ABBA Japan tour t-shirt
The ABBA Japan Tour T-shirt is a replica of the actual ABBA merchandise that was sold during the Japan Tour in 1980, which also became ABBA's last tour before the band's break.
"We made a copy-paste of my old touring t-shirts when we opened ABBA The Museum. This is the one that everyone loved. The soft fabric and the crisp design is a win.” - Ingmarie Halling, curator at ABBA The Museum and part of the ABBA tour crew.
Inspired by the North America, Europe & Japan tour in 1979-1980 – ABBA’s third concert tour.
ABBA arrived in Tokyo on March 9, 1980, after leaving Sweden on March 8. Their arrival was met with overwhelming fanfare, with around 100 photographers storming through a wall of 200 policemen to catch a glimpse of the band at Tokyo's Narita Airport. The New Otani Hotel in Tokyo became their base, but they were virtually prisoners inside, unable to move freely due to the intense pressure from fans and media.
Budokan concert
During their stay, ABBA performed 11 concerts across Japan, with six sold out shows at Tokyo's celebrated Nippon Budokan Hall. Only a few acts, like the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, had sold out this prestigious venue to the same extent as ABBA. The Japanese performances closely mirrored their North American and European shows from the previous year, with minor changes, including singing parts of "I Have A Dream" in Japanese. Their performance at the Budokan on 27 March was their last live performance on what would prove to be their last tour.
