The Cranberries belt out a memorable concert<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It was the voice. Dolores O'Riordan's sincere and plaintive, as
\nwell as versatile and distinctive voice. And then the lilting
\nguitar pop, the rock elements and lyrics penning political
\nmessages.<\/p>\n
Add some appealing stage acts and humble attitude and those
\nwere the very ingredients that made The Cranberries' concert here
\nlast Wednesday night memorable.<\/p>\n
Looking back over the past year, most visiting foreign artists
\ndid not put a lot of effort, if any, into their performances.<\/p>\n
They just sang and played by rote, like on their albums, and
\non stage the act was mediocre, the small talk predictable and
\ntheir outfits simple.<\/p>\n
All of shortcomings in previous concerts, thankfully, were
\ncompensated by The Cranberries concert, which followed the
\nrelease of their latest album, 2001's Wake Up and Smell The
\nCoffee.<\/p>\n
The Irish foursome put on a rockin', entertaining and lively
\nshow and performed like they would have performed anywhere else
\nin the world, regardless of the country.<\/p>\n
The band is well-known, has high record sales, and their fame
\ngoes well beyond Asia.<\/p>\n
Within 12 years, which is like two or three life spans of a
\nboyband, the Limerick natives have sold over 33 million records
\nin the course of five albums.<\/p>\n
They are both critically and commercially acclaimed, not only
\nin Ireland and England, but practically everywhere, including in
\nthe United States. And its all thanks to their spot-on melodic
\ninstinct, probing songs and no-frills style.<\/p>\n
Yet, O'Riordan, along with Noel Hogan (guitar), Mike Hogan
\n(bass) and Fergal Lawler (drums) -- all of them in their early
\n30s -- are not prone to putting on celebrity airs, as seen at the
\nmedia conference prior to the concert.<\/p>\n
They were laid-back and friendly. The guys were a bit quiet
\nbut the front woman always cracked jokes.<\/p>\n
\"How do we manage to stay together? Well, I slap the boys one
\nby one every day so that they are willing to rehearse and accept
\nmy ideas,\" O'Riordan laughed.<\/p>\n
Apart from being the only female in the band, the petite and
\npretty O'Riordan also has impressive skills. She wrote most of
\nthe band's songs and plays guitar and keyboard.<\/p>\n
\"Being a solo artist? I don't think so. It's much more fun to
\nbe in a group. I'd be extra grumpy if I became a soloist because
\nyou have to do everything by yourself,\" she said.<\/p>\n
On stage in front of the some 4,500 audience at the Indoor
\nTennis Center at Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Central
\nJakarta, O'Riordan was the star and the one who shone.<\/p>\n
Wearing flared red pants with ruffles, a matching striped tank
\ntop and a shimmering gold mask, she kicked off the show by
\nsinging the upbeat title track from the latest album.<\/p>\n
Except for the first two songs taken from Wake Up, the first
\nquarter of the two-hour show was filled with their earlier hits.<\/p>\n
From the very first single that brought them to the fore,
\n1993's Linger, to Ode to My Family, to Salvation and Zombie. The
\nlatter was a controversial piece as it berated the terrorist
\nmindset in Ireland.<\/p>\n
On the political messages, O'Riordan said that coming from
\nworking-class society, they can relate to things connected with
\nhumanity.<\/p>\n
\"All of us started working when we were around 12 years old as
\nwe weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouth. We know what
\nit's like to be hungry,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Back on stage, the woman ran around, screamed, danced with
\nthat robotic-style move and occasionally took up the electric
\nguitar.<\/p>\n
\"It's stupid, but I have this obsession with feathers,\"
\nO'Riordan laughed when changing her top and donning a white
\nfeather boa, before getting into the next song.<\/p>\n
Track by track from each album were sung, from mellow numbers
\nto those with a harsher sound, but the intensity did not tone
\ndown one bit.<\/p>\n
Later on, O'Riordan took time to change outfits again, and put
\non a long black shiny dress and red feather wig.<\/p>\n
\"I've learned that love isn't always easy. But you just have
\nto follow it,\" she said before playing the keyboard and signing
\nCarry On.<\/p>\n
Before the encore, O'Riordan opened a bottle of champagne and
\nspurted it out over the audience.<\/p>\n
\"We're celebrating because we finally made it to Asia. Thank
\nyou all!\" she shouted.<\/p>\n
The show was then completed with 1993's Dreams to the cheering
\nand satisfied audience, leaving the latter with something good to
\nremember. Especially a big muscular guy who strutted proudly
\nafter the show as he had managed to catch O'Riordan's black boot.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-cranberries-belt-out-a-memorable-concert-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}