This will go down as the year the UAE concert industry got its groove back.
After last year's tentative steps back to normality after the disruption caused by the pandemic, the past 12 months provided a consistent and, at times, thrilling mix of concerts and festivals spanning various genres.
A reason for the diversity is the ready supply of excellent venues, from arenas to medium and small-sized halls, hosting an eclectic array of artists.
With the year ending with a flurry of New Year’s Eve concerts, featuring artists such as British singer Sting and Egypt’s Tamer Hosny, let’s look back at the year that was – on the concert stage.
January
One thing is for sure, 2023 Bey-gan with a bang.
On January 21, pop-star Beyonce made global headlines with a private concert as part of the opening of Atlantis The Royal.
The city's newest luxury resort pulled out all the stops for its grand-reveal weekend, inviting stars from around the world, including supermodel Kendall Jenner, actors Rebel Wilson and Letitia Wright and singer Liam Payne.
In her first public show in four years, Beyonce drew on her extensive back catalogue and sang hits including Crazy in Love and Naughty Girl.
In Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, K-pop titans Blackpink cemented their status as genre leaders with a packed performance at Etihad Park.
Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons brought their anthems to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, while Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer made his UAE debut with two sold-out concerts in Dubai’s Coca Cola Arena.
Veteran Welsh crooner Tom Jones also reminded us he still has it, with a lavish gala concert at Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel.
February
Diversity was the flavour of the month in February.
Fresh from his stint as the celebrity face of Yas Island, American comic Kevin Hart brought his Reality Check Tour to Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena.
Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi returned to his venue of choice in the UAE with another pair of sold-out concerts at Dubai Opera.
And in a win for the UAE's rock community, Hard Rock Cafe Dubai hosted the first of several concerts this year with a crushing set by Australian prog-metal band Karnivool.
March
Hip-hop, classical music and dance music festivals were on the agenda in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Festival opened with a concert by Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez at Emirates Palace.
The festival continued throughout the month with shows by jazz singer Gregory Porter and Oscar-winning Chinese American composer Tan Dun.
Then on Yas Island, the inaugural two-day festival Ultra Abu Dhabi featured headliners Calvin Harris, Armin Van Buuren and Skrillex.
Another debut festival, Wireless Festival Middle East, ran in the same location the following week with a typically explosive show by rapper Travis Scott.
Sharjah joined the action with an elegant set by British singer Seal at the emirate’s majestic Al Majaz Amphitheatre; while Demi Lovato introduced fans to a new brawny rock sound at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena.
May
With concerts muted in April out of respect for Ramadan, May belonged to the Backstreet Boys who sold out their Abu Dhabi concert at Etihad Arena in six hours.
Fans were rewarded with a vintage set celebrating the 30th anniversary of the boy band, including I Wanna Be With You and Larger Than Life.
June
It was a case of unfinished business when Guns N' Roses returned to Abu Dhabi.
Their previous show, part of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concert series, was marred by singer Axel Rose's ill health.
This time around he was in blistering form as the band tore through an epic three-hour set of 32 songs, including a rare airing of My Michelle.
July
Where the lack of suitable indoor venues formerly rendered the summer months mute for the UAE concert scene, the arrival of venues such as Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena and The Agenda changed the game.
This was exemplified with the former hosting a trio of the Arab world’s most revered singers – Iraq’s Kadim Al Sahir, the UAE’s Hussain Al Jassmi and Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Abdo – for back-to-back concerts, proving the concert calendar is no longer dependent on the weather.
Egyptian rapper Wegz also lived up to his regional “voice of a generation” mantle with a sold-out show at The Agenda, which served as the launch pad for a successful world tour.
August
It was not exactly Ibiza, but Sundance DXB did its best with what it described as "the largest indoor EDM fest in the UAE."
Headlining the event at Coca-Cola Arena were DJs Don Diablo and Yellow Claw alongside Dubvision and Pink Panda.
September
The UAE’s Brazilian community was treated to a weekend of concerts featuring some of the country’s most illustrious names.
At Dubai Opera, Gilberto Gil showcased the euphoric melodies and rhythms of the Tropicalia genre.
While in Abu Dhabi’s NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Centre, singer Bebel Gilberto played an intimate set of songs inspired by bossa nova pioneer and father Joao Gilberto.
October
By autumn, big concerts were coming thick and fast, with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena hosting the lion’s share.
There was singer-songwriter Charlie Puth's first UAE show, followed by crowd favourites Robbie Williams and Westlife.
Meanwhile Craig David rolled back the years with an intimate gig at Dubai's Barasti Beach.
November
As one of the busiest months for the live events industry, November didn’t disappoint with a bevy of concerts and festivals.
None was bigger than the Abu Dhabi F1 after-race concert series at Etihad Park, featuring a multi-generational line-up of talents.
Foo Fighters were in scintillating form with a near perfect setlist of hits. Shania Twain, in her maiden regional concert, was in fine voice despite looking slightly unsure on stage.
This was not the case with fellow Canadian Bryan Adams, who was brilliant at Dubai's Coca Cola Arena.
Funk legend Nile Rodgers and band Chic showed the crowds at Bla Bla Dubai their impact on modern pop music, while the life of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff was celebrated in Abu Dhabi with an Emirates Palace concert by the UK's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
December
50 Cent at the World Tennis League tournament in Abu Dhabi, why not? The concert finally delivered a concert worthy of his two-decade career.
Despite the rapper and burgeoning television mogul’s penchant for making hits, his live performances – often lacking flair and cohesive flow – rarely lived up to his stature.
The Abu Dhabi show at Etihad Arena was the real deal. It was an expensive production with a full live band, a dance crew and more costume changes than a Rihanna gig.
Mother of The Nation festival on the Abu Dhabi Corniche also reminded us of its pedigree with a formidable concert line-up featuring UAE favourites Black Eyed Peas and Egyptian rockers Cairokee.
Milan's Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala also came to Dubai Opera with a repertoire of celebratory arias from operas Rigoletto, La Boheme and La Traviata.
With more a dozen artists coming to the UAE for New Year’s Eve concerts, including the aforementioned Sting and Lebanese pop-star Najwa Karam, 2023 will go down as a bumper year for the UAE concert scene and should hopefully set a new standard for what’s to come.
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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- Professional ethics.
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
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.
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
