Talks Reportedly ‘Failed' in Efforts to Bring ABBA Voyage to Australia
First launched in May 2022, ABBA Voyage saw the quartet – which comprises Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog – taking to the first stage for the first time in 40 years, albeit as digital avatars (or 'ABBA-tars').
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While the group themselves have resisted lucrative offers to re-form since their 1982 split, the virtual, live concert experience provided a way for fans to relive the band's live concerts in the modern age. First launched in London in 2022, the immersive spectacle features 1979 versions of the band playing their biggest hits, backed by a 10-piece live band and a lofty light show.
Currently, the experience is scheduled through Feb. 1, 2026, with questions having been raised as to where it may be held next (or if it will be extended). While reports of a Las Vegas debut have surfaced recently, discussions in regard to an Australian edition of ABBA Voyage have been in the works since 2023.
Initially, both the cities of Sydney and Melbourne were in competition to host the production, with the latter reportedly winning out as the Victorian state government entered into what were labelled 'advanced conversations.'
However, reports in May 2024 of an imminent announcement of a production at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse were later replaced by reports of stalled negotiations, with an unnamed government official claiming that ABBA Voyage organizers – which includes Melbourne's Craig Hartenstine as CEO – 'got greedy.'
Now, a new report from the Herald Sun has stated the event is 'not going ahead' in Melbourne after talks had 'failed,' with money and value for taxpayers being the sticking point.
Reportedly, the ABBA Voyage production would require a purpose-built 3,000 seat venue to host the event and would cost $100 million AUD to be staged.
Paul Dainty – who serves as the president and chief executive of promoter TEG Dainty, and was responsible for bringing the group to Australia in 1977 – called the news 'disappointing.'
'It's been a long journey, but [ABBA Voyage] is a super expensive project,' he added. 'Maybe we can revisit it in the future.'
Though it's unclear what sort of value ABBA Voyage had been predicted to generate for the Australian economy, a December 2024 economic and social impact report noted that in the two years since its opening in May 2022, ABBA Voyage had generated £1.40 billion for the U.K. economy.
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Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mama, Ozzy Osbourne is coming home
Imagining rock 'n' roll without Ozzy Osbourne is impossible. He wasn't one of the music's originators—born in Birmingham, England, in 1948, he was too young for that—but as the lead singer of Black Sabbath, he created the sound, sensibility, and iconography that became known as heavy metal, a feat that earned him the nickname The Prince Of Darkness. Ozzy's reign as the king of heavy metal lasted well over half a century, ending only earlier this month when he played Back To The Beginning, a farewell extravaganza in his hometown, surrounded by disciples that illustrated his deep, lasting influence. Osbourne presided over a bill that gave equal representation to almost every strain of metal that Black Sabbath begat, its diversity illustrating how the band didn't just make a scene: They forged a subculture. 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During the 1980s, urban legends of Ozzy biting the heads off bats and doves rivalled the popularity of 'Crazy Train' and 'Mr. Crowley,' songs whose very titles teased an immersion in insanity and the occult. The idea of Ozzy Osbourne became greater than the music itself: Throughout the 1980s, he was the flashpoint for rock decadence, as much a guiding light as a cautionary tale. It also helped that Osbourne had a knack for picking guitarists, discovering legions of shredders that gave shape to metal in the 1980s. Chief among these was Randy Rhoads, the classically trained guitarist who died in 1982, just after he helped Osbourne make Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman, the albums that established Ozzy as a force outside of Black Sabbath. Those two records were so strong, they sustained Osbourne through a decade plagued by indulgence that slowly crept into the confines of the studio. 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Kelly Osbourne posts treasured moment with late father Ozzy Osbourne
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How did 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' compare to 'Superman' at the box office?
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