The Big Apple will soon be the new home of ABBA — sort of.
New York City developers are paving the way to host the second-ever site of “ABBA Voyage,” a virtual concert experience that will beam holograms of 1970s Swedish pop sensations — Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — in their prime.
The London-based attraction that is slated to occupy half a city block in Midtown West will reportedly open in 2028.
Gary Barnett’s Extell Development and partner Bluestone Group recently applied to demolish a 1.4-acre site along Hell’s Kitchen’s 11th Avenue between West 45th and 46th Streets solely for the sake of the virtual show, Crain’s New York reported.
The west-side stretch once hosted the former nightclub Pacha, as well as a Metropolitan Lumber location, a Daisy May’s and the Penthouse Executive Club.
If all goes according to plan, a 175,000-square-foot concert venue with a 3,000-person capacity will take its place so all of New Yorkers can bop along to “Dancing Queen.”
News of the plans broke in November, when W42ST reported that the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) had quietly approved a $50 million package of city tax incentives to support the land acquisition and build.
Representatives from the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) pitched the $500 million project as “a technology-driven concert featuring digital avatars of the four ABBA members alongside a live band,” expected to draw 900,000 concertgoers annually.
Considering the virtual concert experience is already a hit in London, where it hosts seven shows a week and has reportedly sold 3.5 million tickets since opening in 2022, New York City will greatly benefit from this head-scratching project, as it’s projected to create 120 permanent jobs and generate over $156 million in new city tax revenue over 18 years.
The 100-minute performance was developed by the four Eurovision legends themselves, Curbed reported. The members, now in their 70s, apparently spent several weeks grooving in motion-capture suits to create the concert’s life-like visuals.
Luring ABBA Voyage to the Big Apple has been a two-and-a-half year endeavor, according to the EDC reps, citing fierce competition with Las Vegas who was also keen on hosting it.
Extell and Bluestone have sought to take control of the 1.4-acre assemblage from investor Robert Gans for years, Crain’s reported. Gans sued the partners in 2022, according to the outlet, and later applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for himself and his properties.
City records indicate Gans still owns the seven Hell’s Kitchen sites, but, in the sage words of ABBA, it’s all about the “Money, Money, Money.”
