Perhaps in an attic somewhere in Sweden, spiders make themselves cozy in weathered sparkly capes and dusty platform boots.
It’s been more than four decades since supergroup ABBA closed the curtain on its touring years.
Those willing to voyage to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London can see the band perform digitally in a new hologram concert.
Or you can just head over to MGM Northfield Park on Jan. 5 to see MANIA: The ABBA Tribute to relive ABBA magic for a fraction of the cost.
Over the last two years, MANIA — a popular tribute band that’s been touring the globe since 1999 — had an 80-date sell-out tour across the country.
In the new year, the band is on tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s breakthrough single, “Waterloo,” the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest-winning single.
In a recent phone interview, vocalist Alison Ward, who portrays Agnetha Fältskog in the tribute act, points out that last year’s Eurovision winner was from Sweden.
“So, ironically, this year, 2024, it’ll be held in Sweden, and it’ll be 50 years since ABBA won with ‘Waterloo.’ So I’m thinking it’s going to be an epic Eurovision song contest in 2024,” she says excitedly.
Ward geeks out about ABBA things like this, which makes sense. She joined the tribute band in 2010 and explains that portraying Fältskog takes a lot more than throwing on a blonde wig and layering sequins.
“We do put on the Swedish accent,” says the native of Liverpool, England, speaking in her thick scouse accent. I don’t know if I’ve nailed it to a T, but I’ve given it a good go.”
Naturally, Ward is also a Beatles fan. (She even attended Penny Lane Nursery School.)
“Paul McCartney grew up on the street just off of my parents’ (street), so when you go on a Beatles tour in England, you pass basically by my childhood home, too,” she says. “So being around Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, yeah, I’ve always been a Beatles girl, but I don’t know anyone who isn’t really. You have to love the Beatles. It’s like ABBA.”
Ward grew up singing, but she studied math instead of music.
“I was a maths geek in school. And then, my mom and dad gave me the go-ahead to go and do what I wanted. So, post-university, I’ve been singing ever since.”
She says joining MANIA was her first big gig.
“Mom and Dad wanted me to use the maths degree, but I picked the ABBA show, and I’ve been with them ever since.”
That is, with the exception of a two-year break she took to perform as a solo act on cruise ships worldwide.
Ward also performed as lead vocalist in a show at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
She eventually rejoined the ABBA act, saying she missed it despite its physical demands.
“I give it my all,” she says. “It takes me a lot of energy to get it out every night because it’s, like, a two-and-a-half-hour show and I never leave. We have an intermission, but I’m on the whole time. So it’s a workout, and I have been doing it all this time.”
She explains that this band’s choreography is more involved than ABBA’s, which adds to the workload.
“To be honest, ABBA back then was very minimal with the moves, and they’re very simple with the performance,” she says.
The band adds their own choreography to keep their crowds hyped and dancing the whole time.
“Most people in the audience are there because they’re ABBA fans. Some people have been roped in with family and friends, but I know that by the end of it, everyone’s happy singing, dancing, joining in,” she says.
Ward says one of her favorite memories is her experience meeting her youngest fan, who was just a baby at the time.
The parents showed their baby the band’s performances via YouTube videos before eventually taking her to the show at just 15 months old.
“She was in a sparkly outfit that matched us. I’d never met this family and didn’t know them, but they just wanted her to come because she’d been watching our YouTube (videos),” Ward says. “And then it was just so cute to meet them backstage, and they were just so grateful. ‘They were like, ‘You’ll always be (her) first concert.’”
Ward says no matter the age, everyone comes and leaves the show feeling great.
“We have a lot of fun. It’s high energy. It’s a big party on and off stage. Everyone’s just having an absolute blast.”
MANIA: The ABBA Tribute
When: Jan. 5.
Where: MGM Northfield Park, 10777 Northfield Road, Northfield.
Tickets: Starting at $24.
Info: mgmnorthfieldpark.mgmresorts.com or 330-908-7625.
