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The Swedish ABBA tribute band Arrival performs Saturday with the New Mexico Philharmonic.
All right now, just admit it: when ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” all of a sudden blasts out of your car speakers like a sugary butterfly coming forth to spread love in the world, you don’t touch the dial do you?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. And really, for anyone who sang along to “Knowing Me, Knowing You” or any of the many hits of the Swedish band, the arrival of Arrival in Albuquerque on Saturday should provide the necessary nostalgic salve.
Considered the pre-eminent ABBA tribute band, Arrival comes to Albuquerque with quite a résumé already. The band has played so many high-profile shows that it has compiled a rather lengthy list, and it has performed with symphony orchestras all over the world. One might remember that plenty of ABBA songs contained string- and horn-laden lines to add to its pop syrup.
Arrival vocalist Vicky Zetterberg (she’d be the brunette vocalist or Agnetha Fältskog from the original band) said that rather than simply go through the musical motions, she and her bandmates in Arrival have the goal of re-creating ABBA’s music very loyally.
“The music is so perfect,” Zetterberg said. “At that time, ABBA used the best musicians in Sweden. There are a lot of ABBA bands out there. Ninety-nine percent are really bad but our (musicians) are handpicked.”
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Arrival With the New Mexico Philharmonic WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6 WHERE: Kiva Auditorium, 401 Second NW in the Albuquerque Convention Center HOW MUCH: Tickets are $15.60-$67.50 at holdmyticket.com or 886-1251 |
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The other thing that sets Arrival apart? The costumes.
ABBA’s members certainly had a particular look and penchant for a particular wardrobe, and with all due respect to Mini KISS, the members of Arrival look so much like the originals, it’s not easy to discern the differences.
“Fifty percent of ABBA’s success was from its clothing,” Zetterberg said, and she went on to add that the clothing she and the other members of Arrival use in their shows are re-creations of ABBA’s original wardrobes.
Finally, Zetterberg said, there’s one other thing that makes Arrival more authentic – the fact that all of its members are from Sweden, like the original ABBA members, and therefore, presentation of the band’s music seems more like the real thing.
“When ABBA sings you can tell they are from Sweden,” she said. “People really like (the accent).”
