For Katja Nord and Camilla Dahlin, a good tribute band is all about the details. Down to even the lengths of their manicures, the two singers are focused on being as true to character as possible.
Nord and Dahlin fell in love with ABBA when they were 9 years old after the group won the annual international song competition Eurovision. Immediately, the two young girls were hooked and from then on, the members of ABBA were idols in their eyes.
They met at 18 years old and began performing ABBA songs together a few years later — they said their voices are so similar to the harmonies of Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The women officially started an ABBA tribute band in 1996; since then, the group has performed in 57 countries and over 2,000 times.
Now, the group makes its way to Chautauqua at 8:15 p.m. Saturday in the Amphitheater for a night celebrating the unabashed fun of the Swedish pop group. The final evening entertainment performance of the 2024 season lends itself to a night of celebration and certainly, “The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA” fits the bill.
Stockholm-born ABBA — formed in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — is one of the best-selling music acts in the history of popular music, and one of the most beloved.
With “Waterloo,” ABBA was Sweden’s first Eurovision winner, and decades of international success followed. “Dancing Queen” was inducted into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015, and in 2010 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — the first recording artists to receive this honor from outside an Anglophonic country.
Nord attributes her tribute band’s success to the fact that she and Dahlin are so detail-oriented in creating an authentic experience.
“It feels fantastic, of course. It’s an honor and we respect ABBA very much, so we always want to do the best of it,” she said. “We want to sound as similar as possible and look as similar as possible and (do) a great job so they would be proud if they saw our show.”
She said the band played for about two years before they were able to sustain themselves performing as a full-time job.
“Because we love it, we do it,” Dahlin added. “We started this not to get money: We started because we love the music and we love to sing together.”
Dahlin said Chautauquans can expect to see a show that whisks them back to ABBA during the 1970s and 1980s. The group will play a selection of career-spanning hits from the band — from “Super Trouper” to “Fernando” — as well as some of their favorite less-recognized songs.
Dahlin fondly recalls past experiences at Chautauqua and said she is excited to return to the Institution for this weekend’s performance.
“We really still enjoy it and love to meet the audience. I’m really looking forward to coming back to Chautauqua,” Dahlin said. “We love that place; it’s adorable. It’s so beautiful. … The audience is always new and it feels fantastic to be there on stage and see maybe a 5-year-old person and then an 80-year-old person. It’s amazing that these songs are for everyone.”
Dahlin cited the film “Mamma Mia!” as being a major way in which ABBA’s music has reached new audiences. She said it has helped to bring the band’s music from generation to generation.
“(The audiences) are happy when they see the show, and that is amazing to have that opportunity to make people have such a good time. We always love to do it and the music is so good, so we never get tired of it,” she said.
