Foreign musicians come back to Indonesia<\/p>\n
By Hera Diani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Music lovers rejoice -- the next three months
\nwill see a veritable rush of international artists coming to
\nIndonesia to perform.<\/p>\n
Sure, the list of scheduled acts may not be spectacular by the
\nstandards of many countries, but it's not bad for Indonesia.
\nEspecially considering that over the past year the country has
\nonly seen the likes of Westlife (another playback act), Megadeath
\n(so 10 years ago) and the Scorpions (relics).<\/p>\n
The fun begins on Sept. 14 with U.S. rock group Firehouse
\nscheduled to perform in eight cities: Bogor and Cirebon in West
\nJava; Yogyakarta; Semarang, Surakarta and Purwokerto in Central
\nJava; and Malang and Surabaya in East Java.<\/p>\n
Next in line is Singapore-born violinist Vanessa Mae, who will
\ngive a concert on Sept. 20 at the Grand Melia Hotel in South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Four days later, Irish teenage rockers Ash will join local
\nrock group Padi in a concert at the Bung Karno Sports Complex in
\nSenayan, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Another Irish group, The Corrs, will follow on Oct. 3 at the
\nJakarta Convention Center. The Irish quartet was scheduled to
\nperform here last February, but had to cancel the show because
\nvocalist Andrea had an ear infection.<\/p>\n
There is also something for jazz lovers, with Canadian pianist
\nDavid Benoit to give concerts on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9.<\/p>\n
All the way from Orange County, California, the popular Sugar
\nRay will perform their brand of pop\/alternative music on Nov. 4
\nin Jakarta and Nov. 5 in Bandung.<\/p>\n
Danish group Michael Learns To Rock will give fans a taste of
\ntheir sweet and mellow sounds on Nov. 7 in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
And last in line, so far, is singer\/guitarist George Benson,
\nwho will perform his mix of jazz and pop on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27.<\/p>\n
According to Peter Basuki, the president director of concert
\npromoter Buena Produktama, the improved (political) situation in
\nthe country makes it easier to hold concerts.<\/p>\n
\"The problem (before) wasn't obtaining permits. But due to
\nsecurity reasons, the police required us to provide a large
\nnumber of security officers and that's very expensive,\" he told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Buena is the promoter for all of the above concerts, except
\nfor The Corrs and Ash, whose concerts are being promoted by Java
\nMusikindo.<\/p>\n
However, despite the more conducive environment, Peter said
\nthere were difficulties because of the U.S. government's warning
\nto its citizens not to visit Indonesia because of fears of
\nterrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
\"As a result, some of the artists are reluctant to come here,\"
\nhe said, pointing to Firehouse who at first refused the
\ninvitation to perform in the country.<\/p>\n
\"We had to approach the artists personally. We showed them
\nthat nothing happened when the Scorpions and Megadeath came
\nhere.\"<\/p>\n
All of the concerts here are part of the artists' tours of
\nAsian countries.<\/p>\n
\"It is cheaper for us that way, instead of inviting them to
\ncome here exclusively,\" Peter said.<\/p>\n
He disclosed that the fee for the artists ranged from
\nUS$10,000 (Firehouse) to $100,000 (Vanessa Mae) per performance.<\/p>\n
\"Vanessa is bringing 38 crewmembers. She will also use 12
\nIndonesian musicians from conductor Yazid Jameen's orchestra to
\naccompany her.\"<\/p>\n
Peter did not give the prices of the tickets for the concerts
\nor say where to obtain them.<\/p>\n
But for the Ash and Padi concert, tickets cost Rp 150,000 for
\ntribune seating and Rp 125,000 for festival seating. For further
\ninformation, contact Java Musikindo at 57988623\/24\/25.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/foreign-musicians-come-back-to-indonesia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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