Arrival of ABBA songs a big hit

BY Richard Duckett, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE REVIEWER

Arrival from Sweden helped span the ever-expanding abyss of time with an immensely appealing ABBA show at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts Friday night.

It was also a very interesting experience. There were several reasons to say “Ah-haa” — to quote from that intriguing refrain from the ABBA song “Knowing Me, Knowing You.”

Arrival really is from Sweden, and founder and performer Victoria Norback has put together a very stylish and classy show titled “The Music of ABBA” that looks the part, and pretty much sounds like it most of the time, too.

They were playing to a predominantly middle-age audience (“myself not least,” as the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson might have put it) of 1,900 people Friday, but the hit songs of ABBA , spanning from circa 1974 to 1982, stand the test of time very nicely in Arrival’s rendition. Arrival’s lineup consisted of two front female leads, three backup female singers, and a very energetic and tight band of seven musicians who played more than 25 songs for two-plus hours (including a short intermission).

ABBA is ABBA no matter which way you spell it — which is another way of saying you’re likely to either love them or turn your nose up at the very thought of them.

It was good to be among the believers Friday, who were on their feet and cheering quite raucously by the end of the evening. ABBA — Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog (Anna) — created and performed songs that could be immensely catchy, as well as convey some drama over the forever heartbreak of love. The latter could sound pretty convincing (Frida and Benny married and divorced; Bjorn and Anna married and divorced).

Arrival’s arrival on stage was preceded with some dramatic sound and lighting effects. On stage Norback and company wore white with some accompanying sequins and sparkles and launched into what was one of ABBA’s earliest songs “Ring Ring.” Next, “Knowing Me, Knowing You” followed by “I Do, I Do” defined the whole evening.

“Knowing Me, Knowing You” was one of those ABBA songs that had some aforementioned edge. Arrival’s performance of it, while perfectly fine on one level, lacked that certain extra something that you will only really get from the real ABBA. A case in point was the “Ah-haa.” Arrival’s singing of those two syllables was clipped. It should be extended more, drawing out the “aah” to add a sense of mystery to the utterance. “I Do, I Do” is much more of a pleasant singalong type of song. Enjoyable, but less demanding. And Arrival was perfectly in its element here with a thoroughly engaging, knock-about performance.

There were exceptions to this general rule, and the second half of the concert, perhaps surprisingly, gathered strength with some strong and affecting performances of “Winner Takes it All” and “Chiquitita.”

Norback and her co-lead (alas, the $15, 8-page program did not name names) did well with their vocals, although Norback seemed to have some vocal-chord trouble early that was noticeable in the higher register. But in the flowing vein of songs such as “Take a Chance On Me” Arrival had a wonderfully full sound both vocally and instrumentally.

Once you realized that Arrival wasn’t actually ABBA (“Ah-haa,” so to speak) but an excellent tribute band, the concert took off in one’s appreciation and ultimately proved to far exceed expectations.