Abba pause show’s promotion after two die at tribute concert
Swedish pop group Abba have postponed the promotion of an upcoming show for 24 hours, after two people died in a dramatic fall at a tribute concert.
On Tuesday night, an 80-year-old man fell or jumped seven storeys to his death at a concert hall in Uppsala, north of Stockholm, in a presumed accident, striking another attendee.
The 80-year old died at the scene and the 60-year-old man he struck died later, police said. A woman who was with the 60-year-old man was hurt but her injuries were not considered lifethreatening, police said.
The venue was to host a tribute show for an audience of about 1,000 called Thank You For the Music, honouring the works of Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the two male members of Abba.
“In the light of the tragic news at the tribute concert in Sweden last night, we have decided to hold off on releasing our concert trailer until tomorrow,” a post from the Abba Voyage Twitter account said.
The venue’s website said it would be closed from Wednesday until Friday because of the deaths. “We are all shocked by the tragic accident and our thoughts go to the deceased, their relatives and their families,” a message on its website said.
Police said they have no reason to suspect foul play in the 80-year-old’s fall from the seventh floor.
A new album, Voyage, is being released on Friday, 40 years after the group split up.
In addition to the release of the album, announced in September, the band is building a venue in London to host a show that includes digitised “avatars” of its four members, scheduled for May 2022.
The exact form of the avatars, designed by a special effects company that worked on the Star Wars films, is still shrouded in mystery, but the band insists they will not be mere holograms.
The “Abbatars” will represent Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad as they looked in 1979.