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ABBA delayed promotion of their new show after 2 people died at a tribute concert

Members of the Swedish group ABBA are seen on a display during a Voyage event at Grona Lund, Stockholm, on September 2. The band is delaying the release of a promotional video after two people died and one was injured at a tribute concert near Stockholm on Tuesday.
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Members of the Swedish group ABBA are seen on a display during a Voyage event at Grona Lund, Stockholm, on September 2. The band is delaying the release of a promotional video after two people died and one was injured at a tribute concert near Stockholm on Tuesday.

Swedish pop sensation ABBA is delaying promotion of their highly-anticipated comeback tour after two people died at a tribute concert on Tuesday.

"In light of the tragic news at the tribute concert in Sweden last night, we have decided to hold off on releasing our concert trailer until tomorrow," the band tweeted on Wednesday.

The tribute show at the Uppsala Konsert & Kongress hall — just north of Stockholm — turned tragic when an elderly man fell down seven floors and landed on two people below.

The man died, as did one of the people he hit. The other was taken to the hospital with injuries, according to police.

France24 reports that around 1,000 people had been in attendance for a show called "Thank You For The Music," honoring the work of male ABBA members Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

The man fell about 30 minutes before the show was due to start, and landed in the open foyer. None of the victims have been identified, but the BBC cites police as saying the man was in his 80s and the man he fatally hit was in his 60s. The person who survived is reportedly a woman also in her 60s.

"We received a call regarding a person who either jumped or fell from a great height inside the concert hall in central Uppsala," police spokesperson Magnus Jansson Klarin said, according to EuroNews.

Police said on Tuesday night that they had "no reason to believe that a crime has been committed in connection with the man's fall," the network added.

The concert venue said in a statement that it was "shocked by the tragic event" and sending thoughts to the victims and their loved ones, and offered counseling and grief resources for those affected. It said it would repurchase tickets from the canceled concert, with performances to resume on Saturday.

MT Live AB, the event company behind the tribute tour, said in a Wednesday Facebook post (translated from Swedish by the platform) that they still did not know the details behind the accident. They spoke of being shocked and sad, but said they will continue with their tour.

The real ABBA, meanwhile, is set to release their ninth and final studio album on Friday. "Voyage" will be their first new material in 40 years. They are also planning a "hologram" concert in London in May 22.


This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.