Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the Swedish pop group ABBA fondly recall their only Irish concert in 1979.
The Swedish pop group ABBA comprised of Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad shot to fame in 1974 after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with their song ‘Waterloo’.
Topping music charts around the world between 1974 and 1983, ABBA has a place in the heart of everyone who has been around for the past 50 years.
Whether you enjoy dancing along to their hit ‘Dancing Queen’, prefer a movie night watching Mamma Mia, or like to sing your heart out to The Winner Takes It All, we all have a love for ABBA.
Remembering their only ever Irish concert – a night to remember
Despite their worldwide renown, the Swedish pop group only ever performed one concert in Ireland.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Andersson and Ulvaeus recall the last gig of their 1979 European tour, which took place in Dublin’s RDS.
Andersson states, “It felt good to be in Ireland, and we opened the show with me playing a Swedish folk tune on my GX-1 Yamaha keyboard, and that felt especially good in Ireland because it connects, Irish folk music, Swedish folk music.
I remember some of the people in the crew weren’t that sober that night during the performance, that’s what I remember. Someone came on playing the accordion in the middle of the song.”
During their only ever Irish concert, ABBA performed some of their greatest hits including ‘Voulez-Vous’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, and ‘Chiquitita’.
Inspiration for one of their most famous lines – the night before arriving in Dublin
The night before the band arrived in Dublin, they performed their penultimate gig in Glasgow.
As Ulvaeus recalls, “We toured very little. I think we did Dublin after Glasgow.
Funnily enough, the other day when I looked at Trump and his golf course in Scotland, there was a picture of that building, the clubhouse, and that’s where we stayed with ABBA on tour before we went by helicopter over to Dublin and hence that lyric ‘when I called you last night from Glasgow’ on ‘Super Trouper’.”
ABBA for the new generation – here we go, again!
Those who were around when ABBA’s music was topping charts across the globe are sure to have fond memories of the Swedish pop group and their many hits.
However, the recent success of the movies Mamma Mia! (2008)and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) have not only brought a sense of nostalgia for those who enjoyed dancing to ABBA’s music in the 70s and 80s, but have brought the band a whole new generation of fans.
You can watch the RTÉ interview with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus here.
