Sherina gets warm response at concert

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): Being a child sensation like Sherina, no matter what she will later pursue in life, must be exciting.

This thought must have crossed the minds of hundreds of children, and certainly their parents, while watching the starlet's concert at the Jakarta Convention Center in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

Who would not want to have a highly talented child who can sing, perform ballet, play piano, get platinum sales for her albums and star in a movie that grossed billions of rupiah, but still manage to be among the top students at her school?

Sherina's success has not changed her much. She still acts the way a 11-year-old girl usually does, and she loves to play as was evident in her A Day with Sherina concert.

The concert not only featured the hit songs Sherina is famous for, but used them as the base for a musical drama which was supported by a variety of guest stars, such as singers Memes, Lucy, Agus Wisman, Aning Katamsi and teenage jazz singer Andien.

The concert received a warm response from the young singer's fans. Some 3,500 people -- mostly parents and their children -- had arrived at the concert venue an hour before the start of the show at 4 p.m.

Tickets, with prices ranging from Rp 100,000 (US$9) and Rp 200,000 each, sold out well ahead of time, although some scalpers were seen hawking tickets outside the hall.

At 4 p.m., the hall doors opened.

The stage setting was not disappointing. Gigantic doll houses had been placed on either end and a huge screen was put up in the back of the two-story set.

The orchestra and musicians were situated on the higher level, while in the left-hand corner of the lower level was a bedroom. The rest of the stage setting was changed according to the songs.

Half an hour later, the music began and the star -- thinner than usual but hopefully not due to believing that thin is beautiful -- appeared.

The first song was about a lonely princess living in a mirror, but it was apparently all a dream when mom (Aning) and dad (Agus) called her down for breakfast before school.

Like a scene out of a Disney movie, Sherina belted out Bangun Pagi (Wake Up in The Morning) alongside her mom, who has yet to shrug her role as a mere housewife, preparing meals for her family and pressing her husband's clothes, and dad -- appearing as a male chauvinist in a three-piece suit.

Sherina then went off to school to meet her friends and her self-conscious teacher, played by Memes. Here, she sang several numbers, such as Kembali Ke Sekolah (Back to School), and a medley of classic children's songs, such as Kapal Api (Steamboat).

School break came along, and Sherina played with her friends and a school gardener, played by musician Djaduk Ferianto, who gave a comical appearance here.

The drama became more interesting when she sang her hit song Bermain Musik (Playing Music) with a group of children who used various household items, such as plastic buckets and pan lids, as musical instruments.

Then suddenly, Sadam (Derby Romero) -- Sherina's old enemy in her big screen debut Petualangan Sherina (The Adventure of Sherina) -- shows up and ruins all the fun.

Fans

Children jumping and constantly screaming "Sherina! Sherina!" (boyband concert, anyone?) were a common sight, while others sat in their seats and sung along to the tunes with their idol. Some chaos occurred when dozens of children rushed to the front of the stage when Sherina handed out red roses.

Although many children enjoyed the show, the two-hour concert was a little long for them. Some were not patient enough to stay until the end of the show.

"Sherina, lama (too long)!," shouted little Radhi who asked to go home 45 minutes before the show ended.

But that was not the little boy's fault. At the time, the songs were just too boring for children. A medley of several Hollywood movie soundtrack hits and opera songs such as Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Smile and Over The Rainbow were presented instead of Sherina's repertoire or other popular children's songs. No wonder the audience got bored.

But all in all, it was quite an entertaining show for the whole family. As for Sherina, musician Erwin Gutawa was accurate when he recently called her a prime musician.