Still coming?: Upcoming gigs hang in the balance

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Local music fans eagerly awaiting the appearance of foreign talent will have to brace for more disappointment after Thursday's bombing outside the Australian Embassy in South Jakarta.

American singer Alicia Keys canceled her concert on Saturday, and there is the possibility that several other upcoming concerts will be called off due to the same security fears.

Four artists were scheduled to hold concerts here -- Keys, German pop metal icon Scorpions, British boyband Blue and British classic crossover quartet bond -- in late September and early October.

However, everything hangs in the balance now.

Keys' management informed promoter Java Musikindo Plus that she was canceling her show, scheduled for Oct. 5 at the Jakarta Convention Center, by e-mail on Saturday.

"The predictable reason is that it's a consequence of the recent security situation in the capital," Java Musikindo announced in a press release, apologizing to the show's sponsors and promising that all ticket holders would be fully reimbursed.

Having to take cancellations by major foreign acts in stride due to security concerns is nothing new for frustrated local concert-goers.

After the Bali bombings in October 2002, artists like Def Leppard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Yngwie Malmsteen and George Benson called off their performances here.

More concert cancellations have happened since then, especially after last year's JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta.

Blue previously canceled two scheduled concerts. The most recent cancellations were Missy Elliott and Boyz II Men a couple of months ago, due to a travel warning issued by the U.S. government.

Thursday's bloodshed, with its gory images beamed around the world, is particularly regrettable because foreign artists were making their way back here after the slew of cancellations in the past.

Since the beginning of 2004, the concert scene had started to liven up, with a diverse range of foreign artists, including Patti Austin, rock groups Korn, Toto, Deep Purple and Linkin' Park, as well as pop diva Mariah Carey, Latin heartthrob Enrique Iglesias, singer Brian McKnight and pianist Maksim, coming to perform.

"The bombing (on Thursday) is very unfortunate. Just when we thought the situation had gotten better, an incident like this happens," promoter Tommy Pratama from Original Production told The Jakarta Post.

Tommy, who is handling the Scorpions, said there was no news yet of a cancellation by the group.

"We hope they will still be willing to perform. Last year, Air Supply was really committed so they still performed on schedule, a week after the Marriott bombing," Tommy said.

Promoter Adrie Subono from Java Musikindo, who invited Blue, Keys and bond, had said on Thursday the company was awaiting news from the artists' management.

Adrie was particularly shaken by the latest bombing. Last year, he narrowly escaped injury during the Marriott bombing. His office in Plaza Mutiara, which is located next to the hotel, suffered damage in the blast.

"This brings back all the trauma from last year," Adrie said.

In a strongly worded press release announcing Keys' cancellation, Java Musikindo said the blast " ... has led to the diminishing of the name of Indonesia internationally. The direct consequence is that international artists are hesitant to hold their concerts in Jakarta."

Tommy said concerts by foreign artists here work as effective public relations to combat the country's tainted image abroad, and the losses from cancellations were not counted in rupiah alone.

"Rather than any financial loss, it's more the damage to morale caused by a concert's cancellation, for we get our money back if the artist calls off the performance here," he said.

So get your fingers crossed, and hopefully some of the concerts will still go on as planned, even if Ms. Keys, understandably, would rather stay home than take the risk.

I-BOX:

Concert schedules

Scorpions World Tour, Sept. 16 at Senayan Indoor Tennis Stadium in Jakarta and Sept. 18 at Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Denpasar, Bali. Tickets cost Rp 200,000, Rp 250,000 and Rp 350,000. Check out www.tommypratama.com for information.

Blue, Sept. 23, 7.30 p.m.. at Senayan Sports Stadium in Jakarta. Tickets are Rp 150,000 (standing), Rp 185,000 and Rp 200,000 (standing)

bond "Classified", Oct. 12 at the Senayan Indoor Tennis Stadium in Jakarta at 8 p.m.. Tickets are Rp 200,000 (tribune) and Rp 400,000 (VIP)

For the last two concerts, contact Java Musikindo, at (021) 57988623/4/5, e-mail info@javamusikindo.com or check out the website www.javamusikindo.com.