittedly during the later stages of Covid, and could not make money and closed early. And that was with a $25 million sophisticated temporary venue similar to the ABBA Voyage venue. I would love it to come, but London took 2 years to recoup the initial investment of £150 million. Australia would not cost that much, as the cost of the technology is in the £150 million, but it could cost A$100 million, if the cost of setting up the most recent production of Wicked is anything to go by.
I bet it will be Vegas. Suitable for one of the biggest shows in the world. Las Vegas is the capital of entertainment it has the capacities, and attracts the right audience. The London Arena will not be moved. As soon as the ticket sales go down the setlist will be changed and the fans will be comming back fot the second/third/fifth time...
Australia makes sense as this is where Abba broke world wide dominance! And then factor in Pricilla Queen of The Desert and Muriel’s Wedding movies!! However Melbourne, Victoria is broke!! Big problem!! Having seen Abba live in Sydney 1977 and London 1979 and London again in 2022 at Voyage and As someone who lives in Melbourne I would be there monthly.!! 🤞🤞🤞 bring it on!! Thelma and I will be there!!!
Don't forget that Daniel Andrews Cancelled the Common Wealth Games for Victoria . Due to no money to stage the event ,as he and his Government over spent the Budget by millions of dollars .
I live in Melbourne also so very exciting! Flemington Racecourse is widely agreed to be the - or one of the - premier horse racing venues in the world with capacity for over 100,000 meaning it is very well serviced by both public transport (train 10 minutes from the city, tram also) and car parking. It’s a modern but also traditional and classy facility befitting of ABBA and Voyage 👍
Yes Australia has to be next we were the ones that made them big and the rest of the world followed we deserve it IV been a fan since I was 10 that's when ABBA first started 1972 was when I discovered ABBA please let it be Australia 🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️
ABBA's popularity slumped in Australia as early as 1977. Sales of Gold a sixth of UK sales despite a third of population Sales of Voyage not big It's not 1975-76 anymore
It's a no brained really, As Australia massively helped ABBA become 'the ones' people wanted to see & turned out un their thousands, personally I hope it does happen & would be just right ✅ 🎉
Svana Gisla has said they're in discussions with US and Australasia, I thought it would be Singapore since Björn has mentioned it specifically and it's a little bit more easily accessible than Australia. But Australia seems like a given choice because of the history. Would've thought Sydney because of the size of the population and tourists but Melbourne is big too. US seems like a certainty, just a matter of time imo.
Australia deserves to be the next place. They supported Abba from day one. Even though I live in the United States I don't feel we deserve to have Voyage over here since the U.S. really weren't supportive. That would mean I would never get to see it but fair is fair.
Australia would be the best place for a second one, after what Australia did for ABBA after they won euro vision and no one really playing their songs after Waterloo, im sure ABBA owe us one. There really needs to be a central location for the second one, and i would say Adelaide, South Australia would be a good choice.
Alot of the success of ABBA Voyage in London is the viability of fans from all over the world to visit London. Voyage in Melbourne would rely on Australians only. But I am sure the company behind it know what they are doing.
Er, no. Australia has a huge, affluent tourist industry. Although I don't think Voyage will happen in Australia, there would be significant income from internationals.
Australia doesn't have the population nor the tourist numbers to sustain a long run of the show to make it economically worth it. Melbourne is also second to Sydney in tourist numbers which further makes it unlikely. You need cities that have a huge tourist numbers passing through.
No, that's no longer true. Melbourne will soon be larger than Sydney and is projected to reach 8 million by 2050. It's also the entertainment capital and is fast becoming the tourism capital, also.
Shows don't run for years and years in Australia. Most musicals do a few months in Melbourne and Sydney, tour nationally, and wrap up. The only exception was Harry Potter, which ran for a couple of years in Melbourne.
Big musicals such as Les Miserables, Cats, Phantom, and Mamma Mia ran for years in Melbourne. Many people travel from overseas and other parts of Australia to see blockbuster musicals.
@@ianhart4757 please name examples of such long-running shows in the contemporary market, say the last 15 years. You’re referring to a reality that no longer exists.
I don't see how Australia makes sense. It's population is less than half of England's. And it is more difficult to draw enthusiasts from outside its borders. It's easy for Europeans to get to London. Other than the Australian population, additional patrons will have more difficulty getting there. I love the sentiment. Australia was crucial in ABBA becoming a world wide band. I just don't think it will work.
