It was not just another day in Ancol paradise
It was not just another day in Ancol paradise
Text by Rita A. Widiadana, photo by Mulkan Salmona
JAKARTA (JP): "Selamat malam, senang sekali. Terima kasih atas kehadiran Anda."
Coming from Phil Collins, the greeting in Indonesian simply delighted the over 40,000 people who filled the former site of the Ancol Circuit in the Ancol Dreamland Park last night to see the British superstar perform.
The 40,000 tickets at between Rp 50,000 and Rp 150,000 were sold out. Security was tight and only 24 photographers were allowed entry. Local journalists who had obtained a special pass to the show were not allowed in and had to buy their own tickets at the last minutes. Despite the incident, the show, which began 25 minutes late, went on smoothly.
With great ease -- although he admitted that he was no stage actor -- Collins opened his concert with I Don't Care Anymore. Wearing yellowish baggy trousers and a loose tartan shirt, he looked relaxed and successfully created a friendly rapport with his audience.
Earlier in an interview upon his arrival on Friday, Collins admitted that he knew very little about Indonesia.
"I just arrived in Indonesia three hours ago," he said.
But, he continued, he learnt of Indonesian traditional music (Balinese) when he spent a holiday on the island some four years ago. "I recorded a number of local melodies and they sounded so marvelous. I enjoyed the music very much."
Collins appeared at Spec's music room, Horison Hotel, Friday afternoon to meet local reporters for more than one hour, a rare thing for a superstar.
Widely renowned as Mr. Nice Guy for having been active in various charities to eradicate worldwide poverty, he said: "I will be trying to find a way to help homeless people in Indonesia," said the 44-year-old superstar.
When he finishes his around-the-world tour, he will take stock and donate part of the profits to humanity projects.
"Each country has different problems. If we want to help, we should know exactly what is really needed by the people of the country," Collins explained.
Before performing in Indonesia, Collins held a one-day concert in Singapore on March. 23. He has already set up a joint cooperation with a number of Singaporean organizations dealing with the homeless. Collins plans to give financial support to their activities.
Since 12 years ago, Collins has actively supported the Prince of Wales's improvement program for homeless people in Britain. In l990, he set up his own organization to deal with homeless and poverty eradication.
"I have been frequently asked to hold concerts to benefit the Bosnian people. But, I think it is not wise to donate the proceeds from the concert and then there is no follow-up action," he said.
Collins said he prefers to support any ongoing project, no matter how little it is.
"It is very easy if you have a lot of money. But what really matters is the way you spend it," Collins stressed.
Born into a wealthy British family, financial trouble was something he never faced.
"But I was always taught to save my money for `rainy days', Never spend your money on something unimportant," said Collins.
As one of the richest musicians in the world, Collins said he always feels uneasy when people keep telling him he is so rich that he can do anything and can have everything in life.
"For me, money is not everything. What concerns me most in my life is to improve both my personal and professional lives," he expressed.
Commenting on sour criticism saying he now tends to write simple and more popular songs, Collins argued that he prefers to write about real life rather than complicated and bizarre lyrics.
"Honestly, I never feel comfortable when performing Genesis' lyrics on science fiction or the world of fantasy," he commented.
Collins's six solo albums from Face Value, Hello I Must be Going, But Seriously and No Jacket Required to the latest one Both Sides of the Story contain songs about love and societal problems.
Collins' hits such as In the Air Tonight, I Missed Again, One More Night, Groovy Kind of Love (previously recorded by British singer Acker Bilk) mostly tell about men who miss their loved ones.
The lyrics of his Grammy-winning song Another Day in Paradise are about the homeless. "The song is based on what I've seen during my music tours. About abandoned people who face a harsh world," he said.
"Musicians play an important part in helping the needy. Through their songs, they can push the governments and the people to immediately deal with many social problems," Collins explained.
Genesis
Collins' mood suddenly changed when he was asked about Genesis. Remarking on various accusations that his influence on the band was very big, he commented, "We all three work together to produce every song. But, I am a lead vocalist who is communicating the band's messages to the audience."
Collins went on to say that he really likes to argue with anybody accusing him of ruining the band's reputation as the prominent progressive rock band it used to in the 1970s.
"It is really unfair to say that I'm the only person to be blamed for the collapse of Genesis. There are Tony (Banks) and Mike (Rutherford) who should be blamed too," Collins said.
Collins added that time is changing and the band members want to make a different kind of music.
"Loyalty is very important in music. But we cannot prevent people from doing what they want to," Collins said.