Nothing can top playing at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, according to Maroon 5’s PJ Morton.
In an exclusive interview with The National ahead of Friday night’s concert at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, the band’s keyboardist and Grammy award-winning solo artist described Tuesday’s show at the historic site as arguably the biggest of the band’s career.
“In my opinion, I have to say that it was bigger than playing at the Super Bowl,” he says, referring to the group’s 2019 Super Bowl 53 half-time show, which was broadcast to more than 100 million viewers.
"I have to say that the Pyramids was better because the Super Bowl show goes so fast. It's about 12 minutes and it feels like a blur," he says.
"But over there in Egypt we had the whole show so we took it all in. I didn’t know where to look, either at the Pyramids behind me or the audience. It is something I'll remember for ever; it was really deep for me."
Morton, who recently released solo album Watch the Sun, says the show capped off an eventful three nights in Egypt, which kick-started the band's Middle Eastern leg of their world tour, which includes the Abu Dhabi show, and Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park on Monday.
"During an off day we did a tour of the Pyramids and that was fascinating, and then we had the sound check at the site and the show," he says.
"The concert itself was amazing because the crowd was just as excited as we were to be there. The show really had this special energy to it and considering what the whole world had gone through with the pandemic, everyone just felt grateful to be there."
Maroon 5’s three-night stay in Abu Dhabi follows a similar pattern.
Arriving on Wednesday in the UAE, the group spent Thursday’s day off taking in the sights of Yas Marina Circuit before preparing for Friday’s anticipated concert.
"This is our first time in Abu Dhabi and it's always cool to see new places and buildings," he says. "I know the guys took some cars around the F1 race track today. We know how special these experiences are and we don’t take it for granted.”
Morton says the band hopes to extend those vibes to fans during their travels.
The Abu Dhabi stop is part of a world tour that began in South America in February 2020 before being halted for 18 months because of Covid-19.
The band resumed the tour in the US last August. They are set to conclude this August, with the last show taking place in Orlando on August 27.
Judging by the 18-song set list played in Egypt, fans in Abu Dhabi and beyond can expect to hear hits such as Moves Like Jagger, This Love, Animals and Sugar.
"We were able to work out a new set list post-pandemic that is very joyful and about having a good time," he says. "I think this is what is needed after being shut down for so long. We all need it."
Maroon 5 perform at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, on Friday. Doors open at 7pm; from D300; etihadarena.ae
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
'Saand Ki Aankh'
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Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
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