The Voyage production team would now know the proportion of locals and tourists visiting Pudding Lane. They'd also have similar data for Melbourne, which is the entertainment capital of Australia. It's a matter of breaking all that down to determine if it's financially feasible. I don't think it will happen, either, but there is a financial argument to be made for Melbourne.
People flocked from Asia to see Taylor Swift earlier this year. Melbourne hosted three concerts each with the largest crowd that she had ever played to. Melbourne has the critical mass and overseas drawing power to sustain Voyage
It’s now a business so I guess one thing is to find suitable real estate or space to build another arena in a place where you have access to public transport to hotels and other infrastructure. At the same they hire companies to collect data of the number of potential visitors. It only makes sense if enough people are traveling to the location etc. this might take some time to evaluate. That’s why for instance I always questioned Singapore. Will people from South Korea go to Japan to see Voyage or vice versa ? London was an adventure a dare they took, an investment a huge risk. Now it’s a business…
Really, really !!! Ha ha. I , personally, think it will be Australia because they received such a rapturous reception there and it is huge country. Surely, they will make loads of money there.
Stupid question perhaps😊 ... Does anyone know whether the show can be performed simultaneously in several cities or is the equipment stationary and therefore only can be used in one place at a time?
And place of their worldwide revival starting with Bjorn Again in the late 1980s. Not to mention the movies Priscilla, and Muriel's Wedding in the early 1990s
Maybe they will or maybe they won't, plenty of Australians, Americans, Candians and People from Scandinavia and Europe have travelled to London and continue to do so. As a show experience, I think Vegas would be more likely.
Surely if anyone deserves the ABBA show it’s Australia they help put ABBA firmly on the map the United States did very little for ABBA and gave them a Luke warm reception
If the Victorian govt has any input on this project you can expect it to triple in cost and then get cancelled. And Flemington is not a great location either.
I hope for Australia, they were really big there. US might be 10 times the total market but they really never where that big there, just one #1 single and quite low results for Albums as well. More competition with other arenas there as well.
Melbourne i saw ABBA live March 1977 Sidney Myer Music Bowl Countdown broke ABBA in a big way downunder & both or one of the members Bjorn & or Benny has more or less said this so bring Voyage to Melbourne
Waterloo was Top 10 in 1974 without Australia even knowing about Eurovision. In 1975, it was Australia that proved to the World that ABBA were not one hit wonders with Mamma Mia, I Do I Do, and SOS simultaneously being in the Top 10, with Mamma Mia hitting Number 1.
Abba needs to stay out of San Francisco....Retail merchants are getting out of there for good reasons. Actually, Abba should probably avoid all of California.
yes, you see disturbing pictures of san francisco and la in the indernet. l think the show would even succeed better in beijing. not because abba is so popular, but theres so many people with money now in china- l guess a lot of people would just go and see voyage there because its a colourful and technichally interesting spectacle.
@@mathiastrostdorf5638 Plus, California as a whole is mired in regulation, has high taxes, and can be a bit interesting in exceptions it makes to laws (see recent min wage increase for fast food which carved exception benefitting a donor of the governor). It's just not a good place to do business. Abba should come next door to Nevada, specifically Las Vegas....Vegas knows how to put on shows.
many thanks for ABBA news, a big hug to you and to all fans
Anywhere in Australia would be a winner!! We are so used to travelling long distances for things we love. And ABBA are so lived and popular in the land down under!
Bring on ABBA VOYAGE!!!
l wonder if there are enough fans to make it a financial success. l think singapore would be perfect because its somewhere in the asian middle, lots and lots tourists with money go there, as well as cuises would bring more and more of them. but maybe its difficult to find a suitable place for the arena there.
AGREE
Bobby, I live in Melbourne, less that 10 minutes from where the proposed location would be at Flemington Racecourse. Melbourne has a population of over 5.4 million and over 9 million people visit this city every year.. Australia has had a fascination with ABBA from very early on and we hosted ABBAWORLD in 2010 for nearly 6 months. I think fans from all over Australia would come to see the show if it was in Melbourne. I can see running successfully in this region.
If they announce a United States voyage in Las Vegas, I will immediately book for the trip there, and if Abba is coming with a meet and greet, I will pay any price to see them!
