Dewa delights loyal fans in concert
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.