Jakarta, IO – The 2023 Dewa 19 featuring All Stars Stadium Tour, held on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at the Bung Karno Main Stadium (GBK) in Senayan, Jakarta, marked Dewa 19’s three-decade music journey. The band, which released its first album in 1992, played more than 30 songs in a concert lasting nearly four hours.
Dewa 19 and their three primary singers succeeded in entertaining and inspiring Baladewa and Baladewi—Dewa 19’s fanbase—to summon up nostalgia, with thousands of audience members singing the lyrics along throughout the concert. Ahmad Dhani and fellow musicians appeared poised during the performance, rocking the stage in the center of the GBK stadium. Ahmad Dhani further expressed that the concert night at *BK solidifed Dewa 19’s musical career in history.
Dewa 19 kicked up the show with fast-paced tunes like the classic “Pangeran Cinta” and “Angin,” which immediately heated up the concert arena. “Cukup Siti Nurbaya” was another surprise opening song that was least expected to appear at the beginning of the event.
A number of famous Indonesian singers also added to the splendor of the concert. Lyodra Ginting, a former Indonesian Idol winner, opened the concert with her magnificent voice by singing “Sumpah I Love You,” “Begitu Salah Begitu Benar,” and “Sedang Ingin Bercinta,” where she dueted with the songwriter.
Later that night, the ambiance grew calmer with some of Dewa 19’s slow romantic songs performed by Dewa 19’s trio of current and former singers: Virzha, Marcello ‘Ello’ Tahitoe, and Ari Lasso. They alternatively performed a number of singles that received the audience’s enthusiastic roar: songs on heartbreak, such as “Risalah Hati” and “Pupus.”
Dewa 19 popped another surprise by having Sandhy Sondoro, with his distinctive hoarse voice, on stage to sing along with the other three bands vocalists. He sang three songs: “Hidup Adalah Perjuangan,” “Dua Sedjoli,” and “Mistikus Cinta.”
Ahmad Dhani presented a number of world-class artists, including Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X and Whitesnake vocalist Dino Jelusic, in Dewa 19’s alluring performance. Richie Kotzen of Mr. Big, Guitarist Poison of The Winery Dogs and Derek Sheirinian of Dream Theater also enlivened the night, by playing the world’s most popular song, “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
The audience was still looking forward to watching Ari Lasso return to the stage to sing “Kirana,” “Kangen,” “Satu,” “Kamulah Satu Satunya,” and Dewa’s fanbase anthem, “Roman Picisan.”
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Ahmad Dhani, the band’s frontman, then displayed an emotional moment by asking Ari Lasso and Andra Ramadhan to stand by him, reminiscing about their musical experience since their teenage years. “I’ve known Andra and Ari Lasso for 3 years, since the first year of high school in 1988,” Dhani recalled, before he finally performed “Hadapi Dengan Senyuman” with Ari Lasso. The concert was concluded with all performers and musicians singing “We Are The Champions.”
Ahmad Dhani and the band have written it in stone, setting the band to be the first Indonesian music band to hold a concert in GBK, with nearly a hundred thousand people staying in the concert from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Umamah Nisa)