No meet and greets.
las vegas would be the only place in the us to make it a success.
@@anneoreilly9007 I have ways….
@@mathiastrostdorf5638 New York City has become a hellhole and so has LA so you are correct
Australia deserves it, honestly. And it’s close enough for many well off Asian people to visit. Its not a bad choice
Why bring Asian people into the equation ? Are they truly ABBA FANS ? I don't think so .
@@katherinekoza6536 do you think Australia's population can sustain the investment required for this?
As a Swedish man i really hope that they go to Australia next.Australia made it happen
I hope it continues in London, with a new list of hits, so I could travel again from Chile to the Abba Voyage Arena. 🅰️🅱️🅱️🅰️🇨🇱😍♥️
OOhh!Seems they got a rather fanatic audience in Latin America.
@@alexioverdo5225 Yes, there are millions of us on this side of the world who love 🅰️🅱️🅱️🅰️🎶 and also that we were able to get to know their beautiful work in Spanish very well 😍🎶
@@josemwo9542 !
I live in Melbourne... wow, this would be a dream come true if it really happens.
Australia has to be the next destination for ABBA Voyage , it's the common sense next location that mirrors ABBA's progression. London was the spring board and Australia really put them on the map.. so yes, Australia has to be next... Love ABBA , this new journey is really exciting , especially for us old fans!!.. 🙂
If all systems go, think Australia will be a good choice, as big connection with ABBA.
I saw the ABBA Voyage back this fall in the UK and was blown away. I sure do hope they do this in Australia since they are so loved there. Can't say I wouldn't mind them doing one in America too! 🤞😁
hi why blown away
As much as I’d love to see the Voyage Concert in Australia, we don’t have the population to sustain a long tenure here & its all about getting a profit on your investment. The Victoria government are cash strapped with cancellation of many previously announced works. I feel Singapore would be the better option, it’s close proximity to many countries in this part of the world, it’s a rich country who could afford the investment. It would be great to see it here in Melbourne, and yes we have a special connection to Abba, but we couldn’t sustain a long run like in London to get a return on the investment. Greetings from Australia BB..
I don't want to get anyone upset but i'm afraid i have to totally agree with your 'practical,realistic" cpnsiderations.I'm also sceptic about it for the very same reasons you've refered.
Wouldn't the investment be significantly smaller in subsequent iterations? I mean, the show already exists. The cost would be in duplicating the building and equipment.
@@toby9999 I feel building it, royalties and ongoing costs still be expensive.. I feel there’s also more chance filling a venue nightly in Singapore with surrounding countries than people flying to say Melbourne..
@@clay9185 That's a quite logical observation.
@@toby9999
yes, but its technically difficult and expensive l think. plus the costs for the place, for energy, for artists and all the people to get it run every night.
Clever 😉 ending with the slightly changed 1977 Australian newspaper headline of "They're Here". 😅
Thanks Bobby's B 🎶❤
United States? We need ABBA!
Not only there.
How long will it last in Australia? Is it feasible? The UK makes sense as it’s close to the rest of Europe. I think Las Vegas would be the most viable option.
Ce serait sympa pour ABBA , si le groupe pouvait retourner en Australie le pays qui les a accueilli à bras ouverts ❤ . Merc Bobby pour cette information
They discussed in the documentary released a few days ago about the massive success that they had in Australia on the 1977 tour.
thats right. but its quite some time ago.
I was at the ABBA Voyage Show 3 weeks a go! They told us that they will bild Arenas in Austraila and Las Vegas!
*who* told you?
I hope so! Melbourne is a fitting place for VOYAGE.
There have been at least two trips to Melbourne by the Voyage team, with three locations being considered. Flemington is my least favourite, despite the location only being 15 minutes away (traffic can take 1hr) from the CBD. Melbourne is the ABBA fan capital. In the 1970's we had the largest percentage of fans in the world. ABBA has recognised this by including footage of their appearance at our Town Hall in the "I still have faith in you" and the recent Eurovision tribute - Melbourne was there again.
I am hoping for the Docklands location, as it will be a better location for those weekday shows, lots of hotels and restaurants. Plus I can walk from work 😊 Flemington can handle large crowds in the daytime, however at night that is the real question? I have got stuck in traffic to many times in that area, as it is an old area and little can be done to improve the roads.
