Abba Voyage in east London is rolling into its fifth year – and last month Abba celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1979 hit “Dancing Queen”. Here, superfan Jane Henry tells Emily Bootle how she fell in love with Abba, and why she’s been to the show 48 times and counting.
My love of Abba really kicked off in 1976 with “Dancing Queen”. I have vague memories of Eurovision in 1974 – it was a big thing in our household. I had a bet on Olivia Newton-John in my dad’s sweepstake but I thought Abba were really good, and asked my mum to make me the little blue crochet cap, which she did. A couple of years on I started secondary school, where there would be a disco every Thursday, and they’d play “Dancing Queen”. was my first album – and I played the song on repeat at home, too. That song was the moment where I thought, “This is it!”.
I’m 61 now, and Abba has been a constant in my life. Firstly, at that young age of 11, I thought, “I’m going to have to play the piano. I’m going to have to play the guitar. I need to read music.” Abba genuinely inspired me to do all those things. I learned the music to “Fernando”, and I was so shy, terrified to perform it at school. My legs were like jelly.
But at the end, everyone was applauding and I felt like a pop star. It’s a memory that gave me confidence to be a little bit more than I thought I was. All the special events in my life have involved Abba: at my hen night, 20 of my friends dressed up as Abba. My daughter sang Abba songs at my wedding. They’ve been there through it all.
Later, I went through cancer treatment – radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Abba were with me then, too. My husband took me to Paris to recover from my treatments, and my kids sang me “Our Last Summer”. When I finished the treatments, he took me to Skopelos – the island where they filmed . Normally when you finish chemotherapy, you ring the bell on the ward – but my husband said I should save mine. So I went to the chapel, where the film culminates in the wedding scene, and I rang the bell. Abba have held my hand, carried me through and made me the person I am.
But despite all this, I’d never had the opportunity to see them live. I met Benny twice at his studio, and I’ve met Bjorn. But Abba stopped performing live together in 1980, so by the time I got to an age when I could save up to go and see them – I grew up in the North East – it was too late. And so the opening night of Abba Voyage in 2022 was one of the best days of my entire life. There I was, experiencing Abba onstage – I felt like I was 14 again. I was looking into their eyes and thinking, “This is everything I missed out on.” I’m one of those crazy fans who shout out, “Agnetha, I love you!” – when you’re there, it’s real.
It’s everything I ever dreamed of and more. It’s given me that core memory I never had. Now I’ve been 48 times – and I still can’t wait for the next time. If I lived in London, I’d go every week.
That first night I went with my husband and my daughters – I made the Sydney 1977 tour jackets with “ABBA” on the back. I love wearing and making their costumes – I have over 60 different ones, including all the Voyage costumes, which I made myself. Frida’s red cape with the beads took me over six months. It’s a great conversation starter.
There are people there from every walk of life – there’s no place like it. I must have made 20 friends just that first night. So now I go with people who I hadn’t met until Abba Voyage opened. I’ve been with friends from New York, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, France – the fans fly over every year for our Christmas party, and we go three nights on the trot, so they can make the most of it. And I’ve been on my own several times, too, because the staff treat me like family.
Before the show, usually the other fans and I have a pre-show party in a hotel. We ring round a group of friends, get dressed up, have a couple of drinks, and play Abba. Then we go to the Oceanbird, the VIP lounge at the arena, and afterwards we go to the bar at the Snoozebox – the hotel opposite – or back to someone’s hotel, and continue the party. A one-and-a-half-hour concert turns into six hours.
The show is the same every night, but I never get sick of it. When those first few notes come out, it still hits you – and there’s a different atmosphere every time. I love the live band, so I like to be standing in front of them – they sometimes have different musicians come on, too. But I don’t tire of it. We’re still playing Abba at those after-parties – it’s always Abba! It’s the same as in my life: Abba in the car, Abba at the keep fit class, Abba at my wedding – and it’ll be Abba at my funeral.
For a night out in London, the tickets are really reasonable. But I live in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, so whatever way I look at it, the costs do add up – £100 for the ticket, and then £200 worth of travel, a hotel and drinks. I’ve spent thousands – and if I think of what I’ve spent on all the beads and costumes, it’s thousands again. But it’s my greatest joy. It’s better than a handbag, or other things I could be spending my money on. I’m about experiences, not things. These memories are worth every single penny, and I’ll be thinking of them at the very end.
My whole life has been about the Abba story, and Voyage is the final chapter. It’s so joyous, after waiting for years with possibility hanging in the air, wondering if they’d ended without really saying goodbye. All of us fans are living that together. Had Voyage not happened, there are so many people I wouldn’t have met, and the story wouldn’t have continued.
My favourite song? Don’t ask me that – it’s like asking my favourite child!
Abba Voyage is now booking until May 2027 at the Abba Arena, London. Tickets start at £38.50. For information and best availability go to abbavoyage.com