Rain not a damper
It was a bittersweet event at Indonesian rock group Dewa 19’s recent reunion concert in Shah Alam, writes Aref Omar
THE legendary Indonesian rock band from Surabaya has been around since its formation in 1986, having gone through several line-up changes and weathering various “band issues” till its breakup in 2011. But Dewa 19 has left an indelible impression on fans, dubbed Baladewa and Baladewi, who have stuck with the band’s brand of rocking tunes encapsulated in nine studio album releases over the years.
So it was with a sense of bittersweet irony that the recent reunion concert of Dewa 19 held at the Malawati Indoor Stadium in Shah Alam saw a lengthy performance by various members of the band sans its founder and leader, Ahmad Dhani Prasetyo.
The talented guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist, who wrote many of the songs as well, was absent due to his recent sentencing of 18 months to a prison in Cipinang by the South Jakarta District Court for spreading hatred on social media.
Initial cancellation rumours of the Dewa 19 Reunion Live in Malaysia concert were quashed by the show’s organiser, Nizra Production, and a replacement was found in the form of Ahmad Dhani’s 18-year-old son, Abdul Qodir Jaelani, better known as Dul Jaelani, on the keyboards.
Anticipation was high and local fans were treated first to an opening act with close relations to the band, Andra And The Backbone. The solo project of Dewa 19 guitarist, Andra Ramadhan, was just a hit with fans as the band, which was formed in 2007, began its set of nine songs.
Beginning with its first monster hit song, Musnah, the group entertained with a series of 1990s rock with a tinge of grunge tracks like Sempurna, that also included its latest singe, Deja Vu. By the time Andra And The Backbone closed its mini showcase with Hitamku almost an hour later, the crowd of close to 10,000 in the stadium that night, which included VIPs such as Tengku Permaisuri Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Abdul Rahman and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, were all prepped.
With a long musical career, Dewa 19 sure had plenty of songs in its repertoire, so it was no wonder that some big tracks would be mixed with other not so well known ones, and the band delivered the setlist with gusto.
The two-hour-plus concert, which saw Dewa 19 performing 25 tracks in total including encore runs, kicked off with the band’s first singer Ari Lasso, who provided the main vocals from 1991 to 1999 (the band’s first album, titled Dewa19 , was released in 1992).
The singer belted out Restoe Boemi, Manusia Biasa, Persembahan Dari Surga, Bunga, Cukup Siti Nurbaya and Satu Hati.
Backed by the band’s main members, with Andra on guitars, bassist Yuke Sampurna and drummer Agung Yudha, as well as several other supporting musicians, the songs sped through with ease as fans cheered on. The happy moment was temporarily tempered with moving emotions, especially onstage, when Ari Lasso dedicated Hadapi Dengan Senyum and Cintakan Membawamu Kembali to his musical brother Ahmad Dhani.
His singing was accompanied only by Dul Jaelani on the keyboard, who showcased his skills on the instrument. During his heartfelt performance the youngster shed tears in remembrance of his father who was incarcerated and unable to join in on the musical reunion.
All the while a montage of family pictures of the boy from young till his teen years with his father was shown on the big screen at the back of the stage. Prior to that, a brief video of Ahmad Dhani was also screened, in which the bandleader delivered a short speech and hoped that fans would pray for his well-being.
After Ali Lasso performed Elang, the concert continued with the powerful vocals of Elfonda Mekel, better known as Once. The rocker, who had served as the band’s main vocalist from 1999 to 2011, performed 10 songs. They included Pangeran Cinta, Dua Sedjoli, Sayap-Sayap Patah, Risalah Hati and Hidup Adalah Perjuangan, as well as Angin, which he had also dedicated to Ahmad Dhani.
Previous Dewa 19 drummer Setyo Nugroho, a.k.a. Tyo Nugros, also took to the stage later to pound out a few songs. After Once belted out Pupus and Arjuna, the two rocking vocalists with mellifluous voices performed a series of duets for the band’s encore segment, which included Roman Picisan, Kamulah Satu Satunya, Kangen and Separuh Nafas.
Although fans expressed their joy and sang along to some of the tracks performed, the concert was marred somewhat by poor acoustics which made it hard to follow or distinguish the tunes, especially during the more rocking and layered songs.
By the end of the concert it was raining heavily and despite the gloomy weather, it was mostly a positive affair for fans who had waited patiently for the return of Dewa 19. aref@nst.com.my