Brawling music fans mar glitzy Super Group '97 in Jakarta<\/p>\n
By Helly Minarti<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Super Group '97 was meant as a starting point to
\nbring Indonesia's best rock groups together in one super gig.<\/p>\n
\"We'd like to make this an annual event from now on,\" chief
\nproducer Eddy Susilo said before the concert.<\/p>\n
The venue last Saturday was the racing circuit-turned huge
\nopen lot at Ancol Dreamland.<\/p>\n
An estimated 100,000 young spectators -- a quarter of capacity
\n-- quickly became sweat-soaked fans, screaming and wriggling in
\ndelight.<\/p>\n
The otherwise successful concert was marred by brawls which
\nresulted in a man's death and injuries to scores of others.<\/p>\n
First, the music. The huge stage, furnished with a 100,000
\nwatt sound system and lit by the network used in the SEA Games
\nopening spectacular two weeks ago, was the host to two super
\ngroup wanna-bes and six established super groups in Indonesian
\nmusic.<\/p>\n
Bias of Jakarta was first to play. The only band without
\nthumping rock prevailing in its melody, Bias recently released
\nits debut album, Keagungan (Majesty). It still has some way to go
\nto climb the stairway to stardom.<\/p>\n
So does Bandung's Rif. The band may be rock stars in their
\nhometown, but the crowd was cold to Radja (King), their biggest
\nhit.<\/p>\n
\"We picked them since they're very good and promising,\"
\nexplained Eddy.<\/p>\n
The next turns were by the flagbearers of alternative music,
\nNetral and Pas. Headbanging was in order for the fans, soaked not
\nfrom sweat but from water sprayed from a fire engine. Roaring
\nguitar riffs blared as vocalists bounced around the stage.<\/p>\n
Netral played Pelangi (Rainbow), while Pas rocked with their
\nhits Anak (The Kid), Kali (Dirty River), Sekarang (Now) and
\nImpresi (Impression).<\/p>\n
A third of the teeming throng tried hard to find room to jump
\nor bang heads. The rest were stunned and merely giggled, agog at
\nthe double screen showing Pas vocalist Yukie prowling the stage
\nin his distinctive feline act.<\/p>\n
As they sang along, the teenage legions realized that the
\ntradition of moshing was, unfortunately, out of the question.<\/p>\n
At this midway point in the show, there were already some
\ninjured shadows sneaking out under the cover of darkness.
\nBandaged heads and bruised faces were spied far from the
\nsparkling lights on the stage.<\/p>\n
Security personnel refused to comment, and the show went on as
\nscheduled.<\/p>\n
A few teenagers whispered to one another about a brawl between
\ntwo groups of technical high schools students, which occurred
\noutside the stadium before the concert began.<\/p>\n
But most people kept their attention focused on stage.<\/p>\n
Gigi, with its new 1997 formation, scored with the pop number,
\nOo ..Oo..Oo... Their most applauded song was the sweet Yang T'lah
\nBerlalu\/Nirwana (What's Already Gone\/Nirwana).<\/p>\n
They continued with their latest, the heart-wrenching
\nKerinduan (Longing), and the harsh cored Basa Basi (Empty Talk).<\/p>\n
Gigi had to stop halfway through their other popular tune,
\nJanji (Promise), when panic sent the crowd rushing in all
\ndirections.<\/p>\n
Vocalist Armand Maulana pleaded for calm.<\/p>\n
The next group on, Edane, which gained popularity in the early
\n1990s, soothed the tense atmosphere with the sentimental Masih
\nAda Senyum Bagiku (There's Still a Smile for Me).<\/p>\n
Only performing three songs, Edane extended each of them into
\nseven-minute jam sessions featuring one of Indonesia's best rock
\nguitarists, Eet Syahrani. Riffing his guitar furiously, Eet ended
\nhis eloquent fingerpicking by smashing his Richie Sambora Fender
\ndown on the ground.<\/p>\n
This ignited the crowd for Borneo and Ikuti (Follow Me), as a
\nspontaneous choir accompanied Ucok's refrain \"mari sini ikuti aku
\n(come here and follow me).<\/p>\n
Slank, which spent the longest time on stage, spoiled the
\nSlankers with 11 songs, replete with vocalist Kaka flinging off
\nhis shirt and stumbling down into the fenced pit, after failing
\nto get a secure footing on stage.<\/p>\n
More calls for order and typical Slank casual asides bridged
\nthe songs. Scruffy, long-haired Kaka did fine in warming up loyal
\nfans, who were amused with numerous songs from the album
\nGeneration X's Generasi Biru (Blue Generation), the politically
\nliterate Feodalism (Feudalism) through to their light pop, Kamu
\nHarus Pulang (You Have to Go Home).<\/p>\n
The rest of the night proved something of an anticlimax.<\/p>\n
Dewa 19, the best-selling group among the eight playing that
\nnight, could not arouse the exhausted audience despite playing
\nsix numbers.<\/p>\n
A flock of true fans mustered their energy and neared the
\nstage to sing along. Dewa 19 wrapped up the show neatly with top
\nhits like Kangen\/Ku Kan Datang (Longing\/I Will Come) and Kirana,
\nand lesser hits like Manusia Biasa (An Ordinary Human Being) and
\nRestoe Boemi(Earth Blessing).<\/p>\n
They topped it off with Kamulah Satu-satunya (You're the Only
\nOne), a light pop ballad from their latest album, a fitting
\nnumber to disperse the crowd peacefully.<\/p>\n
Despite the ugly incidents, the organizers still patted
\nthemselves on the back.<\/p>\n
\"For me it was still a success, riot-free gig,\" said Eddy
\nSusilo, adding the violence was not provoked by the music.<\/p>\n
Eddy is already looking ahead to 1998.<\/p>\n
\"Next year, we'll sell tickets inclusive of the entrance fee
\nand a T-shirt. The spectators will be obliged to wear the T-shirt
\nto distinguish them from troublemakers.\"<\/p>\n
The organizer spent Rp 85 million for the rock groups, but
\nraised Rp 235 million on the night.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/brawling-music-fans-mar-glitzy-super-group-97-in-jakarta-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}