Angus Kidman – anguskidman.show

I’m in London, so I have to see ABBA Voyage. It’s a legal requirement. I’ve already seen it four times, so this time around I decided to go for the cheapest seat I could get, just to see how that differed from previous visits.

That turned out to be Block F Row P Seat 6 – the very back row on the left hand side of the ABBA Arena. I’ve previously done the dancefloor, seats near the front and centred seats halfway towards the back, so this was a good contrast. For added variety, it’s the first time I’ve attended a matinee.

“Cheap” is a relative term- I still had to pay £71.50 for a single seat. But that was slightly cheaper than the dancefloor, which usually comes in at £77.

This is what the view looked like.

Despite the angle, the outlook is fine. The only thing you can’t see fully is the screen to the left of the stage, but the close to 180 degrees nature of the performance means that’s not really a problem. I’d favour this side (Block F) over the opposite one (Block K) because it’s on the band side of the stage.

The most jaw-dropping view of the ABBAtars remains being at the front of the dance floor. But there were a few aspects that I actually found better from this position:

• The audio mixing was more obvious, with some impressive surround sound effects I hadn’t noticed before.
• The audience wave-along during ‘Chiquitita’ looks really good from this angle. In general, for audience watching (which is part of the fun when you’ve seen the show itself this many times) being at the back is a good set-up.
• It’s very cool to have the pulse effect during ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ actually appear directly behind you.
• If you want to stand up and dance, no-one minds, because you’re not blocking anyone’s view.

Ultimately, for a first-time Voyage visitor, I’d still recommend splurging on more centred seats closer to the front (Section C is my pick). But for a repeat viewing, this worked out better than I’d expected.

For more ABBA fun, check out the ABBA song titles cryptic clues puzzle, the songs they couldn’t release as singles and don’t waste your money on the ABBA luggage tag.

Angus Kidman: My honest review commitment * I only review products and services I’ve tried myself. * I pay for those products and services myself. * I don’t make any money from affiliate links or promotional deals – my reviews are an honest reflection of my experience.