ABBA Voyage I have to say was one of the best shows I have ever seen, it was perfect and surpassed my expectations. I do hope there is a DVD, I can but hope.
i was told that the abbatars look more realistic in the arena more than the footage online why is this
I'm hoping it comes to North America..We seem to always miss out..Loads of fans here...Fingers crossed...
Missed out? Try being 12000 miles away!
"THEY'RE HERE" is all the headlines needed to read as ABBA touched down in Australia in 1977. Everyone knew who "they" were. Mama Mia, which shot ABBA back to #1 after Waterloo was never to be released as a single if not for a Melbourne based show called Countdown, and it's host Ian 'Molly' Meldrum seeing it's hit potential. RCA caved and released it in Australia only, due to Molly's hounding and public demand. Of coarse it was then released internationally after it was at #1 for weeks here. Melbourne/Australia gave ABBA their second chance, and it worked.
I'd sure love to see this abba extravaganza. Our living legends continue to inspire so many of us, everyday.
Thankyou. So much. ✝️
As soon as I know when the tickets will be on sale for ABBA Voyage in Australia. I will book the trip
I think that considering the number of inhabitants, the best location would be the USA, and secondly Japan
The inhabitants of Australia are only 27 million, even though they were undoubtedly the country that loved ABBA the most.
South America should not be overlooked either
Not only the population is kind of low, but there are no other markets nearby.
True, but Australia is a significant tourist destination.
@Smgs-ue7tj Did you forget about South East Asia, India, China, NZ, etc?
Japanese love coming to Australia and if Voyage is here, I expect there would be a lot of tourists.
@@toby9999 Not in a confrontational way, but I don't feel they're too close really... only some of them, like NZ and Indonesia. Central America is closer to London than Mumbai is to Melbourne, so I don't feel that's really close. Even Bangkok and Hong Kong are over 7.000 km from Melbourne 🥲.
I mean.. Sure, they're closer than what they are to London but not really close.😅
I would love voyage to come to Melbourne......Australia was a huge support base in the 70's.
Well, several sources also said it was coming to Las Vegas about a month ago, then nothing, no more news or announcments.
Australia deserves it. I'd definitely travel from New Zealand for it.
If it’s Australia then Melbourne is the logical option. It’s our cultural and entertainment hub. Melbourne has always been more artsy than any other city,
Australia has welcomed ABBA with open arms and ABBA had responded with the same enthusiasm. Yes , I think Australia will be next. 🇺🇸
Australia welcomed ABBA in 1976-77 then dropped them, as reflected in the chart results from late 1977 to 1982, and the low sales of Voyage. The Australian passion for ABBA is more of a self-perpetuating myth.
@MiguelGonzalez-ov3xy that's an excellent and highly accurate summation of the Australian experience. Any ABBA fan who was around in the late '70s will tell you what it was like during those years. 55-70 year olds will tell you "I was always an ABBA fan", and it's crap. They weren't. They dropped them like a ton of bricks like everyone else. It was the Eurovision experience all over again. ABBA were highly uncool, and even now they are considered a nostalgia act. Björn Again and BABBA, the prime "tribute" acts, treat the music as cabaret fluff and the band members themselves as a joke. If Voyage were to be a success anywhere else, my pick would be Tokyo.
@@peteb1206 Australian media (and people) tend to still see them as a 'guilty pleasure' and pure kitsch.
@MiguelGonzalez-ov3xy you're right on. It's also interesting to note that "serious musicians" in Australia have no time or regard for them, whereas their overseas counterparts, Dave Grohl being the most famous example, admire and appreciate their work massively. There's a huge cringe about them in Australia.
I saw the show in London 3 times and live in the Melbourne so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I don’t know about Flemington though, I feel it needs to be a little closer to the CBD
Thank you for confirming plans for more Voyage venues on earth. It's good to know we don't have to travel interstellar LOL. Love all your updates. Was hoping for Sydney but will settle for Melbourne. I live near Sydney so much more affordable to get to Melbourne than London. However I still might go ahead with plans to see it in London then pop over to Sweden to visit the ABBA museum and all the wonderful things Stockholm has to offer too. 🙂
I hope they come to Melbourne, it would be soooo awesome.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 (translation: please please please please please please please). But yes, not holding my breath until the deal is done and announced. I'm not sure it would have the longevity of the London arena and it would need to, in order to be worth building the infrastructure. But as Melbourne is a 3 1/2 hour flight from my home, I'm really keen for Voyage to come to Melbourne. Hej då Bobby's Brother. Thank you for the update!
