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AKU =DRAGON
One of the most popular music concerts in Jakarta is back.
It is no revolution, but it is a much-needed comeback for our music scene.
Iwan Fals. Courtesy of Hard Rock CafeSome of us prefer to do our boring routine. We wake up early every day, travel through a few districts in town just to get to the office. We grow numb in our daily routines with little resistance. Without realizing it, we find ourselves trapped in a labyrinth called boring life.
For that reason, we have all the rights in the world to have a party. Some go to the clubs and some choose a fine dinner and deals with cholesterol later.
And I believe that no one in their right mind can say no to a music concert where they can enjoy the best local music acts performing their works at a special gig.
Jakartans should be grateful for “I Like Monday” a regular concert organized by the Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta. It has been one of the city’s premier gigs.
For the bands or the singers, playing a set for “I Like Monday” is something worth fighting for. For fans, seeing their favorite singers or bands in “I Like Monday” is a rare chance for enjoying a personal experience of a memorable live show.
Music lovers should thank Yoris Sebastian, one of the show organizers. During his days with Hard Rock Cafe, he organized the music concert every Monday, the day when people start their week. Yoris modified the idiom “I don’t like Monday” into “I Like Monday”.
The Boomtown Rats popularized the idiom when they topped the music chart in 1979 with their single I Don’t Like Monday. Bob Geldof wrote the song, inspired by a fatal shooting in the US.
The song was an incurable virus and has been the source of many new allegories, including one for the weekly grind when Monday comes around.
Yoris and crews at the Hard Rock were the key to making the series a Jakarta nightlife icon. A few years later, his successor continued the program, followed by a long hiatus that kept people waiting for four years.
“We needed to stop because it became unclear with the association of ‘I Like Monday’ with its previous main sponsor. It was our original series, not theirs,” said Boyke Hutapea, marketing manager of Hard Rock Café Jakarta. “During those four years in hiatus, we received so many inquiries from people, asking when ‘I Like Monday’ will make its way back to the stage.”
This time around, as always, they have many high-profile performers on the list. “We always want to give a chance to hard-rockers. They won’t find such things in other place.
“We also realize that probably hardrockers don’t want to attend arena shows where these bands regularly
play. So, we bring them to our home,” added Boyke.
play. So, we bring them to our home,” added Boyke.
Some artists that have played in the series are big names in local music scene They include Slank, Iwan Fals, Naif, and KLa Project, all of whom rarely play clubs. “The four shows we have done so far can bring roughly 800 people to the venue,” Boyke said.
One fan of the show Anis Suryo, a promotion officer of media group was there when KLa Project performing. He stood in the front row singing along with KLa Project’s evergreen hits like Belahan Jiwa (Soulmate), Yogyakarta and Anak Dara (Virgin).
“Can you tell me where else I can watch KLa Project performing just 2 meters in front of me? I can be a part of a good crowd. There were no barricades. It was an intimate experience for me,” he said.
KLa Project performed 15 songs in a two-hour set. All of them were played in acoustic format, the theme that “I Like Monday” picked for this season’s series.
“That’s the difference actually. Not many artists can play a good set in the acoustic format. We don’t want to be just another show for them, we always want to give another perspective to people who are willing to come,” Boyke said.
“I Like Monday” is held every other Monday and performers are announced the preceding Saturday — just two days before the show. No one in the city can deny how important this series to the musical scene.
“We at Hard Rock Café just want to keep this series as an icon of music in Jakarta,” said Boyke.
They’ve got the rights to make the claim.
They’ve got the rights to make the claim.
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