ABU DHABI // Arab singing stars took to the stage on Sunday as part of a free concert to celebrate National Day.
Hundreds of Emiratis and expatriates attended the show at Abu Dhabi National Theatre to see an impressive line-up, including Rami Sabry, Medhat Salih and Amr Mustafa.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, was accompanied by a number of officials.
The concert began with songs dedicated to founding President Sheikh Zayed and the UAE.
National flags were raised high as the Egyptian stars sang about their country’s love for the UAE.
After Salih sang, in an attempted Emirati dialect, Mustafa entertained the crowd, bringing them to their feet with hit singles including Al Kabeer Kabeer and Awel Ma’oul.
Rami Sabry, a rising star in Egypt who lived in the UAE as a child, followed with a number of hit singles, dancing around the stage waving a UAE flag.
Rami Sabry took to the stage alongside a live band and thanked the UAE for its support during the June 30 uprising in Cairo.
The UAE was one of the first countries to respond, approving a Dh11 billion aid package to Egypt.
The move was a show of support for the interim government’s attempts to restore stability after the removal of the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi.
A charity campaign was also launched at the time by the Emirates Red Crescent, set up on the orders of President Sheikh Khalifa. The aid consisted mostly of food, medicine, educational assistance and clothing.
During a visit to the UAE last month, Rami Sabry announced that a number of Egyptian artists were planning last night’s concert as a thank you to the country and the leadership.
“We artists agreed … to present the UAE with a gift for December 2 and produce a song for them. They deserve more than that,” he said.
He was one of several other Egyptian artists and influential figures who visited the UAE in November.
During the visit, they all met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and members of the Federal National Council to convey their gratitude to the Emirati people.
Although crowds called for more, the two-hour long concert came to an end at 10pm.
“I am sorry, here in the UAE there is a system,” Rami Sabry joked. “In Egypt we might go on till 6am.”
Egyptians Ali Salem and Sahar Al Sirgani heard about the concert from friends.
“We were pleasantly surprised by so many songs being sung,” Mr Salem said. “We didn’t expect so many. It was great, we had a lot of fun.”
osalem@thenational.ae
