Dale, honored to perform these songs, admits he couldn’t “pas faire de show sans jouer ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Waterloo’, ‘Thank You For The Music’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ ou ‘One of Us’ et ‘Super Trooper’.” And at the time when the film Mamma Mia 3! is in progress, the singer assures that there would be “a scandal if we went on stage and didn’t finish by playing these songs. Everyone automatically knows the lyrics. Even if you’re not an ABBA fan. It’s crazy. It’s like we’ve all been conditioned from a young age. And who would have imagined that 50 years after Waterloo, we would still be singing it while marveling even the youngest?
Speaking of “Waterloo”, are you planning to come visit the Belgian city?
“We would love to visit because everyone tells us about it! Most of us are from the UK and of course we know Waterloo station in London. And Portsmouth, which is about an hour from London , we have Napoleon’s boat so we already have a lot of connections with the song. And when I came to Belgium, I tasted Waterloo beer.
50 years ago, Abba won Eurovision in Brighton with “Waterloo”
Have you had any feedback from Abba about your group?
“A few years ago, there was a rumor that Benny came to see the show. Apparently he was seen in the lobby of the theater. But this was never confirmed. If he came to see it, we hope he enjoyed it. Benny is a brilliant pianist and so if I had seen him in front of me, what pressure I think I would probably have passed out. But I’m sure they support us. been in business for 20 years, so they know us we’ve even played in Sweden, all over Europe, and soon we’ll be heading to Japan again And if they didn’t support us, I think we would have. su. We just continue to spread their music in the best way possible and our goal is for the public to have a good time. To continue the dream of ABBA, to keep their music alive.
And what is your costume budget?
(Smile) “Luckily for me, I have two costumes! And what the producers did was they wanted to recreate the original ABBA costumes. Björn’s costumes are crazy. The glitter costumes are beautifully done and very fun to wear. Not to mention walking with boots on stage!
This summer, you carried out a new casting to replace certain members. Have you ever considered performing with holograms?
“In 20 years, technology has evolved so much that we already have an incredible multimedia battery. We have LED screens, projectors, incredibly bright lights. We have ice machines, smoke bombs, etc. From a point of view technologically speaking, we are really at the highest level Now, if you want holograms or avatars like ABBA Voyage London already does, it costs a billion US dollars And, unfortunately, we don’t have a billion dollars! Americans (smile) ! Even if their show, which I had the opportunity to see, was absolutely incredible. What an incredible idea to do this! Now there’s even talk of doing an avatar show with Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. It’s very exciting! Janet Jackson, in her new tour, also offers a few songs with her brother Michael in hologram. People are moving mountains when it comes to technology in the theater. We must embrace it. And I imagine that’s going to be the norm in 10 years.”
And joking aside, do you speak Swedish?
“Not really, no. Not at all. But in every country we go to, we try to say a little something in the language of the country. I’m an Englishman. I studied French at school. I know so order Belgian beer, which is terrible (smile) ! And the girls in the show always sing a verse of all the songs in the language of the country we are in. So when we are in Belgium, if we are in the French-speaking regions, they will sing something in French for the audience. Which always pleases a lot. And if we arrive in a country where they don’t know how to speak the language at all, they will sing in Swedish. As a sign of respect.”
Are you disappointed by Abba’s failure to reform?
“They had mentioned an album and their reformation, in fact. They released their album, Voyage, recently which I found brilliant and of which we included a few tracks in our show. But for them all to reunite one day on stage, never. Ten years ago, they were offered a billion euros to do a single show and they said no. So, it’s definitely not for the money. together but it was 50 years ago so why risk ruining everyone’s dream and memory?
But if they come back on stage, that doesn’t change anything for you?
“No, not at all. We wish they would. I would be in the Ticketmaster queue to buy a ticket if they decided to do something. But I don’t think they will. We , we offer and guarantee an evening of nostalgia whatever happens.”
