Concert: ABBA Voyage

This week has had a truly horrendous start. So. My flight was delayed - naturally. The plane to take us back to London was a Lauda - as usual. The seating configuration was different from that advertised - as usual. And so I ended up in the emergency exit row! I'd never choose it voluntarily, it's so awkward with having to put all your stuff up - but by the time that idiot attendant offered me the option to switch, my things were in the overhead compartment, and nearly the whole plane was full, so I couldn't have found anywhere else for my case! Yeah, that wouldn't have been practical..

To compound matters, when we got there, the Stansted Express.. wasn't running to London. Oh, you couldn't make it up - it's either on strike, or on engineering works. And not having known this when I booked it, I had booked a return. Now, when it isn't running, they run a "bus replacement service". Yeah, which takes an hour to get to a station, where you have another half-hour train journey to London. Express, my ass - this takes half as long again as getting the bus the whole way. Which is what I do when I know in advance. Oh, and there was no aircon - or WiFi - on the bus. Sweltering in the evening sun, we alighted at Waltham Cross - where we knew our platform number, but not which platform we were actually at! A guard told us we had to head to the other platform for London - might have been handy to put a platform number up, you think??!

To top it all off, the kitchen was closed in O' Neill's - I obviously just missed it, as a nearby table had just been served. Dinner, therefore, was a packet of chocolate biscuits from the Co-Op. Whose card machines were all broken, so I had to dig out some cash - kudos to Laurence Summers for not taking anything else, or I wouldn't have had any!

And today, I found out one of the companies I was in line for doesn't want me. :-( Cue me rapidly focusing on the other..

This evening - yes, I succumbed. Finally managed to get a decently priced (seated) ticket to Abba Voyage. Hell, I love Abba, and even if they have been replaced by avatars ("Abbatars") - it was supposed to be a spectacular show. Kind of has to be done..

It's a long way out. So, it was Northern Line, followed by DLR. Crikey, it's years since I was on the DLR - wobblier than the Tube, with much fainter announcements, it also has the advantage that most of it is above ground, so you see things. The first was a lot less crowded than the second - and what's nice is that the front cab is open to the rest of the compartment, so we got to see the guy shoo people out of his way so he could make announcements - the actual train driving is handled by the train.

Off the train at Pudding Mill Lane - and remember to tap out on the machine - and the Abba Arena isn't too hard to see!

Better ask the usher where exactly to stand - there are different queues for standing, sitting - and the Departure Lounge, which for £99 extra entitles you to unlimited cold food and drink, and a free lanyard and water bottle. Oh, and a seat..

We all had to be electonically scanned, and have our bags checked, before we went in.

It's not that big a space - in my experience of U2 concerts, certainly. Above is the photo-opp wall - there's also a cloakroom; I didn't bring much, but found this very handy indeed for merchandise. And it's free! Two merchandise stalls, with slightly different merchandise - have a look at both before you buy; as long as you don't arrive at the last minute, you have plenty of time. Bought a programme - pretty pointless, but hey - and a rather fetching t-shirt; I was aiming for something that didn't specifically mention Abba Voyage!

If you prefer, they also have socks.

Some people made a real effort:

WiFi was iffy - I had to heep trying to log in, and then refreshing to stay logged in! Food stalls are a dead loss - all they have are hot dogs (which I can't eat in this country, they don't taste right), ciabatta sandwiches (none of which I fancied), and wedges, with or without cheese and onions. I had the wedges without - should have had them with, they were tasteless, and I dumped half of them. The wine was more of a success - but careful, the bar in the middle of the floor doesn't have sauvignon blanc - the ones near the auditorium do. The food stalls don't serve wine at all. If you're in a seat, you can take it in with you - not if you're on the floor. There are also private dance booths-  more expensive, and I'm guessing you can take drinks in there too!

I spent the entire time on my feet before I went in - the main advantage I can see for paying the £99 extra for the "Departure Lounge" is the prospect of a seat. Seating is very, very limited in the "main concourse".

