‘The Show’- Absolutely the Best ABBA since ABBA!
Mangaluru: “The performed just like the Original Band! They sang just like the Original singers! They sounded ditto like the original Band! They were all Swedish origin just like the Original members! Except they were not the “original band members” instead represented the Swedish band “Waterloo” playing tribute to ABBA, who gave Abba fans, old and new, the opportunity to once again get together and re-live the addictive Abba phenomena that swept the airwaves and discos during the 70’s and 80’s in a truly authentic, feel good, party style tribute concert. From Mamma Mia to Dancing Queen, from Super Trouper to Voulez – Vous, and many more, all of the greatest hits were performed with unrivalled authenticity from both an audio and visual perspective with an amazing jaw dropping finale recreation which took the audience back to where it all began in 1974!
I have seen and heard the rest in the past, but now I saw the best!! There was no doubt that this was the most authentic ABBA show to date, performed by Sweden’s Waterloo, with a couple of original Abba band members, and accompanied by The National Symphony Orchestra of London- it was like ABBA never left…? “The Show”-A tribute to ABBA held at Dr.Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Bambolim-Goa on Saturday, 6 May 2017, followed the ABBA story from their Euro-vision beginnings all the way to major chart success. Featuring classic songs such as Waterloo, SOS, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Knowing Me Knowing You and many more, it was no doubt the best seen musical event of the year!
“Mamma Mia”- that’s right! “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme”-one more time and the singers did give the audience the best ABBA numbers that they were all looking for, and at the end of the show they all said, “Thank You for the Music”! Yes, “The Winner Takes It All”- and for that matter, Team Mangalorean got the best seats in the house- the VIP premium front row seats- and our sincere thanks to Loyld Monteiro- the Managing Director and David Vaz- Accounts Director of Alica Purple Avenues, the organizers of “The Show” for the VIP treatment. Purplive is an exclusive brand property of flagship company Alica Purple Advertising Pvt. Ltd that has been at the forefront of media and entertainment, advertising, brand activation and promotions, international events and exhibitions, fairs and festivals for the last 15 years.
What’s unique of Purplive is curated live concerts that capture the aura, magic & mystique of a bygone era and take delirious fans on an enchanting nostalgic trip down memory lane. For music lovers it’s the glorious trip down the memory lane, an opportunity to relive the golden past. Sensational music, spectacular performance, brilliant sound, light and production is sure to leave the crowd mesmerized. And also what’s special and unique is the exotic nostalgic flavor, aura and mystique of a bygone era that Purplive plan to recreate in their shows. All the proceeds from ” The Show – A Tribute to ABBA will go to Purple Care, a charitable trust that will utilize the funds to financially empower the underprivileged sections of society in the field of education and health care.
If the lyrics of “Dancing Queen” or “Mama Mia” were forever embedded in your brain and your body just starts moving every time an ABBA song plays in the background, this was the concert to be-“The Show”- a Musical Tribute to the Swedish group ABBA, which was created in 2001 and has since had an impressive 15 year run of world-wide success with more than 600 concerts in 38 countries and more than 3 million tickets sold. The show has created renewed success for ABBA’s music. What made this unique is the success of recreating the two female singers that not only looked like the originals but also sang so much like them. To further add that original touch to “THE SHOW”, several of the original ABBA musicians appeared as guest performers, something that is unique to this tribute.
And one among them was the legendary sax player Ulf Andersson who toured with the original band, and co-wrote the musical composition for the hit song “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” with original ABBA member Benny Anderson. Ulf not only mesmerized the audience on his saxophone, but also gave some tunes on his flute too- which received loud applaud from the crowd. Added to this the background music was provided by the National Symphony Orchestra of London directed by musical director Matthew Freeman. They have performed with big stars like Elvis Costello, Robbie Williams and Sir Cliff Richard.
The Swedish singers had a specific accent that recreates the authentic ABBA sound. Superbly accurate vocals, harmonies, guitar, keyboards plus backline musicians combined with stunning iconic replica costumes, choreography and set produce the most authentic and requested ABBA tribute show in the world today. The Show- A Tribute to ABBA has also won official recognition winning the top prize at The Limelight Awards in London ahead of Thriller Live, Dirty Dancing and Priscil The Musical. ABBA has deserved its place in music history and today 45 years after their breakthrough, their music still lives and grows with more than 2 million records sold every year. This ABBA tribute concert simply entertained and enthralled the ABBA fans at the Stadium and left the audience with just one question…“Did we just witness the Real Abba show?
