Phil Collins' open-air concert in Ancol Saturday
Phil Collins' open-air concert in Ancol Saturday
JAKARTA (JP): Whether you like the music of Phil Collins or not, there is no denying that he is one of the world's most prominent and prolific musicians of the last two decades.
For Indonesian music lovers, ardent fans of British rock band Genesis in particular, Collins' music seems to sound more in the pop genre rather than the rock most would expect from the lead vocalist of such a great rock band.
But the coming concert of this superstar, renowned also as Mr. Nice Guy for his charity activities, in Jakarta tomorrow night may prove otherwise. Tickets for Collins' concert are almost sold out. "All VIP and first class tickets sold at between Rp 150,000 (approximately US$75) and Rp 100,000 ($50)," an official of PT Adissagraha Citra stated yesterday. About 40,000 fans are expected to attend Phil Collins' concert, scheduled to take place at the former site of the Ancol Circuit in the Ancol Dreamland Park, North Jakarta on Saturday, March 25. The Jakarta show is part of Collins' world tour promoting his latest solo album Both Sides of the Story.
This is the first open-air concert by an international rock musician since the Metallica concert which turned into a serious riot in l993, said Gladys Suwandi, president of PT Adissagraha which organized Collins' concert.
"This is really a test case for a local music impresario to again hold an open-air concert. If we are successful, we will create a good image in the international music scene," added Gladys.
Many world superstars have excluded Indonesia from their world tours because of mouth-to-mouth information regarding riots following a number of international-scale music concerts held in Jakarta, including Mick Jagger's in l987 and Metallica's in l993.
A reliable source from Singapore's largest music impresario told The Jakarta Post recently, "The power of word is so strong among superstars. They will not take any risk of performing in a country which cannot guarantee their safety."
Besides, Indonesia has only a small number of professional music organizers who are able to handle international-scale concerts, he explained.
Gladys, also known as a model and a movie star, however, said her company will do its best to make Collins' concert a success.
PT Adissagraha will collaborate with the management of the Ancol Dreamland Park and the City Police for security. They plan to employ 5,000 personnel to safeguard the concert's venue and its surrounding area. The main road, Jl. R.E. Martadinata, will be closed to trailer trucks and public transit vehicles coming from the Tanjung Priok harbor.
"We have already anticipated that there will be serious traffic jams along the main road in the hours preceding the concert which starts at 8 p.m.," one of the city police officers said.
In order to avoid traffic jams, many Jakartan music lovers have opted to spend the weekend at nearby hotels and motels.
Siti Nurbaya, a public relations officer of Horison Hotel, a hotel in the Dreamland park complex, told the Post that the hotel will be offering no discounted rates over the weekend.
"Most guests will be people attending the Phil Collins Concert," Nurbaya explained.
Collins' group will be staying in the hotel's penthouse and several other rooms, she said.
On his tour, Collins will be accompanied by his tour manager and 50 other members. The stage for his performance will be constructed by the members.
"This was one of Collins' terms of performing in Jakarta," Gladys said.
Career
Starting as the drummer of Genesis in l970, Collins' music career shot to stardom when the band's lead vocalist, Peter Gabriel, left in l975 and Collins was chosen to replace him.
With Collins as lead vocalist, Genesis proceeded to produce platinum albums including A Trick of the Tail (released in l976), Wind and Wuthering and And Then There Were Three (l978).
By 1981, Collins also embarked on a solo career with his platinum debut LP, Face Value (released by Atlantic), from which I Missed Again and In the Air Tonight were in the 20 top singles. His next solo album Hello I Must be Going, produced by Atlantic in late l982, also became a best-seller. The first song on the LP, a cover of the Supremes' You Can't Hurry Love, reached number one on U.K. charts and on the Top 10 in the United States. In l984, he wrote and recorded the theme for the movie Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) which was number one on the Billboard's top charts and was nominated for an Oscar in the best theme song category.
He also produced a solo album for Frida, a former member of Sweden's famous quartet ABBA, and played drums for Robert Plant's Pictures at an Exhibition.
In l985, Atlantic Records issued another Collins' hit One More Night.
Despite his successful solo career, Collins still works with other Genesis members, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. In l981, they released a platinum album Abacap for Atlantic.
As the l980s went by, all three remaining Genesis members found plenty of other projects to fill their time. Beside writing new songs for their own recordings, they produced sessions by other artists and worked on movie soundtracks.
Collins and Genesis produced another platinum album Genesis in l983. The Invisible Touch album released in l986 was even more successful, staying on the Billboard Top 10 much of l986 and going well past multi-platinum levels in l987.
The band's latest album We Can't Dance celebrates Genesis' final transformation from hairy, progressive Seventies rock gurus to snappy, successful radio-friendly pin-ups -- a change that drummer/lead vocalist Phil Collins' burgeoning solo career probably hastened.(raw)