Nostalgic Weekend With Indonesian Rock Legends, Dewa 19

Dewa 19’s leader, Ahmad Dani (right) jamming out to his own-produced songs to the crowd at Axiata Arena.

Source: New Straits Times

When someone mentions rock music, many would immediately think of Led Zeppelin or ACDC which is not a surprise as they are famous globally among international fans. But when it hits close to home, there’s Dewa 19 who captured the hearts of many Malays growing up listening to the radio with their parents when Spotify did not exist yet.

Most Malaysians may not know Dewa 19 but Malays who listen to Indonesian pop songs would know who and what you are talking about. Dewa 19 has been making music for 30 years now and they are legends among other Indonesian acts. So, it was pleasant that Dewa 19 had their 30th anniversary concert on the 9 September in Malaysia.

Fatin Nur Alya, 23, a huge fan and a Performing Arts student, says, “Dewa 19 is one of the bands that I have always liked, which I discovered through my older sister. My sisters and I would sing along to their famous song, ‘Dewi’.”

The band started in 1986 but throughout the years, the lineup keeps changing as there were members who left and eventually disbanded in 2011 but they decided to reunite just to perform for their fans on their anniversary. The band took inspirations from the famous Queen and since then, they have unlocked rhythms to rock and roll with a dash of ballad to their tunes that won over many Malaysians’ hearts.

“I have always liked listening to bands especially if their vocals are attractive to my ears and Dewa 19 is definitely one of them. Their songs suit my taste and it helps me release my stress just to belt it out during karaoke sessions with my friends,” says Fatin, who grew up listening to Dewa 19 since she was nine years old.

Fatin even had to rush and get the concert tickets in an online queue as almost every seat was sold out. Even though the tickets were expensive for a university student, she still bought it for her and her sister because she believed that this opportunity to see her favorite singers was once in a lifetime.

On the concert day itself, their fans known as ‘Baladewa’ started queuing up at Axiata Arena from 4pm and despite the gloomy weather, many of them can be seen excitedly carrying their umbrellas along with raincoats waiting for the entrance to be open. The sold out concert only started at 8:30pm and it went on for three hours with spectacular performances coming from the original members of the band, Ari Lasso along with Once Mekel, with their incredible powerful vocals.

It was truly a night to remember as the concert ended at midnight while the band performed 35 songs which are still a hit with their fans. Despite their disbandment or how long they have existed as a band since many of the members have already reached an older age, many fans still remember their songs word-by-word till today and throughout those three hours, they were just pouring their whole heart out.

Fans of all ages are rocking out to Dewa 19’s hits in the standing zone.

Source: Dewa 19’s Instagram

“Dewa 19 is one of the best concerts I have ever been to and I would love to relive that night once more. It was raining heavily before the concert started so my pants and shoes got wet but eventually, I forgot when I saw the band on stage. I got to listen to them live on stage and even though they have gotten older, I can still feel the energy when they performed which made the audience more excited,” said Fatin.

Even after the performance ended, there were many praises coming from fans. A Twitter user, @Harizakwan said, “This is the kind of concert we want! Dewa 19 live in Kuala Lumpur, with an amazing crowd, great venue, lighting and sound system! Perfecto!”

Twitter user, @Harizakwan is impressed with Dewa 19’s stages and performances! Also praised the organizer without any technical difficulties or complaints.

Source: Twitter

The organizer, ICON Entertainment, did an astounding job in the execution of the concert where the technical areas were properly managed meanwhile, the seating arrangement for the concert was praised by the fans as they could see the stage and band clearly from where they were seated.