Oh, so you're in Perth? Commiserations. I'd look for any opportunity to escape that hellhole, too.😄
@@grantc61That’s a bit harsh. 😂 No. Auckland.
great work as usual ! Congrats on the 27k subs her comes 30k !!!!
I think its good news for us the fans because it means they plan to go on beeing active .
Las Vegas still makes the most sense next.
I can’t imagine a lot of people flying to Australia to see the ABBA show, but I certainly can see a lot of people flocking to Las Vegas to see the ABBA show.
And yet ,it was us Australians ,who put ABBA on the map in 1975 . The fan base is still HUGE here in Australia .
American doesn't have the traditional fanbase.
London was the place to be when it comes to music but Las Vegas is the place to be when it comes to SHOW.
When you take a look at the London audience half of the visitors are there for great entertainment. It's partying, people are continually running around fetching drinks from the bar that is open throughout the whole show.
You'll find the same kind of people in Las Vegas. And you need to attract them if you want a show to run for years.
@@katherinekoza6536 Of course. But Voyage can't be supported just by Australian fans. People fly in from around the world to London to see Voyage, and I think Vegas is likely more suitable for attracting outside visitors - that's pretty much what it does.
@@katherinekoza6536 If that is the case, how do we explain the low sales of the VOYAGE album?
I think rather than a long residency this could be an attempt to see whether or not they can construct a pack up and down version of voyage. I've been to the London show 3 times and parts of it look like it could be taken down and rebuilt.
I live in Melbourne and there is so much space in Flemington (the suburb mentioned) this could be built in especially around the showgrounds.
Yes please see bring Voyage to Australia don't care if it's Sydney or Melbourne I will be there.
I think due to the huge amounts of money spent creating the show that opportunities globally must be explored. I can see after the London residency ends that it makes sense to tour the show. But it, I suspect, will be a clearly limited residency ie Melbourne for 6 months, Toyko for 4, Vegas for seven etc. Then it would be fantastic to find a new location in London.
Well, Flemington is very close to where I live, so I'm all for it! I don't see how it can be financially viable, though, certainly not in the long term. It would make better sense in Singapore or Las Vegas, frankly.
Oh god I hope its true.....I live in Western Australia and to go to England is a big ask........Melbourne would be much better. I have followed ABBA from the beginning ( saw them here in Perth in 1977 ) and would love to see this new show. Please, please, bring it to Australia......(after all, WE discovered them before anyone ).......Remember Countdown ??..
I'm not sure Voyage in Melbourne would pull in the type of crowds London has. However, would be really lovely for the Australians to have it, and I feel they deserve it. Perhaps it would increase tourism and like London, people would keep going back to it.
If the location is right.
Hi BB. I have travelled to London 3 times to see Voyage 10 times. I am from Melbourne and cannot see how a population of only 5 million could sustain a multi-year residency. We are so far away from the rest of the world. 23 hours flight time from London and 15 hours from the USA west coast. With all my heart I want Voyage in Melbourne, but I think it makes more sense to set up in Las Vegas or some other world tourist destination that is more accessible and can attract hundreds of thousands over the coming years. Love you BB.
Love you ABBA.
10 times? Wow 😮. I've been there twice. What are the best tickets in your opinion. I consider dance floor for my next trip.
Being from Melbourne I would love to see Voyage come here. I travelled to London last year to see the show and I believe others would do the same here, incorporating it together with holiday. Plenty in Australia will come to see the show just like the stage show Mamma Mia, bring it on I say 😃👌🎼❤️
I want the '77 Tour Film, but that footage used in the Voyage format would be great too (although some of those songs may not resonate with the casual observer).
50 years ago ᗅᗺᗷᗅ won ESC with "Waterloo"
April 6 1974 also the same day
"Hooked on a Feeling"
First #1 on Billboard from Sweden
🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪
40 years ago won
"Diggi loo diggi ley" Herreys (3 brothers)
25 years ago won
"Take Me to Your Heaven" Charlotte Perrelli (née Nilsson)
Hi B.B.
