Divas in Concert: Showing a bit of attitude<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Lucky you if you watched the Divas of Southeast Asia (DIVASEA)
\nconcert on television on Thursday night rather than in person.
\nYou missed the acappella group that killed time during the
\ncommercial breaks.<\/p>\n
Calling themselves Peace Acappella, they practically ruined
\nevery song they did with unnecessary, show-offy improvisation.<\/p>\n
Well, here I am, being overly picky again.<\/p>\n
Anyway, The Divas of Southeast Asia concert featured seven
\n"divas" from three countries: Indonesia's Vina Panduwinata, Titi
\nDJ and Krisdayanti; Malaysia's Sheila Majid, Siti Nurhaliza and
\nFauziah Latief; and the Philippines' Kuh Ledesma.<\/p>\n
The term diva here is confusing, though. What makes these
\nwomen divas? Is it their popularity, album sales or what?<\/p>\n
Perhaps it involved the fame of the singers within their
\nrespective countries. But have we ever heard a song from Fauziah
\nLatief or Kuh Ledesma? And why weren't Ruth Sahanaya and Reza
\nincluded?<\/p>\n
However, because of a lack of publicity surrounding the event,
\nwe don't have the answers to these questions.<\/p>\n
And maybe also due to a lack of publicity, the concert, which
\nwas held at the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium in Senayan, Central
\nJakarta, was only attended by some 2,000 people, meaning 3,000
\ntickets went unsold or unused.<\/p>\n
Maybe the tickets, which ranged in price from Rp 75,000
\n(US$6.80) to Rp 200,000 were too expensive.<\/p>\n
Having said all that, it has to be admitted that it was not a
\nbad concert and proved to be quite entertaining.<\/p>\n
It kicked off at 9 p.m., an hour later than scheduled, with
\nSophia Latjuba, looking like a diva herself in a red dress,
\nserving as emcee. Sophia was later joined by Normala Samsudin
\nfrom Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The first diva to perform was Krisdayanti, wearing white
\nglittery pants and a sleeveless striped top.<\/p>\n
Backed by the Elfa Secioria Orchestra, she kicked off the
\nconcert with Rembulan (Moon). Not bad, not bad at all. In fact,
\nher voice is much better than Sheila's, who took the microphone
\nnext and sang Inikah Cinta (Is This Love), a song originally
\nperformed by the Indonesian group ME (now 9 Seasons).<\/p>\n
Titi then took the stage and sang her old hit Salahkah Aku (Am
\nI Wrong). Siti came next with Betapa Kucinta Padamu (How I Love
\nYou), looking pretty yet conservative in a long yellow dress. But
\nwhat a voice this teenager has, she certainly can hit the high
\nnotes.<\/p>\n
Next was a duet by Kuh and Fauziah, You, a song by Filipino
\nsinger Basil Valdez. Kuh, who starred in The Year of Living
\nDangerously with Mel Gibson, looked ravishing and she has a
\nbeautiful voice as well.<\/p>\n
"I'm so happy to be here. Indonesians are so musical and
\ntalented and they have beautiful musical compositions," she said.<\/p>\n
Fauziah, however, forgot her lyrics.<\/p>\n
Vina then appeared, singing a medley of her old hits -- Cinta
\n(Love), Di Dadaku Ada Kamu (You're In My Heart), Aku Melangkah
\nLagi (I'm Walking Again) and Surat Cinta (Love Letter).<\/p>\n
She has gained a little weight, but the added kilos make her
\nlook more sexy.<\/p>\n
It was a pleasure to see her back on stage singing her hits
\nwith her signature mixture of flirtation and humor.<\/p>\n
The divas continued to take turns on stage and once in a while
\nthey performed a duet or a trio.<\/p>\n
Vina and Sheila sang Vina's hit Biru (Blue), which Sheila
\ncovered on one of her albums.<\/p>\n
"This is a dream come true for me. She's my idol. Mother,
\nlook, it's Vina!" Sheila shouted to her mother in the front row.<\/p>\n
Krisdayanti and Siti performed Krisdayanti's Menghitung Hari
\n(Counting the Days). Siti sang so beautifully that Krisdayanti,
\nafter a costume change into a dress and long wig, appeared
\nlacking in confidence.<\/p>\n
Fauziah, Kuh and Titi sang That's What Friends Are For and
\nFauziah forgot her lyrics again.<\/p>\n
The concert closed with all of the divas up on stage singing
\nAntara Anyer dan Jakarta (Between Anyer and Jakarta) -- which was
\na hit for Sheila -- and Titi DJ's Ekspresi (Expression).<\/p>\n
And who was the biggest diva of them all? My vote is split
\nbetween Siti and Vina. Siti for her voice, her charisma, for
\nmaking Krisdayanti feel insecure and for keeping her real name.
\nAnd Vina for still being sexy after all these years.<\/p>",
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