It is the most anticipated series of concerts of the year. The Abu Dhabi Formula One after-race shows at Yas Island’s du Arena have consistently brought top-selling artists and music legends making their debut performances in the capital. This year is no different, with the rock stalwarts The Who leading the pack, followed by pop-star-of-the-moment Pharrell Williams, the Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren and an all-Arabic concert featuring Egypt’s Tamer Hosny and the UAE’s very own Fayez Al Saeed. We take a closer look at each of the big shows coming our way.
Thursday, November 20
Tamer Hosny, Carole Samaha, Fayez Al Saeed and Mohammed Assaf
• The show It will be a regional music extravaganza featuring some of the biggest Arab pop names. The Egyptian Tamer Hosny returns to take part in the Formula One festivities, having headlined a free Beats on the Beach concert at the Abu Dhabi Corniche in 2012. The Lebanese performer Carole Samaha is a classy act, often fusing her pop songs with Oriental classical music elements courtesy of a mini orchestra as a backing band. After wowing more than 10,000 fans at last year's Beats on the Beach, the Palestinian star Mohammed Assaf steps onto the main du Arena stage to confirm his place as one of the region's A-list artists. And for the Dubai-based Emirati singer Fayez Al Saeed, this show represents a major leap in his growing career. No doubt, the home crowd will be behind the local singer.
• Pros Hosny will surely be the highlight. As well as a formidable catalogue of pop hits, he is a genuinely great performer and always peppers his sets with witty crowd banter. Expect him to allow a few fans to get onstage to give their musical hero a hug.
• Cons While the region loves and remains inspired by Mohammed Assaf, are the singer's frequent UAE shows a bit of overkill? Perhaps fans would demand something more than the usual this time around.
Friday, November 21
Armin van Buuren
• The show It's a win for fans of EDM (that's electronic dance music for fans of The Who). The 37-year-old Dutchman is coming to the capital with a new show designed exclusively for the event. While details of the performance are yet to be revealed. Expects lots of lights and lasers.
• Pros An established arena act, he has topped the prestigious DJ Magazine's Top-100 DJs fan poll for a record five times and is one of only four trance DJs to receive a Grammy nomination (the others are fellow giants Tiesto, Paul van Dyk and BT).
• Cons No matter how popular EDM is, it is still EDM. For those of a different musical persuasion, van Buuren's hard beats and Earth-shattering sound system could prove too much after a day full of deafening race action.
Saturday, November 22
Pharrell Williams
• The show His last UAE performance in 2011 as the frontman of dance rock act N.E.R.D seems like a millennium ago, such is the phenomenal success streak Pharrell Williams has experienced since then. If he is not releasing solo hit singles, then his producer's Midas touch is behind a plethora of other chart-toppers, ranging from Robin Thicke (Blurred Lines) to Ed Sheeran (Sing). Williams and his troupe of dancers – and don't forget that unforgivable Potato Hat – are currently touring Europe, gathering solid reviews. "Williams is an amusing entertainer, with enough charm to almost mask his bizarre stage chatter," said a review in the British newspaper The Telegraph of his recent performance at London's iTunes Festival.
• Pros The chance to see a pop juggernaut at the peak of his powers. Williams is the man of the moment and will surely use his UAE stop as a victory lap for what has been a splendid year.
• Cons The man can definitely produce a track – but with the exception of that crystalline falsetto, is Williams really a decent singer? It will be interesting to see whether his thin voice will betray him during a 90-minute concert.
Sunday, November 23
The Who
• The show With The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton already performing there this year, The Who's forthcoming show at the du Arena caps off what is destined to be a bittersweet year for classic-rock fans, as their UAE outings could possibly prove to be part of their last-ever world tours. While there has been no official word that this will be The Who's last hurrah, the combination of the band's 50th anniversary and their reported growing distaste for the rigours of life on the road do seem to suggest this could be the final chance to see them live.
Good thing, then, that they are roaring into the capital with nothing but the hits. The band’s surviving original members, the core duo of the singer Roger Daltrey and the guitarist Pete Townshend, will kick off their new world tour in Abu Dhabi, giving local fans the chance to be the first in the world to sample what is destined to be one of the rock world’s most-anticipated tours.
• Pros The band are up for it. Speaking to Billboard in April when announcing the tour, Townshend said the shows would act as a thank you to their devoted fans. "I will be happy if I give people something that makes fans happy," he said.
• Cons Should they have called it a day before now? That's the question asked by many critics, and even some of The Who's most ardent fans. Let's hope the boys come out with all guns blazing, as opposed to using Abu Dhabi as a warm-up gig.
• The Friday, Saturday and Sunday concerts are exclusively for holders of F1 tickets for those days. All ticket holders will also receive a pair of tickets for Thursday night's concert. Race ticket holders must visit Yas Marina Circuit each day to collect a concert wristband that will give them access to the after-race concerts. Visit www.yasmarinacircuit.com for more details
sasaeed@thenational.ae
