This is the fourth time since ABBAMAIL started that we've passed the anniversary of ABBA's Australian tour, and long-time ABBAMAILers would have read my previous account of "my concert experience" up to 3 times before, so here's an all new version of the same old story. Enjoy!

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Tickets for the one ABBA concert in Sydney went on sale in October 1976 (the second concert was scheduled much later). Living in Canberra at the time, one of the local radio stations arranged a tour for people to fly to Sydney, see the concert and either stay overnight or fly back to Canberra the same night. Much to my surprise, and without my prior knowledge, my mother made the booking for me, her and my sister to make the trip - which just goes to show how ingrained my ABBA fandom was in the family by that stage! And the tour was certainly popular - there were several planeloads heading to Sydney just for the ABBA concert.

So, on Thursday 3 March 1977, I rushed home from school so that we could go to the airport to fly to Sydney. I must have left school early, and maybe I was even picked up from school, I really don't remember those details now.

So we flew up to Sydney, caught the chartered bus from the airport to Sydney Showgrounds. We arrived at the Showgrounds somewhere around 5 p.m. The gates were already open, the grassed area in front of the stage was less than half full as I recall, and there were people starting to take seats in the various grandstands, out of the rain.

My mother being my mother didn't want to sit in the rain, so we made our way to the upper level of one of the grandstands. With so much available space closer to the stage, I wanted to go down the front somewhere, but mum wouldn't let me go off on my own, for fear of never finding me in the crowd.

So we amused ourselves for a few hours in the grandstand. There were a couple of other guys from school who'd won tickets to the concert also there, coincidently in the very same row that we had sat in! I was allowed to wander off and buy a programme ("but come straight back") - wish I'd bought more than one now, the one that I have is looking worse for wear these days. Didn't really have the money to buy any of the other merchandise, though unlike today, aside from the programme, there was nothing specific for the concert. As I remember, the only other stuff available was the Arrival poster (the inner sleeve photo), and the ABBA badges ("Get your ABBA buttons!" as the guy says in The Movie!), which were freely available almost anywhere with a cash register at the time.

Every time there was a movement or sound from the stage, the audience would erupt into applause and screams. Whether it be a burp from the sound system, or a roadie mopping water from the stage, the audience didn't' seem to care! Those of us high in the stands could see cars occasionally drive into the arena and to behind the stage, though it was impossible to see who was in the cars, the audience didn't car - they still gave out a roar!

Also keeping us amused was a young guy selling "fairy's floss", as he kept calling out. (for those that might not know, fairy floss = cotton candy). He came by quite a few times before the concert, and would stop and talk to people for a minute. We heard later that night that he'd slipped on the stairs during the concert and had broken his leg.

As the start time for the concert grew closer, there were occasional announcements made about how long until the concert started, which would set off another scream from the audience and the odd chorus of "we want ABBA!". Though I'm not quite sure if it was the right audience to be saying things like "half an hour till you get your rocks off!"

Darkness fell, and the anticipation grew stronger. Rain continued to fall off and on, lights and sound were intermittently tested, and the stage continued to be mopped. Finally, not very long after the scheduled starting time of 8.30 p.m., the music crashed into the opening chords of Tiger, and suddenly they were coming out onto the stage - first Benny, then Björn, Frida and Agnetha. The combination of the sound of the music and the roar of the crowd was deafening, and the strobing light of thousands of camera flashes went on for probably a full five minutes or so before slowly abating/

So there they were finally on stage in front of us. It was such a fucking shame that I was so far from the stage, but at least we had binoculars so that we could see them a bit closer. The opening trio of Tiger/That's Me/Waterloo was just amazing, even when Frida slipped over (onto her front, not her backside as every two-bit book has written) - amazingly, she was down and up very fast, I actually missed the fall (I was looking elsewhere) and just managed to see her standing up straight and start singing again.

Of course, we got to hear most of ABBA's biggest hits, and most of the songs from the new Arrival album. Then there were the surprises, with I Am An A, which I can still remember little bits and pieces of from that night, and The Girl With The Golden Hair. It must have been the unfamiliarity with the songs, but I don't remember I Wonder at all from that night, nor Get On The Carousel, though I remembered I'm A Marionette going on for seemingly hours.

