After the smashing success of the group's virtual concert event in London, ABBA is reportedly close to signing a multi-million dollar deal to bring their avatar-based "Voyage" show to Las Vegas.
Sources have reported that Resorts World has secured the deal in a heavy bidding war with MGM Resorts and Caesars Palace. Considering the success of the London show at the custom-built ABBA Arena, it was hard to imagine exactly where it would take place in the U.S.
The Resort Worlds Theater is a 5,000-capacity-seat venue that hosts concerts, conventions and sporting events and boasts unobstructed views and an immersive sound experience. This undoubtedly points to the needs of the 'Voyage' presentation, given the logistics of an integrated lighting system and a 10-piece band that plays live to the group's vocal tracks in a 20-song setlist.
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ABBA Voyage opened in May of 2022 and depict the band as they appeared in 1979. As for the vocals, producer Ludvig Anderson revealed a few surprises to Retropop in 2023. "We had access to everything, all the multitrack tapes of the original recordings, but it was quite a strenuous process because most of ABBA's old recordings were not recorded to a click track, which is what we needed to line it up with the timecode and the live band. So what we had to do to get the vocals was go through every song that's in the show, cut it up and align it to the click track."
And the economic windfall that Las Vegas could receive is reflected in the revenue that the London show has generated so far. In a December report via Reuters, the outlet found: "the show, which has been seen by more than 1 million people, generated a total turnover of 322.6 million pounds ($408 million) in the 12 months since it opened in May 2022, according to an analysis by Sound Diplomacy and RealWorth."
In addition to the state-of-the-art technology sound and visuals, the ABBA-tars were costumed by Dolce & Gabbana, Manish Arora and Erevos Aether. Aether, who creates "wearable art" for Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, designed futuristic jumpsuits for the show. Dolce & Gabbana created outfits that echoed ancient Greece and Indian designer Arora crafted colorful kaftans and capes.
ABBA: Voyage is scheduled to end its twice-daily London run in January 2025, according to Ticketmaster. Once an official conclusion is confirmed, Resorts World in Las Vegas may "take a chance" and have a schedule ready to announce.
