u/Arodoet98

So I’ve been gathering reviews from fans around the world who attended the Dancing Queen 50th anniversary celebrations, and honestly… they sound pretty disappointing. Or at the very least, quite underwhelming compared to what people were expecting.

- Mexico City — apparently they only played four ABBA songs the entire night?!
- Sydney — seemingly a similar story. From what I’ve seen, there was basically just a backdrop with a Dancing Queen light where people could take photos.
- Berlin — this seems to have been one of the better ones. They played quite a lot of ABBA songs, including some less obvious ones, and there was a photobooth, a small disco, merch, etc. However, they had apparently promised a quiz where people could win merch, and that never happened.

London and Stockholm happened today, so I haven’t seen many reviews yet. I have seen that they were giving away free “Dancing Queen 50” badges, though, and some of them are already being listed on eBay for ridiculous prices. Honestly, how horrible.

Did anyone here attend one of the celebrations? How was it? And what about the other cities?

I honestly feel quite sad that some of these events seem to have turned out this way. It feels unfair to the fans who genuinely wanted to celebrate Dancing Queen and ABBA’s music together.

The fact that these events were promoted on the official ABBA website also made me expect a little more from them. Of course, I don’t think this is ABBA’s fault at all, the organisation and execution are ultimately down to the event organisers. But when you have fans travelling, spending money, and getting excited about celebrating such an important ABBA milestone, I think it’s reasonable to expect something more special.

Maybe I’m expecting too much, but honestly, I feel like events celebrating ABBA should be organised by people who really understand ABBA and their fans or maybe even by the fans themselves. ABBA and their fans deserve better.

Would love to hear from anyone who actually attended, especially London, Stockholm, or any of the other cities!

Just watched ABBA: The Movie for the umpteenth time, and I have to say something that has been bothering me more and more every time I watch it.

Why did they spend THREE FULL SCENES on the whole “Agnetha’s bottom” thing? I completely understand why it was included. It was a huge sensation at the time, and obviously it became part of the ABBA mythology. One scene about it? Fine. Funny, historically relevant, I get it. But three separate scenes???

Every time I watch the movie I can’t help thinking about what else they could have done with those minutes. More footage of ABBA performing, more interviews, more normal questions about their music and lives, more of them just talking and interacting… literally anything that would have let us get to know the four of them better.

And this is especially frustrating because I’m sure there must have been SO much more footage filmed that didn’t make the final cut.

If the new version Lasse mentioned for next year actually happens, I really hope they dig into the archives and give us more of that kind of material. I would genuinely take an extra 30 minutes of ABBA answering random questions and talking about their music, lives, personalities… over another scene about Agnetha’s bottom.

I know the chances are almost 0% and we shouldn’t expect a lot from them. They deserve their privacy and rest, but I cannot help but wonder and hope😭 What do you think?

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I’ve realized that no matter how much ABBA lore I think I know, there’s always another story I’ve never heard.

I’ll start with one of my favorites:
Before a concert in Vienna in 1979, Frida was so nervous that she desperately needed to pee. The nearest toilet was apparently too far away, so she decided to use the sink instead. She sat on it… and it broke. Water sprayed everywhere, everyone burst out laughing, and her makeup and hair needed to be redone. 😂

Now it’s your turn.

What’s the funniest, weirdest, most random, or most unbelievable piece of ABBA lore you know? Tour stories, recording sessions, interviews, backstage moments, anything goes.

Let’s see how deep the ABBA iceberg really is. 👀

I’ve always wondered why “Andante, Andante” isn’t one of ABBA’s more popular songs.

I understand why people are drawn to the big catchy pop hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” or “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”, those songs are immediate and iconic. But for me, “Andante, Andante” is actually the song that made me fall in love with ABBA.

The first time I heard it was in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, and I liked it instantly. But later I listened to the original version with Frida singing, and something about it completely captivated me. That was around 10 years ago.

Over the years I listened to ABBA on and off, but recently I visited the ABBA The Museum in Stockholm, and they were playing “Andante, Andante” in the costume section. Hearing it there reminded me of how beautiful the song is, and since then I honestly haven’t been able to stop listening to it. It’s been on repeat for weeks, and it basically restarted my whole obsession with ABBA.

There’s just something incredibly intimate and warm about the song… Frida’s vocals, the melody, the atmosphere, everything feels so gentle and sincere.

So I’m curious: what are your thoughts on “Andante, Andante”? Why do you think it never became one of ABBA’s more widely loved or talked-about songs?

I recently stumbled upon this one, where they talk about the new album Voulez Vous. However, my favourite part is around the timestamp 18:15 where Frida says “Oh, I have my own money” after the interview makes a sexist comment.

What are your favourite moments from interviews? Please share the links if you have them.😊

“Belle” was released in 1983 for the French TV musical ABBAcadabra. It is based on ABBA’s instrumental track “Arrival” from the 1976 album Arrival.

For this version, French lyrics were added by Alain and Daniel Boublil, and the song was performed as a duet by Frida and Daniel Balavoine.

Frida singing in French is just melting my heart😍🥹

Another version:
https://youtu.be/pMHBqkfOiBc?is=EB6HV46tH_1wcDiH

Hi everyone,

I’ve been going through a lot of ABBA material recently (especially thanks to abbaontv.com), and I’ve started to notice some interesting dynamics between the two couples that I wanted to share and get your thoughts on.

To me, Benny and Frida seemed to have a very natural chemistry and warmth. There’s a lot of visible affection between them, both on stage and off. They often come across as playful and physically close, singing to each other, joking around, and generally looking very comfortable together. There’s a kind of spark there that feels quite genuine. For example, Benny is always hugging Frida and holding her by her waist.

In contrast, Björn and Agnetha (in the pre-divorce era, obviously I am not gonna compare a married vs. divorced couple), often seem a bit more reserved. Not in a bad way, just different. Their dynamic sometimes feels more like close friends or professional partners rather than overtly affectionate. Again, this is just based on public appearances, so it’s obviously a limited perspective.

I’ve also seen people say that Benny could come across as a bit dismissive or mean toward Frida in interviews, but I personally read it more as dry or sarcastic humor. He jokes about Björn in a similar way, and to me it feels more like a sign of familiarity than anything negative. Plus, there are plenty of moments where he clearly praises Frida: her talent, her contributions, even things like costume ideas.

Of course, we’re all just interpreting what we see publicly, but I’m curious if others have picked up on similar vibes or if you see it completely differently.

What do you think?