The University of North Dakota’s Chester Fritz Auditorium has played host to an enormous number of guests and musical performances over the years, from home-grown concerts held by UND’s various musical and theater ensembles to world renowned acts, such as Willie Nelson and the Beach Boys. The latest group to fill the halls of the Chester Fritz with music was the group calling themselves ABBAFAB.
ABBAFAB is a musical tribute act that tries to replicate the sights and sounds of the Swedish pop band ABBA, whose music proved incredibly popular and successful in the 1970’s and early 1980’s and continues to resonate with countless listeners today. ABBA’s last true concert took place in 1982, which means younger fans of the group have more than likely never had the opportunity to experience their legendary music via a live performance.
While ABBA will more than likely never tour in-person together again, ABBAFAB is doing their best to provide the next best thing: an authentic, entertaining display of the music that turned ABBA into the legendary group that it is today. Featuring a four-person lineup of rotating talent, ABBAFAB performs hits such as “Dancing Queen,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” “Mamma Mia,” and so much more, all while dressing like the original band’s members and including audio visual elements that make the tribute act feel like the real deal.
The show, which took place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, at the Chester Fritz Auditorium, is not the first of its kind to have visited Grand Forks recently. Just two short months ago, on Dec. 6, 2024, the rock ‘n roll tribute band Hairball electrified fans of classic stadium rock at the Alerus Center. Like ABBAFAB, Hairball’s performances also value visual authenticity, and while the act does not focus on any specific band, instead covering rock songs from all across the 1970’s and 1980’s. Their lead singer still dons the iconic outfits of whichever band they are performing.
Despite ABBA’s music being well over forty years old, there are still plenty of people who are passionate about their discography and are grateful for the opportunity to see it performed live by ABBAFAB. In fact, the group relishes the opportunity to introduce ABBA to a younger audience who may not have ever been exposed to the classic tunes before.
According to the group’s website, “ABBA fans love [the concert] and new ABBA fans are created at every show. There’s no generation gap here, so let’s all party like it’s 1979!” (ABBAFAB, 2023).
With over 30 million monthly listeners and 13 million accounts actively following ABBA on Spotify alone, it is clear that the group’s music is still massively popular and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. While people may not be able to see their hits performed by the group that created them, ABBAFAB offers a wonderful tribute act that is undoubtedly the next best thing.
Quinn Berg is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at quinn.berg@und.edu.
