Eurovision 2024: what a disappointment the tribute to Abba

When we learned that the final of theEurovision Song Contest 2024 would have paid homage to the Abbathe most famous Swedish quartet in the world who, just fifty years ago, triumphed at Eurovision with Waterloo, we were ready to witness the fireworks, certain of a unique performance which, in the footsteps of Madonna's in 2019, would write the history of the ceremony. This is why, when the hosts of the evening Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede went on stage to announce that they had managed to bring together some very famous Swedish artists, we thought we were out of our skin, it's just a shame that it wasn't Abba, but Alcazar. The latter, who accepted with great self-irony to be made fun of and lend themselves to the gag, could represent a pleasant appetizer to prepare for the arrival of the truly great Eurovision reunion which, unfortunately for the fans, did not take place.

After a connection during which Abba recreated with artificial intelligence they became emotional remembering their triumph in 1974 the line returned to Sweden, where the singers Charlotte Perrelli, Carola and Conchita Wurst they decided to pay homage to the band by singing their own Waterloo. We would like to tell you that the tribute did not stop here, but unfortunately we cannot: Eurovision with Abba did what it wanted MTV Video Music Awards reserved for Britney Spears in 2011, settling for a decidedly subdued performance and not at all up to the occasion or the artists in question. It would have been nice to see, for the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo, something more original and more bombastic, and that's why the feeling we had after the performance was one of bitterness. And, frankly, considering the contribution Abba have made to both Eurovision fame and the international music economyit was logical to expect more effort.