Bringing the Swedish pop sensations of ABBA back to the stage is no small feat. Especially when you don’t bring them in person, but instead create a visually stunning experience with life-sized digital avatars of music legends, supported by a live band and a host of short films and other narrative concepts. However, it was director Baillie Walsh who orchestrated the whole thing, who took the job and now he has. Empire how and why he did it.
The 95-minute concert features ABBA reinvented as 21st century pop stars, with costumes designed by B Åkerlund in collaboration with designers Dolce & Gabbana, Manish Arora, Erevos Aether and Michael Schmidt. Along with some of their biggest hits (chosen by the band themselves), the concert includes tracks from Voyage, the band’s first album in 40 years, released last year to critical and critical acclaim. The show takes place in the purpose-built 3,000-seat ABBA Arena, located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London.
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Walsh is a music video director and director whose resume is filled with jobs for musicians such as Oasis, Kylie Minogue, Massive Attack New Order, INXS and Spiritualized, including feature films Flashback of a madman and one of the best behind-the-scenes documentaries of recent years, Being James Bondon Daniel Craig’s tenure in the role.
When she got the call for the idea, Walsh knew it would be perfect for the concert. “I’m more of a fan,” she said she. They are really in my DNA. They have always been a part of my life. I saw them win the Eurovision Song Contest, they were always there. “
When producers Ludwig Andersson and Svana Gisla (the latter Walsh had worked with in the past) approached him to see if he was interested, Walsh came up with the idea, prompting him to contact the band. “Svana set up a Zoom call with Benny and Bjorn, and they said yes to that call, which is pretty amazing,” Walsh recalled. “I must have said something he liked!”
I wanted it to be an emotional experience.
The band’s original tone was more of a basic cinematic idea, but Walsh had a vision for something far grander, especially since the band hadn’t shared a stage in four decades. “It was the beginning of something,” he says. “It was a kind of roadmap that was very useful to me and gave me a springboard. I felt like the possibilities were really great and we could try something really bold, something that had never been seen before. what would I do and what would I do? What would be the experience I would like to participate in? ‘ So that was the big question, and then I sat down and figured out what I wanted to see.
Walsh’s concept was essentially a concert experience with full-size digital versions of ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad) animated by motion capture and digital doubles. Five weeks of filming with the group in Sweden wearing motion-capture suits provided the base footage for a variety of action, while the young performers (under the supervision of choreographer Wayne McGregor) provided more movement. The two levels of performance were then combined by the technical assistants of Industrial Light & Magic.
Despite his vast experience, there were challenges to overcome. Getting the similarities right was a big challenge, “admits Walsh.” It was always about taking two steps forward and one step back and thinking you found the similarity, but then moving didn’t seem to work. And the funny thing is, it kept changing. So at some point it would have been very difficult to find Agnetha, and then we would have found her, but suddenly Benny, who we thought we had, suddenly pulled back.
For Walsh, however, the biggest challenge was authenticity. “I didn’t want it to be a technological paradise. I wanted it to be an emotional experience and a concert. So the technology shouldn’t be that visible, so it’s been a constant balancing act. “
Walsh has brought into play everything he has done so far in his career for the show, combining directing, music videos and more. “I couldn’t have done it 20 years ago. I probably couldn’t have done it 10 years ago. I used everything I had on this show ”.
ABBA Voyage is playing at the ABBA Arena. For tickets and more information, check the official website.
Source: Empire online
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
