September 7, 2023

The Parker

Tickets

ABBA isn’t just a music group. As Sweden’s biggest music export ever, it sold nearly 400 million records, had its music fuel the Broadway musical Mamma Mia and its two movie spinoffs, launched the band-specific Play Station Sing Star games, and even has its own museum in Stockholm.

As any fan can tell you, if you are going to stage a concert celebrating ABBA, you better be a Super Trouper, “Shining like the sun, smiling, having fun, feeling like a number one.”

Vicky Zetterberg, a longtime fan who has seen ABBA in concert five times, knows that from experience. In an interview with the Ames Tribune before a show in Iowa, Zetterberg recalled seeing an ABBA tribute band that was so terrible she decided to create ARRIVAL from Sweden: The Music of ABBA, which comes to The Parker on September 7, 2023.

“The group was from Australia, and they spoke in a bad, fake Swedish accent,” she said. “We looked into every detail of an ABBA show. There are a lot of ABBA bands that are out there, of which 99% are really bad, but ours are handpicked.”

ARRIVAL from Sweden is so authentic the ABBA-fan club has declared it, “the closest you will ever get to ABBA.” Zetterberg’s group has also impressed the original members of ABBA as well. It is the only group that has been given a previously unreleased ABBA song directly from Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. The song “Just A Notion” was released by ARRIVAL from Sweden in 1999 prior to ABBA recording it for its own Voyage release.

Zetterberg also received exclusive permission to have costumes that are actual recreations of the original wardrobes worn by ABBA. The costumes are just part of ARRIVAL from Sweden which delivers such hits as “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Does Your Mother Know,” “Take A Chance,” “SOS,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Super Trouper,” “Money Money Money,” “Waterloo,” “Honey Honey,” “Fernando,” “Chiquitita,” “Thank You For The Music,” “Lay All Your Love On Me” and “Gimme Gimme Gimme.”

ARRIVAL from Sweden has toured in more than 70 countries, including 82 successful USA tours, as well as made appearances on TV and radio shows all over the world. With 10 to 12 musicians on stage, the concert features consummate musicians who have performed with more than 100 symphony orchestras including those in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.

“Knowing Me Knowing You” isn’t just the title of an ABBA song that is performed in the concert. It is the secret to ARRIVAL from Sweden’s success. They are ABBA fans, they know what fans want, and they deliver.

Content Courtesy of Savannah Whaley, Pierson Grant PR