By Mark Jefferies & Laura Harding
ABBA and their fans celebrated the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision success in style at the weekend - with Bjorn Ulvaeus making a guest appearance in London's West End and saying he feels "humbled" by their continued popularity.
Saturday was 50 years to the day since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their mega-hit ‘Waterloo’.
Bjorn was at Mamma Mia's 25th West End anniversary, whilst over in East London there was a live show for the digital version of the band at Abba Voyage too, with big celebrations.
Taking to the stage after a celebratory performance of the show at the Novello Theatre, where much of the original cast was in the audience, Bjorn said: “About this time in the evening, exactly 50 years ago I was standing on another stage here in the UK.
“It was the second time I entered that stage that night because me and my three bandmates had been called back to perform our song a second time because the juries of the Eurovision final had delivered their verdicts – nil points from the UK.
“But despite that, we won and by the thinnest margin in the history of Eurovision. I think that record (would) still stand. So on a night like this, it’s strange to think that if we hadn’t won – what happens to those who come number four, number three at Eurovision – they’re never heard of after that. If we hadn’t won, I most probably wouldn’t be standing here today.
“And this wonderful adventure, which we call Mamma Mia, would not have happened and I wouldn’t have met with all these wonderful people that I’ve worked with through the years and that would have been so sad. So I’ve got a lot to thank Waterloo for.”
He was met by laughter and applause as he added: "But here in this room, I can admit that when I relax at home and put on some music, it's not Waterloo."
He continued: "Somehow Abba has managed to touch so many millions of lives around the world, generation after generation.
"And people ask me 'how does it feel for you to know that?' and that's a very tough question and very hard to answer.
"It's a very, very elusive feeling. And it's more to do with gratitude and with humility than pride. Because it humbles you to know that so many people have listened to something you've created, and that they've been made happy by it or sad, and that it has meant so much for them in their lives.
"And it's very, very difficult to fully emotionally grasp that, at least for me."
He also expressed "gratitude for the sheer existence of music because of what kind of a world we have without it."
Referring to the band’s sellout show Abba Voyage, he concluded: “I might not be here for the next big anniversary, but my avatar will.”
The Swedish band - Bjorn, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad - triumphed with their song Waterloo in Brighton on April 6 1974 and the musical show featuring their best loved songs premiered in London on the same day in 1999.
Over at the Abba Arena in east London on Saturday night, there were DJ sets from Greatest Hits Radio presenter Jenny Powell and Magic Radio presenter Harriet Scott in the foyer to welcome and get fans in celebratory mood ahead of the Abba Voyage show.
The concerts began in 2022 after years of planning and feature ground-breaking new technology that recreates the sight of Abba in their 1970s prime, playing hits like SOS, Voulez-Vous and Lay All Your Love On me.
To create the spectacle, the band performed in motion capture suits for five weeks, with 160 cameras scanning their body movements and facial expressions.
Those attending concerts featuring the avatars - dubbed Abba-tars - on Saturday also received special limited edition Waterloo metal pin badges.
VIP guests on the night included TV host Rylan Clark, Radio DJ and podcaster Kate Thornton and documentary maker Louis Theroux.
ABBA had thanked fans in a rare statement as the band celebrated the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision Song Contest victory.
The iconic 70s pop group remain the show's most famous and successful exports after they were crowned winners in April 1974 with their song, Waterloo.
Reflecting on the milestone, the group, who later split in 1982, issued a joint statement that said:
"It’s slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several. We see evidence of that every time one of us visits ABBA Voyage in London and it’s because of this we can celebrate the 50th Anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world.”
Mamma Mia, which features the songs written by Bjorn and Benny Andersson and performed with Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, is only the third in the history of the West End to celebrate 25 years.
Since its premiere, more than 50 productions have been staged in more than 450 cities in 16 languages, including versions on Broadway and in Paris.
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