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ABBA Voyage, the Swedish pop group’s spectacular 3D virtual reality concert, could be coming to Melbourne after it emerged the Victorian government is in “advanced conversations” with the production company.

Recently, executives from the London-based ABBA Voyage visited Melbourne but did not visit Sydney, which was previously in talks to host the holographic concert. ABBA Voyage is extremely expensive as it needs its own purpose-built auditorium to stage the sound and light recreation of the superstar group behind Dancing Queen and Money, Money, Money.

ABBA Voyage is a hit 40 years after the band split up.Credit: Johan Persson

Michael Bolingbroke, chief executive officer and executive producer of ABBA Voyage, which built an auditorium in London’s East End to host the 90-minute concert, has scouted locations in Melbourne.

While in Melbourne, ABBA Voyage executives met with impresario Paul Dainty, president and chief executive of TEG Dainty, which holds the option to produce the concert, and other stakeholders including the state government and Visit Victoria.

“They are in advanced conversations,” said an industry source who declined to be named as they were unauthorised to comment publicly.

“TEG won’t be commenting as it is commercial in confidence,” a company spokesman said.

Steve Dimopoulos, the Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, is understood to be keen to secure the concert.

“As Australia’s major events capital, we’re always looking at new opportunities and events for our calendar,” Dimopoulos said.

A spokeswoman for Dimopoulos declined to comment further on the negotiations.

A spokeswoman for ABBA Voyage in London said it couldn’t comment in detail.

“As you’re aware Michael and our producers were in Melbourne recently meeting with one of our partners TEG,” the spokeswoman said.

“We’re currently exploring options for the concert, but at the moment we’re not in a position to comment on this any further.”

The “virtual” ABBA Voyage concert in London.Credit: Johan Persson

ABBA Voyage uses state-of-the-art computer technology to recreate uncanny likenesses of the Swedish supergroup in their 1970s heyday in an incredible holographic display. They perform all their greatest hits accompanied by a live band and backing singers.

It has broken records since it premiered in London in May last year and is in talks to take the concert around the world, Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge said on a company earnings call in March.

Reports touted Singapore as a potential venue but the pop group’s immense popularity in Australia made either Sydney or Melbourne the favoured location. The revival of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! recently finished its run in Melbourne.

Members of ABBA, from left, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Benny Andersson arrive for the ABBA Voyage concert in May last year. Credit: AP

But it does not mean Melbourne has secured the event. The concert comes with an $80 million price tag due to the need to build an auditorium and install LED screens to display the visuals, created with the help of Industrial Light & Magic, the company behind the Star Wars special effects.

Its backers are looking to split the cost between the state government’s major events company Visit Victoria, ABBA Voyage, TEG and local investors.

Earlier this year industry group Business Sydney lobbied the NSW government for the concert, saying it would bring in more than 2 million visitors from outside NSW and prompt a $3.7 billion visitor spend in the state.

But NSW Arts Minister John Graham has rejected staging the concert, the group said.

Both states are living in more straitened economic circumstances, in contrast to 2021 when NSW trumped Victoria to stage the Australian premiere of smash hit musical Hamilton.

A major touring musical can cost between $15-$20 million to stage, according to industry estimates. State governments can spend up to $5 million to secure first run rights for a musical, in the hope of securing broader economic benefit to their state.

Then NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian was so pleased with her victory over Victoria she turned up to the Sydney premiere in a jacket created by the musical’s costume designers.

In London, ABBA Voyage’s seven shows a week are selling out in the 3000 capacity arena since it opened in May last year to ecstatic reviews. More than 1 million people have seen the performance.

In September, Bloomberg reported the show was making $US2 million a week with an average ticket price of $US100 and was “one of the most expensive productions in music history”, costing $US175 million to stage before it opened.

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