Brawling music fans mar glitzy Super Group '97 in Jakarta

By Helly Minarti

JAKARTA (JP): Super Group '97 was meant as a starting point to bring Indonesia's best rock groups together in one super gig.

"We'd like to make this an annual event from now on," chief producer Eddy Susilo said before the concert.

The venue last Saturday was the racing circuit-turned huge open lot at Ancol Dreamland.

An estimated 100,000 young spectators -- a quarter of capacity -- quickly became sweat-soaked fans, screaming and wriggling in delight.

The otherwise successful concert was marred by brawls which resulted in a man's death and injuries to scores of others.

First, the music. The huge stage, furnished with a 100,000 watt sound system and lit by the network used in the SEA Games opening spectacular two weeks ago, was the host to two super group wanna-bes and six established super groups in Indonesian music.

Bias of Jakarta was first to play. The only band without thumping rock prevailing in its melody, Bias recently released its debut album, Keagungan (Majesty). It still has some way to go to climb the stairway to stardom.

So does Bandung's Rif. The band may be rock stars in their hometown, but the crowd was cold to Radja (King), their biggest hit.

"We picked them since they're very good and promising," explained Eddy.

The next turns were by the flagbearers of alternative music, Netral and Pas. Headbanging was in order for the fans, soaked not from sweat but from water sprayed from a fire engine. Roaring guitar riffs blared as vocalists bounced around the stage.

Netral played Pelangi (Rainbow), while Pas rocked with their hits Anak (The Kid), Kali (Dirty River), Sekarang (Now) and Impresi (Impression).

A third of the teeming throng tried hard to find room to jump or bang heads. The rest were stunned and merely giggled, agog at the double screen showing Pas vocalist Yukie prowling the stage in his distinctive feline act.

As they sang along, the teenage legions realized that the tradition of moshing was, unfortunately, out of the question.

At this midway point in the show, there were already some injured shadows sneaking out under the cover of darkness. Bandaged heads and bruised faces were spied far from the sparkling lights on the stage.

Security personnel refused to comment, and the show went on as scheduled.

A few teenagers whispered to one another about a brawl between two groups of technical high schools students, which occurred outside the stadium before the concert began.

But most people kept their attention focused on stage.

Gigi, with its new 1997 formation, scored with the pop number, Oo ..Oo..Oo... Their most applauded song was the sweet Yang T'lah Berlalu/Nirwana (What's Already Gone/Nirwana).

They continued with their latest, the heart-wrenching Kerinduan (Longing), and the harsh cored Basa Basi (Empty Talk).

Gigi had to stop halfway through their other popular tune, Janji (Promise), when panic sent the crowd rushing in all directions.

Vocalist Armand Maulana pleaded for calm.

The next group on, Edane, which gained popularity in the early 1990s, soothed the tense atmosphere with the sentimental Masih Ada Senyum Bagiku (There's Still a Smile for Me).

Only performing three songs, Edane extended each of them into seven-minute jam sessions featuring one of Indonesia's best rock guitarists, Eet Syahrani. Riffing his guitar furiously, Eet ended his eloquent fingerpicking by smashing his Richie Sambora Fender down on the ground.

This ignited the crowd for Borneo and Ikuti (Follow Me), as a spontaneous choir accompanied Ucok's refrain "mari sini ikuti aku (come here and follow me).

Slank, which spent the longest time on stage, spoiled the Slankers with 11 songs, replete with vocalist Kaka flinging off his shirt and stumbling down into the fenced pit, after failing to get a secure footing on stage.

More calls for order and typical Slank casual asides bridged the songs. Scruffy, long-haired Kaka did fine in warming up loyal fans, who were amused with numerous songs from the album Generation X's Generasi Biru (Blue Generation), the politically literate Feodalism (Feudalism) through to their light pop, Kamu Harus Pulang (You Have to Go Home).

The rest of the night proved something of an anticlimax.

Dewa 19, the best-selling group among the eight playing that night, could not arouse the exhausted audience despite playing six numbers.

A flock of true fans mustered their energy and neared the stage to sing along. Dewa 19 wrapped up the show neatly with top hits like Kangen/Ku Kan Datang (Longing/I Will Come) and Kirana, and lesser hits like Manusia Biasa (An Ordinary Human Being) and Restoe Boemi(Earth Blessing).

They topped it off with Kamulah Satu-satunya (You're the Only One), a light pop ballad from their latest album, a fitting number to disperse the crowd peacefully.

Despite the ugly incidents, the organizers still patted themselves on the back.

"For me it was still a success, riot-free gig," said Eddy Susilo, adding the violence was not provoked by the music.

Eddy is already looking ahead to 1998.

"Next year, we'll sell tickets inclusive of the entrance fee and a T-shirt. The spectators will be obliged to wear the T-shirt to distinguish them from troublemakers."

The organizer spent Rp 85 million for the rock groups, but raised Rp 235 million on the night.