'Michael' has two-pronged mission
Muslima Hapsari, Contributor/Jakarta
The earthquake and tidal waves that devastated parts of Aceh and North Sumatra have motivated people to lend a hand to help survivors.
Many different events have been held to raise money for the rebuilding of destroyed areas.
Among these was a charity concert by Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR), titled A Tribute to Aceh and North Sumatra.
The Danish music group performed on Feb. 2 at Senayan indoor tennis court, Central Jakarta.
Guitarist Mikkel Lentz said that the earthquake and tsunamis were a great tragedy.
"We were really sad because we have been to Indonesia before and we like the people here; that is why we have to help them," he added.
He said he wished that MLTR could help more, like going to Aceh. But for now, that was not possible yet.
Group vocalist Jascha Richter said they realized they could not do much other than play their music. They also hoped the charity concert would provide some cheer for the Acehnese and put a smile back on their faces. That was how they hoped to make a contribution to the relief effort.
The charity concert is part of MLTR's world tour to promote their new album, Take Me to Your Heart. The concert was attended about 2,000 MLTR fans, most aged over 25. It started with a song from their new album, Without Your Love, and continued with How Many Hours? Salvation, Love Will Never Lie, Final Destination, I Still Carry On, and some old songs from previous albums, like The Actor, Out Of The Blue, Breaking My Heart and Someday.
Dressed in a dark blue T-shirt, Richter gave a great performance, although he did not talk much to the audience. He amazed the audience with his melancholic voice in a solo performance of Naked Like The Moon.
Lentz caught the attention of the audience with his smile and guitar playing. Drummer Kare Wanscher kept up a high-energy performance, even though his face and body were dripping with sweat.
In this concert, they also covered Take On Me by AHA and Jump by Van Halen. This added a livelier touch to the overall atmosphere of romantic ambience.
The concert closed with That's Why, a song that was popular in 1995. The pace was quite fast, as they sang 22 songs in less than 2 hours.
According to Buena Produktama president director, promoter Peter Basuki, Rp 50,000 will be donated to the Indonesian Red Cross for each ticket sold. This will be used to pay for medical and health assistance, vital in Aceh at present.
Besides their five-concert tour around Indonesia, Buena Produktama will hold a tsunami charity concert in Surabaya. There will also be an auction of items from the group. Buena Produktama expects to raise at least Rp 200 million from the event in Surabaya. This will all be donated to disaster relief in Aceh.