Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

MUSIC:

Tribute band Adbacadabra’s agent signed real ABBA

0608Adbacadabra

Publicity Photo

Adbacadabra, an ABBA tribute band, to perform at Las Vegas Hilton June 12-14.

IF YOU GO

Who: Adbacadabra

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Las Vegas Hilton Showroom

Tickets: $19.95 to $49.95; 732-5755 or lvhilton.com

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Jerry Greenberg has worked with some of the biggest names in the music business.

He was just 32 when he was named president of Atlantic Records in 1974 — the youngest head of a major record label. He signed ABBA, Foreigner and Genesis and worked with Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson.

Today, Greenberg, in his 60s, works with tribute artists who portray legends he has worked with.

“I’m the guy who heard the ‘Waterloo’ record at Atlantic and immediately called Stig Anderson, ABBA’s manager,” Greenberg says from his Beverly Hills, Calif., office. “I signed ABBA for America.”

A few months ago he signed Adbacadabra, an ABBA tribute group that has been touring Nevada and California for several years. The faux ABBA headlines at the Las Vegas Hilton Friday through Sunday.

Greenberg saw Adbacadabra a few months back performing at a charity show in Reno.

“I could not believe it,” he says. “Everybody was up on their feet dancing and singing. The band had the vocals and the instrumentals down perfectly.”

The tribute show features 20 ABBA songs. The cast includes founder Gary Raffanelli (as ABBA’s Benny Andersson), Fred Sampson (Bjorn Ulvaeus), Christine Shelton (Anni-Frid Lyngstad) and Sandra Selby (Agnetha Faltskog).

Greenberg was so impressed with what he saw that he and James Elliot formed the company Mirage Tribute Bands six months ago to represent Adbacadabra and other tribute artists.

“I feel like my past is coming back and hitting me square in the face,” he says.

Greenberg has discovered that some tribute bands are doing well in today’s entertainment environment. He’s so happy with the ABBA tribute group that he’s exploring others, including Led Zepagain, Bonfire (AC/DC), Southbound (Allman Brothers) and Which One’s Pink (Pink Floyd).

“And we’ve found a young artist that looks and sounds like Nat King Cole we think can be a tremendous talent,” he says.

But for now, it’s Adbacadabra.

“When I’ve been to the their shows, I see young people who are just discovering ABBA, and ABBA is never going to tour again,” Greenberg says. “I’ve been to seven or eight ABBA concerts and I couldn’t tell the difference between them and Adbacadabra.”

Jerry Fink can be reached at 259-4058 or at [email protected].

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