The opening act of the evening showcased Goa’s best-known band ‘The Syndicate’ playing all their popular hits along with a mix of Goan music that had audience asking for more. The highlight of the evening was a special children’s choir consisting of over 20 children under the leadership of Ms Bernadetta from Goa, with a message printed on their T-Shirt ‘Goa Smiles With Me’ with enthusiasm they sang ‘ I Have A Dream’ and “Thank you for the Music” with the group “The Show”-A Tribute To ABBA. It touched the hearts of everyone present there to see them perform on stage. In fact, one of the lead signers of the group was so impressed by this children choir from Goa that she mentioned they had not seen anything like this before when they toured around the world. Sitting in the audience was a girl on a wheelchair who had come especially to see her favorite band perform and to her surprise all the members of the group took picture together and made her wishes come true for has she meet with each of them and posed for pictures too.
The show was compered by Armando from Goa- while the crowd was predominately of middle-age folks in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond, with a bunch of their kids escorting them just for the heck of it, who were seen browsing through Internet or chit chatting on their smartphones, while the show was going on-that’s the present generation? But for the real ABBA fans who enjoyed the original ABBA hits, this “Show” brought back the music of ABBA live and ditto by the “Waterloo” band members. Among the crowd were bunch of Mangalureans, including Michael Rego and his brother Jude Rego and their family members- and of course, Team Mangalorean of Mangalorean.com. Finally, “The Show”- a tribute to ABBA was an electrifying extravaganza with nostalgic ABBA fans reliving the golden era, singing and screaming for more!
About ‘The Syndicate Band-Goa”:
The Syndicate Band which opened for “The Show”-A tribute to, ABBA was formed in the year 1980, two leading bands of Goa, The Squad and The Vandals decided to merge together and form one band – The Syndicate Band! With the arrival of the Syndicate, Goan audiences witnessed for the first time an emphasis on sound and lighting. They were the first to give a modern and western dimension to the music scene in Goa. The band members are:
Darryl Rodrigues (Keys & Vocals)-Started his music career with Goa’s top band “THE STING” 1978-1981. Was the founding member of the Band Hi-Tide, Mumbai. Played with World Famous Saxophonist Braz Gonsalves at various shows. Played with “The Rubber Band” at the popular TV show “Movers & Shakers”. Played with the fusion Band “COLONIAL COUSINS” (Padmashree Hariharan & Lezz Lewis) for the last 10 years & toured the World with them. Plays with different set ups like dance music, pop, jazz, latin, etc.
Diego Fernandes (Bass & Vocals)-Founding member of the “The Syndicate” band.nSpecialist at the bass guitar & double bass.Toured with Goa’s renowned musician “Remo Fernandes”. Has travelled and performed across the Gulf region and the UK at Major Annual Dances and Ball Room Dances. Represented the Govt. Of India as cultural ambassador which toured East Africa, Mauritius & Re-Union Island. Voted “Best Bass Player” in Goa’s leading magazine “GOA TODAY”. Was part of the only Asian band which was selected among the seven top bands in Dubai to participate for “Battle of the Bands” in April 1997. The Syndicate performed at Majorda Beach Resort as resident band for 4 years.
Sharon Rodriguez (Vocals)- Sharon’s versatility as a singer is reflected in her repertoire which consists of the golden oldies, jazz standards, retro, ballads, techno, latino and disco, as well as current hits and Hindi remixes. Daughter of World Famous jazz saxophonist – BrazGonsalves. Founding member of the famous band ‘AQUA FLOW’. Backing vocals with the band ‘HI-TIDE’ for the “Colonial Cousins” in India, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore & New York. Backing vocals on Indi Pop albums for numerous artists and has also worked for several Bollywood music directors. As a duo/trio, performed at various corporate parites, product launches, and other happening parties hosted by well-known industrialists and socialites at various 5-star hotels such as The Oberoi, The Taj, The J.W. Marriott, The Renaissance, etc.
Jared Dias: A versatile singer, he performs Western and Bollywood tunes with ease. He has performed at leading hotels across India. Being Mumbai-based he has performed at popular Pubs and Restaurants in Mumbai such as Liquid Lounge, Soul Fry Indigo etc.Sang & Played as the HARMAN ambassador for PALM Expo 2016 He has been part of Well known Mumbai bands such as Aqua Flow and Hi Tide and has also opened for Apache Indian on his tours. His Repertoire consists of Pop, Rock, Rock&Roll, Latin, Jazz Rock Country, Ballads & Bollywood
Vishu Anthony: Guitarist, Keyboardist, Saxaphonist who has over 20 years experience as a professional musician. Studied music at the Naval School of Music, Colaba, Mumbai and served in the Indian Navy as musician. He has travelled to Israel, Indonesia, Malaysia and Maldives to perform with symphonies and dance bands. He reads and writes music and has written scores and performed at concerts in India and abroad including for the then President Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Proficient in many styles of music like rock, fusion, blues, pop, jazz and Bollywood.
Anthony Bringel: This young, energetic, lively drummer is a powerhouse of talent, having won the All Goa drummers competition in 2014. He has played with various bands and artistes in and around Goa including the world famous jazz saxaphonist Braz Gonsalves. He is also a talented singer and covers all genres of music.
