Dewa delights loyal fans in concert
Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Watching Dewa's concert in celebration of Valentine's Day on Feb. 14 brought me back to 1992 when the group released its first album Dewa 19.
In the early part of its journey in the music industry, Dewa -- comprising keyboard player-cum-producer Achmad Dani Prasetyo, guitarist Andra Junaedi, bassist Erwin Prasetyo, drummer Wawan Juniarso and vocalist Ari Lasso -- already captured music-lovers' attention with their love-themed hits.
Set up in Surabaya in 1986, the group even won two awards for Best Newcomer and Best Selling Album nationwide in 1993.
Ten years have gone by and the group remains faithful to its "old recipe": belting out love songs. Dubbed as Toto-esque or Queen-esque, Dewa's songs have always become hits on the local charts.
Dewa's Love Letter concert at Hard Rock Cafe in Central Jakarta, one of the favorite hangouts in the city, showed how the music group's approach had paid off as they have managed to survive among popular newcomers like Padi and Sheila on 7.
Vocalist Elfonda Mekael -- who replaced Ari in the sixth album Bintang Lima (Five Stars) -- didn't even bother to say "Good Night" or "Hi ..." to fans, who had been waiting for more than two hours.
Standing in front of a keyboard, he simply sang Lagu Cinta (Love Song) and the fans' reaction was just as expected -- hysterical and enthusiastic.
Wearing black trousers, black T-shirts and maroon suits, which later were taken off in the fourth song, the five-member Dewa -- now with new drummer Setyo Nugroho -- enchanted hundreds of Baladewa (nickname for Dewa fans) with 14 songs from their latest album Bintang Lima and previous five albums Dewa 19 (1992), Format Masa Depan (Format for the Future, 1994), Terbaik Terbaik (Best of the Best, 1995), Pandawa Lima (Five Knights, 1997) and The Best of Dewa 19 (1999).
Since the concert was staged to mark Valentine's Day, members of Dewa also read out love letters sent by their fans. The six letters would be displayed as part of the cafe's memorabilia. The fans, mostly teenage girls, all became hysterical during the reading.
One of them, apparently had a crush on Once (Elfonda), and even went down on her knees before the vocalist.
"Hey, don't do that," Elfonda screamed when the girl fell, booed by others.
Dewa, one of the most commercially successful groups in the country, unfortunately, did not shine at the concert. There was no improvisation whatsoever, it was simply like listening to one of their cassettes.
Obviously, Once was the star under the spotlight although his stiff stage act remained. He was lucky to be saved by the cafe's tiny stage.
Fans must admit that Once managed to step out of Ari's shadow when performing Dewa's old hits including Satu Hati (One Heart), Cinta Kan Membawamu Kembali (Love Will Bring You back), Aku Milikmu (I'm Yours) and the final song Kamulah Satu-satunya (You're the Only One).
The fans cry "We want more..." apparently failed to force Dewa to return to the stage. Some of them, who were not satisfied, grumbled when Dewa's crew packed up all the instruments.
The concert also served as a fund raising event to help flood victims in Jakarta. More than Rp 23 million (US$2,255) was collected from Dewa members and their fans at the concert.
Nice music, good looking performers, entertaining videoclips and smart marketing have brought Dewa to where it is now. Some people have labeled Dewa as nothing but a boyband.
The answer could be yes, could be no.
The reality stays. People love their music and always flock to their concerts, as seen in Dewa's tour last year to eight cities across Java.