On February 13, the Rock That Love concert at Abu Dhabi’s du Arena brought together six award-winning Filipino artists and bands – and thousands of fans – for the first of its kind gig in Abu Dhabi. Now, Zoom Artistic, the company that made it all possible, is promising to bring more acts from the Philippines as well as an all-star line-up of Bollywood A-listers to the UAE.
Asian stars in the capital
“We will be bringing in the biggest and the best Bollywood stars,” says Amgad Amir Wahba, Zoom Artistic’s general manager. “Next month the temperature will start to creep up, so we’re looking at a gig in October or maybe November. Diwali falls on November 11 this year and our aim is to get everybody together for one fun night out.”
Wahba won’t reveal the line-up, however. “I want to leave it to your imagination,” he says.
Also in the works are more concerts featuring Filipino musicians.
“When we were planning Rock That Love,” says Wahba, “we were already setting our sights on bringing in more Pinoy artists for other shows or bringing the Rock That Love concept to other Filipino communities in the region. We wanted to provide something new, targeting other segments of the population. The second-biggest expat community here is Filipino [after Indian]. We looked into the events history here and there was nothing really targeting fans of Pinoy music. So we thought about bringing the most popular artists together for Valentine’s celebrations, and thank God it was on the weekend. ”
While Abu Dhabi has played host to western musicians and bands such as The Rolling Stones, Sting and Madonna, Zoom Artistic says its aim is to provide alternative entertainment and affordable tickets. Concerts featuring western artists are usually priced from Dh295, but Rock That Love tickets cost a modest Dh95, with an early-bird price of Dh55.
A community project
Rock That Love was part of Zoom Artistic’s commitment to give back to the UAE’s Filipino community. The company worked with the Abu Dhabi-based volunteer network Feel Great Helping to provide 58 free tickets for Rock That Love to staff working for Abu Dhabi’s West Coast Company women’s labour camp.
“Even in the Philippines it is unlikely that we would get the opportunity to see these acts because the concerts tend to be held only in Manila,” says Paraluman Gonzales, one of the women in the camp who attended the concert.
“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Theresa Culianan, the camp supervisor. “Normally we don’t have enough money to attend such events. Going to the concert helps us bond, and makes it a bit less painful to be away from our families.”
It was this element of connecting expats under one roof that struck a chord with one of the concert’s stars. The singer and TV host Karylle Tatlonghari-Yuzon said that bringing acts from the Philippines “is a great way for homesick Filipinos to connect with home. It’s pretty hard to be away from home. I’m just really happy that they got everyone together.”
Catering to a wider base
Until Rock that Love, Zoom Artistic’s focus had been on concerts for an Arab audience, bringing to the UAE stars such as the Egyptian pop singer Amr Diab and Lebanese divas Nancy Ajram and Majida El Roumi. But in August, Zoom Artistic revamped its identity, adding services such as artist management, and branching out to cater to a wider music market.
So who would Filipinos like to see in their next Pinoy show? Abu Dhabi housewife Tamz Mariano Kasthuri says: “Gary Valenciano for his inspirational songs, talk-show host Vice Ganda for the laughs, Regine Velasquez for her beautiful songs. And Parokya ni Edgar again – they are my favourite band. I love to watch a show with variety.”
artslife@thenational.ae
