THE initial rain did not dampen the spirits of 9,000 fans as they thronged the cosy confines of the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur to finally catch one of Indonesia's biggest rock bands, Dewa 19, in action on Friday.
Going by the slogan of '30 Years, 30 Cities, 30 Songs', the Anniversary Tour, 30 Years of Dewa 19 concert saw the popular band going above and beyond by performing 38 songs during the marathon 3-hour concert that kicked off at 8.30pm. (Dewa 19 also played another sold out show on Saturday at the same location.)
After over two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, fans, dubbed Baladewa, were eager to rock with the band from Surabaya in East Java and they were certainly not disappointed.
The earlier part of the concert saw tunes like the pensive Restoe Boemi, the edgy Cinta Gila and the catchy Juliette, which showcased a live brass section, being energetically performed.
Featuring a comprehensive offering of tunes from the rock outfit's nine hit studio albums going all the way back to 1992, the concert was special since it featured all four Dewa 19 vocalists over the years, from fan favourites Ari Lasso and Once Mekel, to newer additions, Virzha and Marcello Tahitoe or Ello.
Also present was co-founder, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Ahmad Dhani who was absent the last time Dewa 19 were in Malaysia for a concert in early 2019.
At the time, the Dewa 19 frontman was serving a prison sentence in East Jakarta after being found guilty for spreading hate speech online.
That particular concert at Stadium Malawati in Shah Alam, Selangor saw his son Dul Jelani standing in for him.
"How you doing? It's been a long while and we're going to have a good time," said Ahmad Dhani to a joyous rupture from the crowd who did not need any more persuasion.
To keep the momentum going, the concert alternated back and forth between more high-energy tracks to emotional ballads and softer intimate tunes.
One such stripped down, yet beautiful moment was during Hadapi Dengan Senyuman, which saw a sea of audience members waving their torchlight-enabled phones and signing along to the moving lyrics with Ahmad Dhani and his acoustic guitar.
Virzha and Ello rocked the first half of the concert on songs like Still I Am Sure We'll Love Again, Tak Kan Ada Cinta Yang Lain, Aku Milikmu, Larut and Angin.
Singing both individually as well as together, the two even got to perform solo renditions of George Michael's Careless Whisper and Queen's I Want To Break Free.
After a short interval, the sets alternated between Once and Ari which enlivened the fans again as the two performed a series of Dewa 19's biggest hit songs.
Once belted out tunes such as Roman Picisan, Arjuna, Dewi, Pangeran Cinta and Risalah Hati, while Ari performed the likes of Cinta Kau Membawaku Kembali, Elang, Aku Disini, Cukup Siti Nurbaya, Kirana, Kangen and Kamulah Satu Satunya.
"Thank you, Malaysia, for always supporting us to this very second, you all are simply amazing," said Ari to the appreciative crowd in the packed arena.
The concert celebrating the longevity of the band, organised by Icon Entertainment, came to a close with all singers performing together on stage on Separuh Nafas.