Wanted: Successor to Iwan Fals

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Lead singer Fadly of pop/rock group Padi could not hold back his tears on stage during a recent concert. Tears were running down on his cheeks and the sudden emotion disabled him from singing.

The pop icon and living legend Iwan Fals stood right beside him, playing his acoustic guitar while singing Cinta (Love).

"People talk about love/In the name of their God/While torturing and killing/Based on their beliefs ...

"Prayers echo, blood drips from the eyes/One more victim has gone/Tradition vanishes, sucked by anger ...

"Lord Oh Lord ... Love Oh Love ..." he chanted, or shouted to be more precise. His voice was almost hoarse.

The atmosphere inside the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center suddenly became more and more intense, as the words and the music gripped the audience.

As Iwan, Fadly, and the more than 6,000-strong audience repeatedly shouted "Tuhan! (God!)", Padi's lead guitarist Piyu ran to the spit of the stage, playing a piece of riff of something more than familiar.

It was Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa (One Island One Nation), a song that most of us were obliged to sing at school during the flag ceremony every Monday.

But that night, everyone felt encouraged to sing the anthem because suddenly, it has a new, different meaning and the audience felt appropriate to sing it in such situation.

The concert on May 24 was titled Joined Concert of Iwan Fals and Padi, but clearly it belonged to Iwan.

The 40-meter red carpet, the celebrities passing by, MTV VJ Sarah Sechan reported from the scene and everything that was pretentious evaporated once Iwan appeared on stage.

That night, one can not feel anything but pity for Padi. Because despite its status as a hot item in music industry today, despite their songs which are in fact catchy and quite well- crafted, despite their quite attractive live performance -- none of those mattered that night.

The tinkling harp in Kasih Tak Sampai (Unfulfilled Love) felt unnecessary compares to the simple guitar melody and a bit of harmonica in Iwan's Yang Terlupakan (Something forgotten).

The sophisticated guitar chords, the Matrix-infected video clip, all of them suddenly felt unessential.

Even Iwan himself could not elevate Padi's Begitu Indah (So Beautiful) to a higher level.

"Sorry, I forgot the chorus," he said, laughing.

On the contrary, Padi sounded a lot better when singing Iwan's songs. Fadly's usual crooning, which now starts to be annoying, changed its gear to more rocking as he sang Air Mata Api (Fire Tears) and Pesawat Tempur (Jet Fighter).

To compare Padi with Iwan is probably a little bit unfair. Not every musician can turn into folk singer and compose lyrics which have angered authoritarians in the past.

However, it isn't that writing songs about love is bad because Iwan also has many love songs. But he also cared about other things too, and is famous because of it.

And do not say that it is because they come from different generation.

In 1978, barely 17 year olds, much younger than the Padi members aged in their mid 20s, Iwan has released Sarjana Muda (Bachelor Degree) with a hit Oemar Bakri, a story about a poor teacher.

Four years later, he scolded legislators for sleeping in the hearings and agreeing to whatever the result of the hearing.

The song, Wakil Rakyat (People's Representative), was sung again that night at the concert, sounded more relevant than ever.

"If they're still sleeping, let's move the People's Consultative Assembly here," Iwan chuckled, followed by the cheer from the audience.

The frenzied routine that usually occur in Iwan's concert reappeared that night. Die-hard fans forced to come inside the venue as the tickets (Rp 75,000 and Rp 150,000) are obviously too expensive for them.

Those who could afford to buy a ticket were not less dedicated. They sang and sat, obeying their master like a cult follower.

Another note from the concert, can actually be something to be considered, if not sad about.

Obviously, at 41, Iwan is not as powerful as he used to be. Gray hair has become more distinct. Although the stamina is still high, his hoarsing voice could not hide the aging process.

And he indeed became more mellow. New songs titled Suara Hati (Conscience) and Hadapi Saja (Just Face It), which will appear in the new album out this month, are about Iwan being reflective and telling himself to be more patient.

In that case, let us pray for his health and long life because anyone has yet to be here to replace him.