Saadiyat Nights opened its latest concert season in Abu Dhabi with a varied line-up, with stars performing sets in an intimate setting.
From Motown nostalgia to soul and classical music, the weekend set the tone for what looks to be the series’ most eclectic offering yet. It also underscored why the venue and its location feel like a welcome and distinctive addition to the UAE concert scene.
Here is what we learnt from the opening weekend concerts.
1. Diana Ross brings the joys of Motown to Saadiyat Nights
Diana Ross turned her Saadiyat Nights concert in Abu Dhabi into a celebration of joy, memory and Motown’s emotional pull.
From the absolutely giddy opening combination of I’m Coming Out and Baby Love to You Can’t Hurry Love and Stop! In the Name of Love, the songs still carried that classic Motown mix of buoyant melodies faintly etched with sadness, longing and regret.
During the course of the night, Ross moved through a series of costume changes, from golden gowns to sequinned dresses, signalling her own career journey from her Supremes-era glamour of the 1960s to the disco sheen of her solo years in the 1970s and 1980s.
The amphitheatre setting of the Saadiyat Nights concert series only heightened that intimacy, reminding the crowd why, more than 50 years on, Ross and the soul music of Motown continue to lift spirits while quietly breaking hearts at the same time.
2. Seal reached deep into the crowd
The British soul singer returned to the UAE with a performance at another picturesque venue, after his last concert in Sharjah in 2024.
These intimate surroundings only served to amplify the intimacy of his performance, which saw him literally strolling around the venue and reaching deep into the audience while delivering his sumptuous balladry. The tight three-piece band delivered sturdy backing for a fine set featuring the hits and some interesting covers.
His take on Fly Like an Eagle, a lush reworking of the 1976 Steve Miller Band hit that Seal scored a minor hit with in 1997, received a rare airing and was suitably lovely, while Sour Girl by grunge band Stone Temple Pilots stripped away the original’s fuzz for a straight-up rock punch.
But of course, it’s those originals that we all came for, which show why Seal remains a distinctive contribution to pop, often favouring space, atmosphere and soaring melodies such as Prayer for the Dying and Crazy.
Kiss from a Rose remains utterly distinctive – the kind of baroque composition that somehow doesn’t sound naff three decades on.
3. Ludovico Einaudi’s shows are a masterclass in restraint
Speaking of vibes, approaching Saturday’s concert by the Milanese composer is less a viewing experience, as he and the band are mostly still and in silhouette.
It’s not about tuning in to select songs from his formidable minimalist catalogue. Instead, it’s about taking it all in – often with your eyes closed – and being swept away, with your response shaped as much by how much emotion you bring to it as the group does.
It is probably why Einaudi's gigs, which have now grown to arenas, madden classical music purists. It’s not so much a display of technical proficiency – and trust me, Einaudi and his band are brilliant in executing the swells and ebbs of pieces such as Pathos and Santiago – but an approach that allows audiences to walk away from each show with a different emotional experience.
In many ways, while there is not much to see on stage, Einaudi’s concerts are just as absorbing as a high-energy pop concert.
4. Saadiyat Nights remains a stylish venue
Once again, the real star of the concert series is the brilliant venue itself – a tent-shaped stage located on Jacques Chirac Street in Saadiyat Island, with a spacious, dimly lit concourse featuring picnic tables and upscale kiosks. It is sophisticated and communal.
Parking is within a brisk walking distance of the culinary strip Mamsha Al Saadiyat, it remains a wonderful way to see star-studded shows without the rush and stress of an arena gig.
The Saadiyat Nights concert series continues, at present, until February 11
