European & Australian Tour (ABBA)
| Tour by ABBA | |
Souvenir Program for ABBA's European & Australian Tour
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| Associated album |
Arrival The Album |
|---|---|
| Start date | January 28, 1977 |
| End date | March 12, 1977 |
| Legs | 2 |
| No. of shows | 17 in Europe 11 in Australia 28 Total |
| ABBA concert chronology | |
European & Australian Tour was the second concert tour by Swedish pop group ABBA. Beginning on January 28 in Oslo (Norway) through March 12, 1977 (Perth, Australia), it was the first time the Scandinavian quartet performed their hits to massive audiences outside Europe. The Australian leg was to be the most memorable, with fan-frenzy scenes later immortalized in Lasse Hallström's ABBA: The Movie, released in 1977.
Ever since the beginning of their career, the members of ABBA rarely agreed to leave the safety of their home and recording sessions in Sweden to perform in concert. But after the release of the mega-successful Greatest Hits compilation and the album Arrival, their status changed dramatically and were clearly regarded as superstars around the globe.
In December 1976, the group began rehearsing their stage act in the Konserthuset in Stockholm (By January 1977, they moved to Europa Studios). The new tour meant an innovation and a preview peek into ABBA's future, showcasing a pop opera called The Girl with the Golden Hair - a mini-musical in 4 scenes - with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sharing the lead role in blonde wigs.
The girls worked with their choreographer Graham Tainton and prepared several dance numbers for some of the songs. Meanwhile, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were engaged in the preparations even if they would not dance on stage. The memorable white and gold costumes they wore during the entire tour were designed by Owe Sandström.
The tour officially took off in Oslo (Norway), on January 28, 1977, performing in front of 5.300 screaming fans, including Prince Harald and Princess Sonja. They later gave concerts in Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Berlin, Cologne, Essen, Hannover, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Antwerp.
The last European country of the tour was Great Britain, where ABBA enjoyed an massive sales and impressive chart success. They played in five sold-out gigs in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and at London's Royal Albert Hall, on February 14. Tickets for these shows were available only by mail application and it was later revealed that the box-office received 3.5 million requests for tickets, enough to fill the venue 580 times. Bjorn said that the Royal Albert Hall concerts were a very special moment and a milestone in ABBA's career. "The thousands of fans packed in displayed their enjoyment so much. They showed how much they liked our music. It was electric, vibrant. I never thought I would see it happen".
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