Cape Town included in ABBA’s virtual reunion tour

In this file photo dated Tuesday Jan. 9, 1979, ABBA perform at United Nations General Assembly, in New York. Picture: AP

In this file photo dated Tuesday Jan. 9, 1979, ABBA perform at United Nations General Assembly, in New York. Picture: AP

Published Sep 3, 2021

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After a 38-year hiatus, Swedish pop group ABBA announced on Thursday they would return to the spotlight.

Much to the delight of fans, the band announced that Sydney was among the eight cities across the globe that would feature in their virtual album release.

The album will be released in full in November and will be accompanied by a virtual world tour beginning in Britain next year.

To mark the announcement, the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge was illuminated on Thursday night, showing the avatars of the four band members.

Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney for the state of New South Wales Stuart Ayres said on Friday the display was a fitting recognition of a band as timeless as ABBA.

Ayres said the event will also help position Sydney as a favourite travel destination when Australia's international borders eventually re-open.

"Vision of the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be beamed around the world to a massive audience, reminding our friends overseas to keep Sydney and NSW top-of-mind as a must-visit destination for when international borders re-open," he said.

ABBA's return to Sydney marks a return after over four decades. In 1977 the band performed in Sydney in their Australian tour, band members said ever since the city has held a special place in their hearts.

"We couldn't be more thrilled for Sydney to be part of our global album launch. Sydney has always been a special city to us and we have wonderful memories of the time we spent performing in Australia," said ABBA.

The new album will feature songs "I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down", but their recognition and popularity may have a hard time stacking up to classic hits. Their most iconic song "Dancing Queen", released in 1976, topped charts around the world and sold over 3 million copies.

The other cities that will be included in the launch are Berlin, Cape Town, London, New York, Reykjavik, Rio, Stockholm and Tokyo.

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