I guess, when I was booking, the seat I booked was the cheapest available - so I ended up in the "accessible" area! which has a damn good view:

Scenes of a (I presume Swedish) woodland, snow gently falling, prepare us for what is to come. The anticipation is electric..

I really wish I could have shared some photos of the concert, but they are stricter than usual with this. Mind you, it makes a lovely change to have no-one on their phones during it! The light effects are amazing - and that's before you get to the avatars.. which are utterly perfect, from what I could see. We see them as life-size, which means that from where I was sitting, they're not in so much detail - but still, the light effects on them are perfect, the close-ups are flawless. Seriously, I kept forgetting they weren't real..

Plenty of hits up there - most of the big ones. Also some I hadn't heard before. Many of the songs swapped videos for the avatars. But if you're a fan of the music, it doesn't really matter.. what a joy to sing along to Abba song after Abba song! Perfect surround sound, a live support band who take over for one of the songs. And it kind of makes it better to have the band (apparently) live in front of you. 

It was great to see the crowd on their feet too - pretty much everyone, by the end. Me, I felt a little weird about that - but Lordy, lots didn't! The band come on, as their older selves, at the end - now, I believe that actually happened on the opening night, but I doubt they're doing that every night. I think these are avatars too. Looks great though!

Is it worth it? Yes! if you're an Abba fan. It really is the business, and beautifully executed. The one thing I flagged as not like a rock concert such as I would be used to, was the lack of interaction with the audience - but gee, how much can you ask of an avatar? My tips - buy well in advance for a decent price, and EAT BEFORE YOU GET THERE! The food is woeful. Otherwise, it's great.

Coming home, I did the same route in reverse - the view from the DLR was so much nicer in the dark, with the lights, and the non-illumination of the rubbosh by the track. We couldn't stop at King's Cross though, which was closed for some reason - had to carry on to Euston, where pretty much everything was closed - shopped for dinner at M&S. Didn't bother to try O' Neill's..

Tomorrow, I've booked with London Classical Music and Theatre Group - Didi, from the group, who is herself a classical guitarist, is playing a free Summer Music Festival concert in the Holy Sepulchre Church, which should be lovely.

That evening, I'm at Chasing Hares, at the Young Vic. And wouldn't you know it, CT now has ticket offers for this..

On Wednesday, I booked with a new Meetup group - Soho Comedy Factory Shows and Socials, which organises free events on Wednesdays at the aforementioned Soho Comedy Factory. But this evening, as I mooched around the Abba Arena, I got an offer from CT for seat-filling for Wonderville! magic & cabaret, so now I'm going to that instead. I've had bad experiences with free comedy!

On Thursday, I've booked a free ticket with an improv group called Kid Smokers Improv! at Barons Court Theatre. (It's Pay What You Can, actually.) They're actually stepping in while Avocado Presents takes a summer holiday - they seem to have a residency here, now. Anyway, I've seen Avocado Presents before, and they're excellent - so I figure I'll give these people a shot! Avocado Presents, interestingly, have a Meetup group now - Watch Improv & Chat Comedy! which I've also just joined.

On Friday, I booked for the Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street Tour with Poppy's Events for 40s 50s and 60s, another new group to me. But Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners have a walk that day as well - the Strange Tales of Old (and New) London Tour. And with one company I applied to having rejected me, and the other saying they won't let me know before that day - it looks as though I'll be free. So now I'm going on this instead - don't fancy doing both, although I could.

On Saturday, I'm off to see The Ehrlich Brothers, a magic show at the Wembley Arena. This is with Friendly Frolickers 50+ Meetup Group - so I've joined them as well. I was - as often happens - rather frazzled when I booked though, and completely forgot that they have their own, discounted tickets! Blast - they do this specifically so that they can sit together. Well, I've booked my own - more expensively - and explained. Can't be helped. Oh, and again, CT now has tickets for that very day..

And on Sunday, I've booked with the 45+s again - but not with Laurence this time! They do have walks guided by other people, and this one is of Brick Lane.