Iwan Fals on stage and always in style

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fauzan, an office assistant at a company on Jl. Sudirman, has spent the last several months watching every last rupiah. Yes, these are tough times for everyone, but that is not why he was being so careful with his money.

He was saving up to see his idol, singer/songwriter Iwan Fals, in concert. A huge fan since junior high school, Fauzan never misses Iwan when he performs in Jakarta. Even if that means spending Rp 100,000 (US$9.10) for a ticket.

So there he was on Wednesday night at the Fashion Cafe, ready to catch Iwan Fals and Band live in concert. Fauzan sat on the floor in front of the stage, along with some 150 other people.

Fauzan knows every word of every Iwan Fals song, and he sang along with the band at the top of his lungs.

"I have all of his albums, all of them," Fauzan gushed.

Iwan Fals (real name Virgiawan Listanto) is indeed an icon. Or, according to another member of the audience, Agus, who owns a music store in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Iwan is "a living legend with indecipherable charisma".

Iwan's songs portray the realities of Indonesia and have won the singer the hearts of many people in the country, especially those from the lower economic brackets.

Over his 21-year career, the 40-year-old musician has consistently written about the problems in society and has never been shy about criticizing the government.

Though it has been seven years since he has released a new album, Iwan remains as popular as ever, as shown by his concert on Wednesday.

The concert was promoted by PT Renny Djajoesman Enterprises as part of a monthly event called Rock To Cafe.

"A lot of people asked for Iwan, so we are presenting him now," Renny, herself a singer, said before the concert.

However, it was decidedly odd to see Iwan performing in an upscale cafe, with tickets for the concert being sold for as much as Rp 500,000 ($45.50).

And Iwan admitted that he preferred playing for larger audiences.

"But not everyone is willing to see a concert in a soccer stadium," he said.

Iwan's wife-cum-manager Rossana, or Yos, said they were willing to perform anywhere, as long as the venue was suitable. One of the conditions for an Iwan concert is that there must be no sponsor, so there will be no banners on the stage.

"It's for the sake of artistic credibility," she said.

The concert began at 9:30 p.m. as Iwan took the stage, acoustic guitar in hand. He was followed on stage by Digo (guitar), Tjok Rampai (bass), Ayub (keyboard) and Denny (drums).

Smiling and greeting the audience, Iwan got things started with an old hit, Ujung Aspal, which is about an area in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta.

"That was Ujung Aspal 20 years ago. I don't know what it's like now," said Iwan, who cut a striking figure on stage, with his graying hair and wearing jeans, a polo shirt and a scarf.

He continued with Libur Kecil Kaum Kusam (Small Vacation for Poor People).

The people in the front rows were up on their feet, dancing and singing along with Iwan.

"This is the story of a woman who is already clean but is still judged as dirty," Iwan said before kicking into Perempuan Malam (Night Woman).

Before every song, Iwan would give a small introduction in a voice that was not always clear, as though he were uncertain of his words.

However, as soon as he began singing any uncertainty disappeared. Iwan is an expressive performer, jumping around the stage, screaming and shouting.

Iwan and his band performed 17 songs on the night. Although he has written some romantic and mellow songs, such as Ku Menanti Seorang Kekasih (I'm Waiting For A Lover), which he sang on Wednesday, most of the songs Iwan performed contained political messages.

A rock 'n' roll number titled Pinggiran Kota Besar (Outskirts of the Big City) is about poor people living on the banks of a polluted river.

Puing (Ruins) tells the story of a child who asks questions about war, while Wakil Rakyat (People's Representatives) urges legislators to pay attention to the people.

The show climaxed with Bento, a sharply critical number about corrupt government officials and businesspeople. Once banned by the New Order administration, the song turned up the heat at the Fashion Cafe, as the entire audience stood up to sing along.

Iwan also played three numbers -- Cendrawasih, Suara Hati (Conscience) and Seperti Matahari (Like the Sun) -- from his upcoming album, which will be released next month.

By 11:45 p.m., the show was over. Agus, the music store owner, however, still had a question.

"Man, who's going to replace him when he dies?"