How Does ABBA Voyage Work? Everything You Need to Know About the Virtual Experience
ABBA Voyage isn’t just a concert: it’s a global phenomenon. Since opening in 2022, fans of Sweden’s most famous export (yes, even IKEA can’t compete!) have flown in from every corner of the globe, decked out in sparkling ABBA-inspired outfits and ready to dance the night away. When the lights go down and the fabulous four appear on stage, jaws drop. Have they travelled back in time to the ‘70s? The concert looks so real, most people walk out asking one thing: how on earth did they do that?!
The answer is a ground-breaking mix of digital wizardry, live music, and a purpose-built arena designed to make the illusion seamless. In this guide, we’ll reveal exactly how ABBA Voyage works, from the technology that brings the “ABBAtars” to life, to what the experience feels like from the audience’s perspective.
For a simpler overview of the entire show, start with our beginner’s guide to ABBA Voyage.
The ABBA Voyage Technology Explained
To understand how ABBA Voyage works, it helps to break down the technology behind it, including how the ABBAtars were created and how the lighting and screens bring them to life on stage.
Are the ABBAtars Holograms?
They’re often referred to as holograms, but ABBA Voyage actually uses 2D digital avatars, rendered from 3D animations, that appear on a huge LED screen. These “ABBAtars” look so realistic because the lines between digital and physical are blurred with a clever combination of technology, lighting and live effects.
Whatever you call them – holograms, ABBAtars, avatars or just plain magic – let’s get into how they actually work.
How Were the ABBA Voyage Avatars Created?
Work on ABBA Voyage began way back in 2016 and director Baillie Walsh was determined that this wouldn’t be a lazy money-spinner that used low-quality holograms or nostalgic archive footage. Instead, it was pitched as a vibrant celebration of ABBA in their prime, experienced as if it was happening right now, in front of a live audience.
Internationally-acclaimed visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic were brought in to make it work. ILM are best known for collaborating with Disney and Lucasfilm on The Avengers, The Mandalorian and Stars Wars franchises, and ABBA Voyage was their first step into the world of live music and performance.
The creation of the avatars took months, and over 1000 people from four international branches at ILM were involved. Here’s how it happened:
Step One: ABBA Perform in Motion Capture Suits
Over 100 ILM team members travelled to Stockholm for a five-week motion capture shoot with Benny, Bjorn, Anni-Frid and Agnetha. They performed the entire ABBA Voyage setlist wearing full-body suits and were scanned from every angle by 160 cameras that captured their facial expressions, mannerisms and movements – all to make sure the final result was as close to the real thing as possible.
Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne McGregor was involved, helping ABBA recreate dance moves from their earlier days.
Step Two: Body Doubles Add Extra Movement
Some of McGregor’s choreography was quite demanding for ABBA, who are now in their 70s. ILM worked with younger body doubles and professional dancers to capture extra footage that would be blended with ABBA’s own motion capture data.
Step Three: Animators Create the ABBAtars
The motion capture footage became the reference for hundreds of visual effects artists and animators, who created avatars of the band. This reportedly took 1 billion computing hours, and they even de-aged the band so they look like they did back in 1979! Once this was achieved, it was time to take the avatars into the ABBA Arena, and make sure the illusion was perfect.
How Does the Screen & Projection Technology Work?
The ABBAtars had been created, but the real challenge was making them come alive every night without disappointing the fans. Every single person in the audience, whether they’re at the front of the Dance Floor or at the very back of the seating, has to believe they’re seeing ABBA reborn for the 21st century.
The challenge has always been merging the digital with the physical. Making digital ABBA come into the physical world, and for the boundaries between those two worlds to disappear. Our director Baillie Walsh had to crack that code, and as simple as it sounds… he did it with light.
This is where ABBA Arena and live effects came in. The arena was purpose-built in East London, just next to Olympic Park, and from the moment you step through the doors, you’re immersed. Band merchandise is for sale on the concourse, and the ABBA Voyage Dance Floor is packed, just like any other gig.
