Tuesday, July 14, 2026

A Performer Who Toured as ‘Agnetha’ Headlines a Free ABBA Night in San Gabriel

[photo credit: SAN GABRIEL MISSION PLAYHOUSE]

The Swedes, a Los Angeles–based group of Swedish musicians, play the Mission Playhouse’s outdoor summer series a short drive from Pasadena

Before she fronted an ABBA tribute band in Los Angeles, Linda Frithiof spent years on stage as “Agnetha,” touring alongside the musicians who once recorded and performed with the Swedish supergroup itself.

On Thursday, July 23, Frithiof and her band, The Swedes, bring that pedigree to Playhouse Plaza at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse for a free outdoor concert of ABBA songs, from “Dancing Queen” to “Mamma Mia.”

The 7:00 p.m. show sits a short drive south of Pasadena, through neighboring San Marino, putting a widely recognized pop songbook within easy reach of Pasadena and Altadena audiences. Pasadena is the cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley, and San Gabriel is a neighboring Valley city just beyond San Marino.

The concert is one stop on the city’s Summer in San Gabriel series, a run of free outdoor concerts and movies staged across the city through the summer. Another date in the same series features Beach Boys tribute act Woodie & the Longboards at the same plaza on July 9.

The band is made up of Swedish musicians based in Los Angeles. In its own promotional materials, the group describes itself as the only all-Swedish, American-based ABBA tribute act and says it performs as a full 10-piece live band; the same materials say Frithiof toured with the original ABBA musicians for six years. In its event announcement, the Mission Playhouse promised “a dazzling night of soaring vocals, infectious joy, and pure Scandinavian charm.”

The venue itself carries its own history. Constructed in 1927 to house John Steven McGroarty’s Mission Play, the Spanish-style Mission Playhouse anchors San Gabriel’s historic Mission District and, according to the City of San Gabriel, hosts more than 80 music, dance and theatre performances each season.

The Summer in San Gabriel lineup is built around no-cost, family-friendly evenings, and the July 23 concert follows that pattern: an open plaza, familiar songs, and seating for anyone who arrives. For listeners in Pasadena and Altadena weighing a low-effort summer outing, it offers a full-band tribute a few minutes down the road, at no charge.

Need to know: The Swedes perform Thursday, July 23, at 7:00 p.m. at Playhouse Plaza, San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776. Admission is free. The venue provides fold-up chairs on a first-come, first-served basis, and attendees may bring their own seating.Information: 626-308-2865 or missionplayhouse.org.

For one summer evening, the plaza of a playhouse built nearly a century ago for a drama about California’s missions will fill instead with the sound of one of Sweden’s most famous pop exports.

 The Swedes — ABBA Tribute — San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel (adjacent to Pasadena). Free outdoor tribute concert. July 23, 7pm. Free; bring a lawn chair. https://missionplayhouse.org/events