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The Music of ABBA comes to Beaver Creek Monday

Special to the Daily
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Undoubtedly one of Sweden’s biggest exports ever, ABBA’s treasure chest of pop hits will come alive again, when Arrival from Sweden rekindles “ABBA Fever” Monday evening, at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek.

The 12-member group, which was started 17 years ago by Vicky Zetterberg, is the largest touring ABBA tribute in the world. The band has performed in more than 35 nations around the globe, from Australia to Vietnam. Arrival’s show features two of ABBA’s original band members and is also the only ABBA tribute band to hold exclusive rights to create exact versions of ABBA’s original clothing.

Songs such as “Dancing Queen,” “Money, Money, Money” and “Waterloo” will transport you back to the ’70s and ’80s. Zetterberg recently answered some questions for the Vail Daily.



1. Vail Daily: How challenging is it to cover ABBA songs?

Vicky Zetterberg: It is very hard to do ABBA justice. You have to tear down every song into pieces and take it part by part. To do ABBA justice you must have the right keyboard sound on every single song, and the vocal part must be exactly like the original. The vocal technique is to belt, and sing with twang. And, to pronounce the words in the way ABBA did, with a natural Swedish accent.

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2. VD: What can audiences expect from a live concert with your band?

VZ: A really fun ABBA experience, plus some stories from ABBA’s history.

3. VD: How do you choose which ABBA songs to cover?

VZ: We do a mix of both well-known songs and less-known songs. We choose the set list for our shows a long time before we perform, and every single sequence is planned.

4. VD: In your opinion, what is the best ABBA song of all time?

VZ: Hard to say … I have at least 10 favorite songs, mostly the less famous, but my favorite famous song is “Dancing Queen,” I think.

5. VD: What is one of your band’s most memorable experiences?

VZ: After 48 hours of flying from Sweden to Malaysia, we had to go straight up on stage for a concert. That was really different and very crazy.

6. VD: What songs will be included on your set list in Beaver Creek?

VZ: All of the hit songs, of course, like “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen,” etc.

7. VD: Is there anything else you want readers to know about your band?

VZ: We are the only ABBA tribute band with exclusive rights to copy ABBA original outfits with permission from ABBA clothing designer and we are the only group who has an unreleased ABBA song from Björn and Benny of ABBA. We hope to release that song by 2013. We have been touring in 50 countries since 1995 and we have done 24 tours in America since 2005.


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