Thirty years ago, ABBA toured Australia in their one and only concert tour of the country. It was a concert tour like no other. In fact, it wasn't so much of a concert tour than an event that impacted on the whole country. Some of this impact is documented in "ABBA - The Movie" and yet, for those of us that lived through that time, there is so much more that happened that this one particular time period - no more than a couple of weeks - was burnt into our minds forever.

By the time ABBA arrived in Sydney on February 27th, 1977, ABBA mania was at such a level that it had taken over the country. Best of ABBA and ABBA's latest album, ARRIVAL, had sold over one million copies each. To put these sales in perspective, Australia, at that time, had a population of just under twelve million people. So one in twelve Australian people had bought both Best of ABBA and ARRIVAL.

A few months earlier, ABBA's Australian record company had undertaken the single largest logistical exercise in the industry's history for the release of the ARRIVAL album. Seven different pressing plants in both Australia and New Zealand had to be called into service to press the 760,000 copies of the LP that had been pre-ordered by retailers.

ABBA's Australian record company, RCA, had to hire a special warehouse just to facilitate the distribution of the album. Special trucks were hired to collect the stock and distribute it around Australia. They left the warehouse on different days to ensure that they all arrived at retailers in every part of the country on the same day - so that the 760,000 copies of ARRIVAL could go on sale everywhere on the same day. Nothing like this had ever been attempted in this country before - there had never been any need for something on this scale in the record industry.

The television special "ABBA From The Beginning", featuring songs from the ARRIVAL album, was shown around the country by Channel 9 two weeks prior to the album's release date. It was a ratings smash - colour television had only been introduced into Australia the previous year so many families went to friends, relatives and neighbours house on the night of the telecast to watch "From The Beginning" in colour.

The television special only had one commercial per advert break: each commercial was from National, the electronics manufacturer (now Panasonic) and each advert featured ABBA. Earlier in 1976, ABBA had signed a $100,000 contract to do a series of advertisements for National. A film crew had flown especially to Sweden to create the 5 commercials. The money ABBA received went to funding the set-up costs for the 1977 Australian Tour.

Late in 1976, major department stores had begun to create "ABBA Departments." Entire sections of a store devoted solely to ABBA merchandise. Reg Grundy Productions, ABBA's Australian merchandise company, had licensed over 30 different ABBA products so there was more than enough to fill these 'ABBA Departments.' 20 different T-Shirts, bubblegum cards, cassette cases, bowling bags, wall hanging, school cases, sticker sheets, poster books, socks, belts....the list of merchandise went on and on. At one point, the ABBA phenomenon was responsible for the direct employment of 2,000 Australian workers to produce all of this merchandise.

By the time ABBA's 747 touched down on the night of February 27, the ABBA frenzy in Australia had become a nationwide hysteria. ABBA were not to know what the following fortnight would hold for them - but each member of the group was permanently changed by the experience. In Frida's case it was the fulfilment of all of her career ambitions. More success than she could ever have dreamt of as a small-town teenage danceband singer. For Agnetha, it was the stuff of nightmares. She was emotionally and psychologically scarred by the experience and never fully recovered.

ABBA's 1977 Australian Tour would encompass the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Concerts in torrential rain in front of 25,000 people who simply stood there and got soaked for hours rather than miss their chance at seeing the 'Super Swedes' live in concert. A bomb scare, food poisoning, an all-day press conference with 300 media in attendance, children - let out of school - lining the route form the airport to the city to wave to ABBA, a mother throwing her child in front of ABBA's limousine in order to get a moment with the group, a special daily TV program devoted to reporting and following the tour....there simply was no precedent for what happened throughout the country during these two weeks.

The Australian Tour - and ABBA Mania in general - has often been compared to "Beatlemania" - The Beatles concert tour of this country in the 60s had caused a kind of teenage hysteria and media frenzy not seen before. But ABBA mania was different - ABBA didn't appeal to one age group primarily - that is, teenagers - they had cross-generational appeal. They appealed to people from the very young right through to the very old. ABBA mania was something that 3 generations of a family could enjoy together. It didn't divide society as "Beatlemania" had done, it united families and the country.

There were no disapproving parents banning their children from listening to the music and becoming involved with ABBA fandom - the parents were buying the LPs and attending the concerts for themselves. ABBA music wasn't something a teenager had to play when Mum & Dad weren't home - it was music that Mum & Dad enjoyed and sang along to with their kids!

In fact, if there was one demographic that was ABBA's weakest, it was the late teens-early twenties age group, many of whom considered themselves "too cool" for ABBA's music and image. It was this demographic that was, in many cases, anti-ABBA. Strangely, the people in this demographic still seemed to know all the words to all of the songs and somehow still knew what was going on in the ABBA world. Highly suspicious! ;-)

At 9pm on Sunday, February 27, 1977, some three thousand people crammed the international terminal at Mascot Airport in Sydney to meet ABBA. ABBA's plane was scheduled to arrive at 9.15pm. Parents from around the city had brought their children - some dressed in pyjamas and dressing gowns as they were so young they would normally have been in bed by this time. Unfortunately ABBA were not allowed to meet them - the Airport Management were completely freaked by the crowds and made the group leave through a side exit. In live radio reports from the airport, it is obvious that it isn't just the children who are devestated by the announcement that "ABBA have left the building." their parents were equally upset. Some refused to believe that ABBA had left without greeting the crowds so they refused to leave.

And so it began...the roller coaster that was 'ABBA LIVE IN AUSTRALIA 1977'.

On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary, ABBAMAIL remembers the tour, the event, the social phenomenon that took over the country for a fortnight in 1977.

Graeme Read
ABBAMAIL Administration

ABBA'S ARRIVAL -
Transcript of 5AD Radio Special

I was There: ABBA at
Melbourne Town Hall

I was There:
ABBA Live in Sydney

The Weekend Australian Magazine's 30th Anniversary of ABBA's Tour Feature Article

PLAY DATES

3 March:
Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney

4 March:
Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney

5 March:
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

6 March:
Sidney Myer Music Bowl,
Melbourne (2 shows)

8 March:
West Lakes Football Stadium,
Adelaide

10 March:
Perth Entertainment Centre,
Perth (2 shows)

11 March:
Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth

12 March:
Perth Entertainment Centre,
Perth (2 shows)