ABBA return in new concert as they enjoy secret rehearsal ahead of big launch

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In a blooper-free rehearsal ahead of the full launch on Thursday, songs were pre-recorded, the band was live and the audience at the ABBA arena in Stratford, east London, loved it

As mega concerts go, this really was ABBA -solutely incredible.

They didn’t sing Super Trouper or Money, Money, Money – but ABBA ticked every other box.

The Swedish pop legends did sing Gimme, Gimme, Gimme… pretty apt when merchandise on offer included £70 sweaters, £20 socks and £4.50 souvenir bottles of water.

And the amazing thing about the show – ABBA Voyage – is they weren’t even there! Through technical wizardry, Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid performed their first London concert in 43 years as “ABBA-tars”, looking just like they did back in the day.

In a blooper-free rehearsal ahead of the full launch on Thursday, songs were pre-recorded, the band was live and the audience at the ABBA arena in Stratford, east London, lapped it up.

The 90-minute show mixed old favourites with new numbers like Don’t Shut Me Down.

Insiders say they are still perfecting the final set-list which is shrouded in secrecy. They wanted to see how it went down with audiences ahead of next week’s big launch.

Local residents were invited to watch the dry run. And one fan summed up the mood perfectly, declaring: “Thank You for the Music.”