When you said about Benny wanting to go to Australia on NewsNight I saw that , for the reason that during the early ABBA years it made ABBA carry on. When it struggled to carry on in the UK. This puzzled me ! Why because the early ABBA years music is because of the reason why I like ABBA myself.. What I do think what might be a struggle , is that Agentha is scared of flying long distances wherever it might be to go to the opening day of the arena. Even though the past she did travel the world. It was the flight going to America during a storm , that made her scared. If she don't turn up at the arena. It might disappoint people. Anthony UK.
I think Australia is a good choice. 27 million there, 5 million in New Zealand and over 270 million in Indonesia. NZ and Indonesia are both close enough that it wouldn't be too much of a flight, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
HOw many of the 270 million in Indonesia have the resources to travel (and obtain a visa) to Australia?
I love the music at the end of your videos. I think las Vegas will have a long standing attendance. Melbourne,I don't know the country enough to comment.
Since the preparation time for this show, even though it would already be the second theatre, is still reportedly 1 1/2 to 2 years, I think the ABBA Voyage team does not want to lose any more steam after the 50 year Waterloo anniversary. If they wait until 2027 to open the second arena, people might have cooled off considerably compared to today...
So my guess would be that this article is not necessarily about Melbourne getting the ticket within a few weeks, but more about the Voyage team wanting to make a final decision about the next location within the next few weeks. To not lose any more time. The article just colored this news in the Melbourne colors as Melbourne is one of the candidates. But I do not think it means Melbourne is the front runner.
It’s a no brainer. Besides, the Abba arena can be used for similar avatar concerts from other artists in the future. I hope the Bee Gges!
I live in Australia, invest in musical theatre and saw ABBA Voyage last week in London. ABBA was huge in Australia 40 years ago and Australia was influential in ABBA’s global success. The problem with any show in Australia is the high cost of mounting it, Australia’s small population and the lack of the constant flow of tourists that London benefits from. Magic Mike came to Australia, admittedly during the later stages of Covid, and could not make money and closed early. And that was with a $25 million sophisticated temporary venue similar to the ABBA Voyage venue. I would love it to come, but London took 2 years to recoup the initial investment of £150 million. Australia would not cost that much, as the cost of the technology is in the £150 million, but it could cost A$100 million, if the cost of setting up the most recent production of Wicked is anything to go by.
BTW ABBA's GOLD remains in the UK top 10 for a second week (This week No9/Last week also No9- was 2 places up from 11)
I read that Resort World had reached a deal with ABBA for a residency in Las Vegas. Time will tell.
I bet it will be Vegas. Suitable for one of the biggest shows in the world. Las Vegas is the capital of entertainment it has the capacities, and attracts the right audience.
The London Arena will not be moved. As soon as the ticket sales go down the setlist will be changed and the fans will be comming back fot the second/third/fifth time...
Australia makes sense as this is where Abba broke world wide dominance! And then factor in Pricilla Queen of The Desert and Muriel’s Wedding movies!! However Melbourne, Victoria is broke!! Big problem!! Having seen Abba live in Sydney 1977 and London 1979 and London again in 2022 at Voyage and As someone who lives in Melbourne I would be there monthly.!! 🤞🤞🤞 bring it on!! Thelma and I will be there!!!
Not forgetting Melbourne born, Bjorn Again, sparking the revival of interest in ABBA starting in the late 1980s.
Don't forget that Daniel Andrews Cancelled the Common Wealth Games for Victoria . Due to no money to stage the event ,as he and his Government over spent the Budget by millions of dollars .
I live in Melbourne also so very exciting! Flemington Racecourse is widely agreed to be the - or one of the - premier horse racing venues in the world with capacity for over 100,000 meaning it is very well serviced by both public transport (train 10 minutes from the city, tram also) and car parking. It’s a modern but also traditional and classy facility befitting of ABBA and Voyage 👍
Yes Australia has to be next we were the ones that made them big and the rest of the world followed we deserve it IV been a fan since I was 10 that's when ABBA first started 1972 was when I discovered ABBA please let it be Australia 🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️🇦🇺♥️
ABBA's popularity slumped in Australia as early as 1977.
