Dewa rocks crowd at KL Tower

By IZUAN SHAH It was pandemonium at KL Tower in the heart of the capital last Saturday when more than 6,000 fans crammed into the crowd space right underneath the tower to watch Indonesia’s Dewa live in concert.   Without contest, Dewa is the greatest rock group to come out of Indonesia in the last decade. Those million-selling albums Bintang Lima in 2000 and Cintailah Cinta in 2002 tell only half the tale of this enigmatic band – renowned for trailblazing music, outspoken politics and the occasional brush with controversy.   From left: Dewa’s Ahmad Dhani, Yuke and Once. – Pic by AZHAR MAHFOF In Malaysia, Dewa’s adulating devotees (or baladewa, the band’s official term of endearment for its fans) have come to rival any in the region, with the popularity and impact of their most recent albums winning over lifelong Malaysian fans.   When Dewa first visited Kuala Lumpur in 2000, the band easily packed Hard Rock Café KL and a subsequent gig at Stadium Malawati in Shah Alam in 2003 saw the band taking on an arena scale gig. Last Saturday’s scenes showed that third time’s the charm for these superstars of this almost two-decade old rock institution that is Dewa, led by the incendiary Ahmad Dhani and charismatic singer Once (pronounced “Ohn-che”).  However, the excitement was initially offset by the bizarre crowd settings. An elevated crowd platform in the middle of the crowd section resulted in many unhappy campers who couldn’t catch a full glimpse of the action from the back of the venue. Ticket buyers were flooding in as show time approached, and the crowd conditions grew increasingly cramped.   Local ska heroes Gerhana Ska Cinta and Kluk Kluk Adventure, the supporting bands, were the ones who had to bear the brunt of the crowd’s impatience. Needless to say, despite both bands’ valiant efforts to make the best of the crowd’s passion for Dewa, it was only two songs from each band before the audience was back to screaming along to the broadcast of Dewa’s latest CD, Laskar Cinta.   Hammer of the gods  When Dewa finally arrived backstage at 9.30pm, its members shifted like shadows into the star tent that was allocated for them and preceded with a group prayer (a pre-show ritual by the spiritual Indonesian super-band).  This went on for three minutes before they burst out of the tent and strode swiftly past the swooning roupies to carve the night open with Roman Picisan, an epic fan favourite.   The heroes from Surabaya, famed for their uncompromising work ethic towards artistic presentation as well as quality control in the studio, followed with Bunga, and then Aku Milikmu, an early highlight that saw Once paying tribute to his predecessor’s swansong (original singer Ari Lasso left in 1997 after a drug abuse episode).   A genuine Freddie Mercury moment materialised later in the night, during Arjuna and Pupus, the two grandest numbers off Cintailah Cinta! Vocalist Once also wasn’t above a cheeky tip of the hat to Jon Bon Jovi’s blaze of glory on the arena rocker Cukup Siti Nurbaya, which gave away a cheesy side of the band and inspired scenes of total 1980s rock nostalgia.   Matahari Bintang Bulan then set off the promotional cycle for the new Dewa material, while Pangeran Cinta came that much closer to becoming the group’s next big sing-along hit. More songs off Laskar Cinta were slotted in whenever Dewa thought the fans were in a receptive mood, like the most recognisable, Satu, the love-anthem-to-be Cinta Gila (which Dhani intimately introduced as one of his proudest compositions ever) and the uplifting Hidup Ini Indah.   Dhani, the band’s founder, cemented his reputation of being Dewa’s creative catalyst and ringleader in concert as he alternated between singing lead vocals, enthralling the audience on his favoured keyboards and keeping time on the acoustic guitar.   Along with Once and mysterious lead guitarist Andra Ramadhan (who was Dewa’s Joe Perry to Once’s Steven Tyler onstage), it was this triumvirate that kept the crowd transfixed throughout Saturday’s show. Anchored by bass player Yuke and drummer Tyo Nugros, the robust Dewa showed why it was a band synonymous with sold-out concerts.   In terms of rock charisma and individual aura, Dewa is fast standing alongside local rock heroes Search in capturing the Malaysian rock public’s imagination and respect. If there are still disbelievers in our midst, the band’s hysterical KL Tower date served ample warning that Dewa worship is spreading like a virus.