I still remember a lot of little things that aren't shown in ABBA - The Movie, or even in the many, many photos from the various concerts. The silhouette of a palmtree projected onto the back of the stage during Sitting In The Palmtree, the fire effect during Fernando (and the stars on the back wall, which must have been random lights from the ABBA logo used later). Björn's comment that everyone sang so well during Fernando that he'd like everyone to come backstage after the concert to sign a contract! (of course, that sent the crowd wild).

Most of the time during the concert, the heavy rain held off, though there were still showers during the concert. Occasionally between songs, the roadies would come on and wipe down the stage (again). I have a very vague memory of the movie cameras on stage, but from where we were they weren't really intrusive. Because there'd been so much rain on all the equipment, some of the speakers were sometimes cutting out, though there were enough to cover the loss of sound.

As I remember, there was quite a long break after the end of the mini-musical, and we were wondering what was going to happen (and trying to remember what songs hadn't been played yet, which was easy as I'd been writing them all down), when Björn came on stage to introduce Dancing Queen. With the opening of the song, lights were flashing all over the arena, and it seemed that the entire audience jumped to its feet and started dancing. The orchestra rising at the back of the stage, and the ABBA logo coming on in lights also drew huge applause.

All too soon, the concert was over as the entire band and ABBA stood arm-in-arm across the front of the stage to sing a reprise of Thank You For The Music. Almost as soon as the song finished and the band left the stage, the sky was filled with fireworks, and a thank you message from ABBA spelt out in fireworks near the stage. What a way to finish a truly amazing concert!

Then it was time to make our way out of the Showgrounds and to find our bus to get us to our hotel for the night. Somehow considering the crowd, this was achieved fairly easily. So mum, it wouldn't have been that bad if I'd gone down to the front and met up with you later!

WE got to our hotel (the Hyatt Kingsgate at Kings Cross), checked in, and walked down the street to find somewhere to get a drink (a coffee shop, not a pub - keep in mind that I was only 13, and my sister was 12). The coffee shop at the Boulevard Hotel was open, and there were a couple of other family groups that had also been to the concert, so we sat around there for a while talking about how amazing it had been. Someone (I think it was the father of one of the groups) commented that he thought that he thought the concert would end with So Long, and then we all realised that it hadn't been performed!

SO eventually we headed back to the hotel. Still too excited to sleep, my mother and I were sitting up looking down onto Darlinghurst Road through the binoculars, watching the prostitutes and the men going to the sex clubs. What an activity for a 13 year old boy to share with his mother!

Friday morning it was still raining, and we had to get to the airport for our flight home (contrary to the scene in ABBA - The Movie the day after the first concert, when it's bright and sunny! Still haven't quite worked out what day ABBA went to the Opera House, but I'm sure it wasn't that Friday). It was only then that I thought to say to my mother that since we were going to get back to Canberra too late to go to school, we should have spent the day in Sydney and caught a later flight. Oh well, too late now. So our flight was slightly delayed, but we eventually took off and flew home, through cloud for the entire 30 or so minute trip.

Friday the weather improved, and those that went to the Friday night concert were rain free and dry. The following Monday, I went to school and was able to share the story with all my friends.

What struck me (then and now) about ABBA live in concert was that for all their posturing about wanting to sound "studio quality", they sounded nothing like their records. Somehow, live (at least on the 1977 tour) they managed to sound like a "rock" band, which they have often said was something they generally failed at on record. I loved the way they sounded that night, and wish that they would actually release a proper live album, instead of that overdubbed/overproduced piece of crap that is "ABBA Live". Even the Live/77 flexidisc sounds better! Though I have to admit, they weren't the greatest stage act in the world, with the gaps between songs leaving a lot to be desired (the scripted banter, the long quiet pauses), when they were actually performing, it was fucking mindblowing!

March 3rd any year always brings back a flood of memories. Did you know that every year from 1977 to 1987 it rained on March 3rd? Today in contrast it's sunny, hot and humid. Now the Sydney Showgrounds have been transformed into Fox Studios Australia, and the old arena is now an open area, so for the first time ever it's possible to just go and walk into the hallowed area where ABBA preformed in Sydney 23 years ago. I've been there twice recently, and I'm still trying to work out exactly where the stage was (the landmarks that were behind the stage are now gone, though a couple of the old grandstands are still there). Sadly, I can't go and find my seat, as the grandstand we were in has been transformed into office space.

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Ian Cole in Sydney Australia