Have you seen what the iconic Swedish pop group ABBA have announced for their upcoming “tour?”
On the back of their new album, the first released in decades, ABBA have announced that they will be running a series of shows in London next year. They will have their own dedicated stadium for these shows and there will be a run of them for fans to attend.
However, the four members of ABBA won’t be there to sing and dance themselves.
Wait… So how is this an ABBA concert? You might be asking.
Well, ABBA have come up with a very new and revolutionary idea to have virtual concerts that are enjoyed by fans in stadiums over a period of time.
ABBA have rehearsed and performed the concert set themselves, wearing CGI equipment and trackers, and then these performances have been virtually mapped onto younger-looking CGI versions of themselves. It is these versions of ABBA that will be performing the concerts, night after night, in the London stadium.
The CGI troupe will be performing all of ABBA’s greatest hits and will interact with the audience, in a way, as their real selves.
What do you think of this?
On the one hand, it is understandable that ABBA do not feel up to doing a World Tour at this stage in their lives. This virtual concert was able to be recorded in their home country at their own pace, whereas a World Tour would be very physically and mentally draining, especially for Agnetha who has had personal issues in that regard before.
It is still them who has done the performing the first place, it isn’t simply a cartoon that has been made and then their discography has been added over the top of said cartoon.
There has been a real effort into making a personalised virtual experience for fans who want to come together and celebrate the iconic group in an exciting concert experience.
However, on the other hand, there is something rather disappointing about this.
Seeing a virtual concert is not the same as seeing the stars you love and look up to in the flesh, right in front of you. Watching people perform is an authentic and raw experience and it is something that fans love and cherish forever.
Watching a virtual performance, I fear, will feel removed and distant. It won’t be the same experience as other concerts at all.
It will also still come with the same price tag as an average concert and this will pose a dilemma for many people. Spending a lot of money to not actually see ABBA might feel redundant for a lot of fans.
Yes, the atmosphere of listening to ABBA’s classic and timeless discography with thousands of other fans would be exciting and electric, but the virtual element might completely fall flat.
There is something dystopian in such a human experience being turned into something virtual and digitised.
Just because technology can replace something, should it?
It’s a really interesting topic of conversation and I can see both sides of it, so I would love to hear what you readers think. Would you attend a virtual concert? Do you think it would be a waste of money? Would you relish the opportunity to see ABBA perform, regardless of what form that takes.
Let us know what you think in the comments and let’s chat about it!