Sales of Gold a sixth of UK sales despite a third of population
Sales of Voyage not big
It's not 1975-76 anymore
After the ABBAmania of 1975 to 1977, ABBA continued to have Top 10 hits and albums in Australia
Las Vegas would be a great location.
I wouldn't be surprised if Australia was next.
It's a no brained really, As Australia massively helped ABBA become 'the ones' people wanted to see & turned out un their thousands, personally I hope it does happen & would be just right ✅ 🎉
It's not the 1970s anymore. Australia is a very different country now. Voyage in Australia is not a "no brained" (sic).
Svana Gisla has said they're in discussions with US and Australasia, I thought it would be Singapore since Björn has mentioned it specifically and it's a little bit more easily accessible than Australia. But Australia seems like a given choice because of the history. Would've thought Sydney because of the size of the population and tourists but Melbourne is big too. US seems like a certainty, just a matter of time imo.
Melbourne is growing much faster than Sydney and is already larger. Projected population of 8 million by 2050.
Lucky them!!! I'm praying to ABBA Arena will come to south América. I don't think that they'll come to Argentina 😢
I was feeling down so the doctor told me to take two ABBA songs every day 🐈⬛🐈🫂❤️
PLEASE 🙏 Let this be true. Melbourne is a quick flight from Sydney where I live
I think Australia would be a mistake. It would not break even. I’m Australian and a life long fan. I live in Sydney and I would travel to Melbourne
I can't see Australia as financial viable for the cost to put the show on and run for a long time.
Australia deserves to be the next place. They supported Abba from day one. Even though I live in the United States I don't feel we deserve to have Voyage over here since the U.S. really weren't supportive. That would mean I would never get to see it but fair is fair.
Come visit Melbourne! Australia is much nicer and safer than the US.
I'm sure ABBA would enjoy finally conquering the USA with their music. Las Vegas will be the place to make that happen for sure.
Svana went to Melbourne, she said so in an interview on the Beyond Conference.
Australia would be the best place for a second one, after what Australia did for ABBA after they won euro vision and no one really playing their songs after Waterloo, im sure ABBA owe us one. There really needs to be a central location for the second one, and i would say Adelaide, South Australia would be a good choice.
I can't understand why they don't think that Stockholm is a good location for Voyage. Of course there should be an event in their native Sweden!
As far as I know they didn't find a location in Stockholm that is big enough and easily accessible.
Alot of the success of ABBA Voyage in London is the viability of fans from all over the world to visit London.
Voyage in Melbourne would rely on Australians only.
But I am sure the company behind it know what they are doing.
Er, no. Australia has a huge, affluent tourist industry. Although I don't think Voyage will happen in Australia, there would be significant income from internationals.
Australia doesn't have the population nor the tourist numbers to sustain a long run of the show to make it economically worth it. Melbourne is also second to Sydney in tourist numbers which further makes it unlikely. You need cities that have a huge tourist numbers passing through.
No, that's no longer true. Melbourne will soon be larger than Sydney and is projected to reach 8 million by 2050. It's also the entertainment capital and is fast becoming the tourism capital, also.
@@grantc61 Larger in tourism, not population. Stats bare that out.
Shows don't run for years and years in Australia. Most musicals do a few months in Melbourne and Sydney, tour nationally, and wrap up.
The only exception was Harry Potter, which ran for a couple of years in Melbourne.
Big musicals such as Les Miserables, Cats, Phantom, and Mamma Mia ran for years in Melbourne. Many people travel from overseas and other parts of Australia to see blockbuster musicals.
@@ianhart4757 please name examples of such long-running shows in the contemporary market, say the last 15 years.
You’re referring to a reality that no longer exists.
Australia is too far away for 7.500.000.000 people, and this investment of 150.000.000 € does not really make sense in economical ways
Yeah. For Americans, it's almost like another planet! 🙄
Quoting Elton John. "And I think it's gonna be a long, long time....And I think it's gonna be a long, long time." :)
I don't see how Australia makes sense. It's population is less than half of England's. And it is more difficult to draw enthusiasts from outside its borders. It's easy for Europeans to get to London. Other than the Australian population, additional patrons will have more difficulty getting there. I love the sentiment. Australia was crucial in ABBA becoming a world wide band. I just don't think it will work.
