Evening Under The Stars - 2010

PHOTO COURTESY OF O'BAYLEY COMMUNICATIONS, PALM SPRINGS, CA

Evening Under the Stars, the 17th annual gala event to benefit AIDS Assistance Program, will feature the “Music of ABBA” performed by "Arrival" from Sweden, an ABBA show band that includes some of ABBA’s original musicians. The ‘must see’ performance, along with cocktails, dinner, and dancing, will take place Saturday, May 1, 2010, beginning at 6:00 PM at the O’Donnell Golf Club in Palm Springs.

“It’s ABBA!” said Mark Anton, Executive Director of AIDS Assistance Program. “Well, it’s not really ABBA, but this performance is as close to actually seeing ABBA as we’ll ever get, since the band is unlikely to unite for a revival tour. It’s going to be another extraordinary evening Under the Stars, and I know Arrival’s exuberant show will absolutely knock everyone’s socks off.” This group looks and sounds so much like the original ABBA it’s no surprise that they are the only ABBA tribute band officially sanctioned by the four original ABBA band members.

Arrival is billed as “the world’s greatest ABBA show” and has toured in more than 20 nations around the globe including the US, China, France, Holland, Sweden, the UK, and Vietnam. ABBA was a pop music group that formed in Sweden in the early 1970’s and topped the charts for about ten years. ABBA gained popularity employing catchy song hooks and simple lyrics that fit the early days of the disco genre. The music of ABBA was re-arranged into the wildly successful Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, which was also released as a movie in July 2008. They remain a fixture of radio playlists and are one of the world’s bestselling bands, having sold nearly 370 million records worldwide.

One of the more recent traditions of Evening Under the Stars is the special ways in which the attendees interpret each year’s theme. In 2006 it was the ‘sock it to me” Laugh-In year, and there were miniskirts, go-go boots, and psychedelic colors. 2007 saw a return to elegance for Mary Wilson, but the crowd enjoyed cutting loose once the dancing began. In ‘08, Pink Martini gave everyone creative license to pull all their fuchsia and hot pink out of their closets… it was a dazzling sight. In 2009, it was “Motown Style” that transported the audience back to a particularly festive era in celebration of Motown’s 50th anniversary.

This year, the Music of ABBA will bring everyone back to the beginning of the Disco era. Guests are certain to enjoy getting into the spirit of this event with “Angels Flight” pants, silk shirts, polyester vests, and platform heels. Performing hits like “Dancing Queen, “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” and “Mamma Mia,” this will be one Evening Under the Stars people will talk about for ages.

Tickets for the benefit are $395 per person and can be purchased by contacting the AIDS Assistance Program at 760/325-8481. Program ads also may be reserved/purchased by calling AAP.

Since its founding in 1991, the AIDS Assistance Program of Palm Springs remains dedicated to providing nutritional support to improve the quality of the lives of those surviving HIV/AIDS. Initiated by a small group of concerned citizens, led by the late Gloria Greene and Jeannette Rockefeller, AAP provided meals to members of the community with low incomes and suffering with HIV/AIDS. Since then, the AIDS Assistance Program's client roster has grown from approximately 20 to more than 500 people.

For more information on AIDS Assistance Program, its Angel program, Evening Under The Stars, or to volunteer or donate, please contact Executive Director Mark Anton at 760/325-8481 or visit www.aidsassistance.org. # # #