14 DAY TRIAL // Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has many hobbies that the public did not know of, other than judo and fishing, it has emerged. Apparently, in January, Putin paid £20,000 for a private concert from ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again, Rod Stephen, the founder of the band, tells the media.
As it turns out, the secret performance was so secret that not even Putin’s own spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was able to confirm it when contacted by The Independent. Nevertheless, Stephen says that not only it took place towards the end of January, but also came out so well that Putin could not stop dancing the entire time. According to the founder of the tribute band, Putin’s favorites were “Mamma Mia” and “Super Trouper.”
“We got the call to go out there about a year ago and I thought it was a prank. I remember someone on the line saying ‘Hello this is the Moscow Kremlin’ - I told him to pull the other one.” Rod Stephen says for The Independent. However, when it became clear that it was as serious as it gets, he agreed to have the ABBA tribute band flown for a special private concert.
Throughout its entire duration, Stephen explains, Putin was veiled by a lace curtain, as he sat on a large sofa next to a “glamorous” woman. At the end of each song, he would shout “bravo” and applaud, Stephen also says. “During the show, on January 22, the group sang 15 Abba hits under strict instructions not to leave the stage. Mr. Stephen, who lives in Queen’s Park, north west London, said the four-member band travelled 200 miles north of Moscow on the shores of Lake Valdai to a ‘tiny theatre’ for the gig.” The Independent also writes, saying that the entire gig took place under the watchful eye of many security guards.
Bjorn Again, named after ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus and a pun on “born again,” originated in Australia and has been performing since 1988. The band has reached such levels of popularity that, right now, there are at least five other Bjorn Agains performing in different parts of the world.