The Voyage production team would now know the proportion of locals and tourists visiting Pudding Lane. They'd also have similar data for Melbourne, which is the entertainment capital of Australia. It's a matter of breaking all that down to determine if it's financially feasible. I don't think it will happen, either, but there is a financial argument to be made for Melbourne.
People flocked from Asia to see Taylor Swift earlier this year. Melbourne hosted three concerts each with the largest crowd that she had ever played to.
Melbourne has the critical mass and overseas drawing power to sustain Voyage
It’s now a business so I guess one thing is to find suitable real estate or space to build another arena in a place where you have access to public transport to hotels and other infrastructure. At the same they hire companies to collect data of the number of potential visitors. It only makes sense if enough people are traveling to the location etc. this might take some time to evaluate. That’s why for instance I always questioned Singapore. Will people from South Korea go to Japan to see Voyage or vice versa ? London was an adventure a dare they took, an investment a huge risk. Now it’s a business…
Really, really !!! Ha ha. I , personally, think it will be Australia because they received such a rapturous reception there and it is huge country. Surely, they will make loads of money there.
Stupid question perhaps😊 ... Does anyone know whether the show can be performed simultaneously in several cities or is the equipment stationary and therefore only can be used in one place at a time?
That's also a question, i also wonder.
I'd imagine different time zones would make that a little awkward🤣
its all ones and zeros.
its a computerprogram that runs everything.
Australia was their international beginning and loved them,america they were never huge
And place of their worldwide revival starting with Bjorn Again in the late 1980s. Not to mention the movies Priscilla, and Muriel's Wedding in the early 1990s
Maybe they will or maybe they won't, plenty of Australians, Americans, Candians and People from Scandinavia and Europe have travelled to London and continue to do so. As a show experience, I think Vegas would be more likely.
Abba voyage should be in Sydney not Melbourne
Why? I live in Sydney, but Melbourne has a larger population than Sydney, and land is cheaper, so Melbourne makes more sense on every level.
Surely if anyone deserves the ABBA show it’s Australia they help put ABBA firmly on the map the United States did very little for ABBA and gave them a Luke warm reception
If the Victorian govt has any input on this project you can expect it to triple in cost and then get cancelled. And Flemington is not a great location either.
Uh oh. Useless government cynic alert.
As someone who lives in Guatemala , I would love to have the show in the US (It would be the closest feasible location)😅
I hope for Australia, they were really big there. US might be 10 times the total market but they really never where that big there, just one #1 single and quite low results for Albums as well. More competition with other arenas there as well.
You forget about Mamma Mia the musical - running on Broadway for literally decades. Voyage would probably have a similar life in Vegas.
Melbourne i saw ABBA live March 1977 Sidney Myer Music Bowl Countdown broke ABBA in a big way downunder & both or one of the members Bjorn & or Benny has more or less said this so bring Voyage to Melbourne
Waterloo was Top 10 in 1974 without Australia even knowing about Eurovision.
In 1975, it was Australia that proved to the World that ABBA were not one hit wonders with Mamma Mia, I Do I Do, and SOS simultaneously being in the Top 10, with Mamma Mia hitting Number 1.
🤩💖🌹🌹🌹🪄🎉✨🌈🌻
АGNETНA,ANNI FRIDA, PRETTY LADIES, WELCOME TO ВЕLAR.
The country has welcomed ABBA before. With a grain of salt let’s see!!!!
First Again?
Abba needs to stay out of San Francisco....Retail merchants are getting out of there for good reasons.
Actually, Abba should probably avoid all of California.
yes, you see disturbing pictures of san francisco and la in the indernet. l think the show would even succeed better in beijing. not because abba is so popular, but theres so many people with money now in china- l guess a lot of people would just go and see voyage there because its a colourful and technichally interesting spectacle.
@@mathiastrostdorf5638 Plus, California as a whole is mired in regulation, has high taxes, and can be a bit interesting in exceptions it makes to laws (see recent min wage increase for fast food which carved exception benefitting a donor of the governor). It's just not a good place to do business.
Abba should come next door to Nevada, specifically Las Vegas....Vegas knows how to put on shows.
@@pammc2783
yes, vegas would be the only place in the us l could image for voyage!
Yes Melbourne should be the next city for venue. They are tru ABBA fans. It's a brilliant city and the live music capital of Australia.
I think Agnetha said it best
‘You just never know with AꓭBA’
🙃