Inside the auditorium, the show works by combining digital technology and live effects:
- High Resolution LED Screens
The ABBAtars appear on an enormous, cinema-quality 65 million pixel LED screen. The screen is so good that the avatars look as sharp and bright as real people performing on stage.
- Layered Projections Create Depth
Additional projections add shadows, reflections and flare effects. This stops the ABBAtars from looking “flat” and makes them feel physically present.
- Lighting Design Synced to Every Move
The ABBA Arena is full of amazing lighting effects both on and off stage, and these mirror the effects created within the digital avatar performance.
There are spotlights where the ABBAtars stand, colours washing across the real stage that match the virtual one, and unique light patterns and animated sections for each song that sweep over the audience in perfect sync.
- Surround Sound and a Live Band
ABBA Voyage features a live 10-piece band on a riser below the stage. Their music is mixed with the pre-recorded vocals and director’s audio work to make it sound like the voices and instruments are coming directly from where the ABBAtars are standing.
ABBA Voyage Development in Numbers
6 Years
in development from 2016 – 2022
1000
ILM visual effects artists
5 Weeks
motion capture in Stockholm
160
cameras captured ABBA performing
1 Billion
VFX computer hours
65 Million
pixel screen in the ABBA Arena
The Audience Experience: How Does the ABBA Voyage Show Work?
The technology that makes the concertwork might be impressive, but the real test is how it feels when you’re actually in the room. The good news for anyone who’s booked ABBA Voyage tickets is… it really works! The atmosphere is just as exciting as a “real” live concert, complete with cheering, dancing, and audience buzz. There are some moments when the avatars look a little less real, particularly in close-ups on the screens either side of the stage (the “uncanny valley” effect), but this doesn’t ruin the overall effect.
Are Real People On Stage?
ABBA themselves don’t appear in-person at any point during the performance, despite the cheeky “costume changes” between songs. What you see on stage are the hi-tech avatars.
There are however some real people performing each night: the live band. The band is made up of 10 musicians who play keyboards, guitar, saxophone, percussion, drums, bass, and provide backing vocals. They’re sometimes visible, which adds to the atmosphere of this being a live concert experience.
Do the ABBAtars Look Different Depending on Your Ticket Type?
This is a very common question people have before booking and the answer is that yes, the ABBAtars will look different depending on where you sit (or stand). However, the effect is mind-blowing from every angle.
Dance Floor vs. Seating
If you’re on the Dance Floor, you’re closest to the action and the ABBAtars, which might make you feel a bit nervous. Will the effect hold up from this close? The answer is a resounding yes. You’re in the midst of the crowd, able to dance, and ABBA look particularly striking because you can see them up-close without watching the screens at either side of the stage. You’re also closer to the band, which adds to the feeling of this being a live experience.
In the seating area and Dance Booths, you get a wider view of the full digital stage, screens and lighting design that combine to make ABBA Voyage work. Lots of people enjoy this because you can appreciate the scale of the production and how cinematic the visuals are. The ABBAtars might look a bit more CGI on the big screens to the side of the stage, but the magic isn’t lost at all.
For more information on how it works from different sections, check our guides to the ABBA Voyage Dance Booth Experience and Dance Floor review.
Does the Angle Matter?
The ABBA Voyage technology is designed to look realistic and immersive from every part of the ABBA Arena, but like any screen-based performance, the illusion will be strongest when you’re facing it head-on. Seats at the side still give you an amazing view, but the effect might feel slightly different because of the angle.
The “ABBAtars” do look a bit flat from this angle, so I would strongly suggest paying more to sit more central to get the full illusion experience.
If you want to compare seats, browse our ABBA Arena seating plan, which includes real audience photos and reviews from every section.
Audience Reactions: Does ABBA Voyage Live Really Work?
We’ve explained how the technology works and what it’s like on the night, but why not hear from real fans who’ve been to see the show? Here are some reviews of the show from our users.
What Did You Think?
From its jaw-dropping technology to the incredible live music and light displays, ABBA Voyage is London’s hottest gig and definitely gets people talking! If you’ve been, let us know: did the illusion work for you? Leave a review and let us know what you thought of the ABBAtars.
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