2012.12.16 - MEIS, Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia

Jokowi to attend Guns n Roses concert
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Indonesia | Jakarta | Sat, October 20 2012, 3:57 PM

Amid his tight schedule dealing with the rampant problems of the capital, Jakarta’s new Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo still plans to spare some time to have fun.

The former Surakarta Mayor, who is a fan of rock bands like Metallica, Napalm Death, Fear Factory and Lamb of God, said on Thursday night that he was planning to attend a concert by one of his favorite rock bands Guns N Roses scheduled for Dec. 15, at Field D Senayan, Central Jakarta

Jokowi, however, said that he had not bought the ticket yet. “Having fun is an easy business. I'll buy the ticket seconds before the concert begins,” he told Antaranews.com.

Jokowi said he preferred buying tickets for festival class, claiming that standing in front of the stage with hundreds of other fans was the best way to enjoy a rock music concert.

“If I buy a VIP ticket, I have to sit down to watch. That's no fun,” he said.

The concert's promoter Indika Production is selling tickets with prices ranging from Rp 660,000 (US$68.8) to Rp 2.2 million.

Founded in 1985 in the American city of Los Angeles, Guns n’ Roses initially comprised vocalist Axl Rose, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steve Adler.

In the upcoming Jakarta concert, Axl Rose, the only original band member remaining in the group will be performing with guitarists DJ Ashba, Richard Fortus, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman. (cor/iwa)

Welcome to the Jakarta Jungle, Rock Legend Guns N’ Roses
Marcel Thee | December 12, 2012

“You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby. … You’re gonna die!”

And with that shout out to the corrupted megapolises of the world, the legendary American rock band Guns N’ Roses will play its first show ever in Jakarta on Saturday. That famous introductory shriek to the 1987 hit “Welcome to the Jungle” will certainly make a perhaps-too-fitting appearance in the lineup for the band’s Jakarta show, before being drowned out by the guaranteed embracing screams of Indonesian rock fans filling the Lapangan D stadium in Senayan.

Not that the audience will care much about the irony — after all, it is a rock show by one of the biggest bands in the world, a band that has sold more than 40 million records and whose debauchery and reality-show-worthy drama has become the stuff of legends. Although certainly not as big as it was during its heyday, Guns N’ Roses is still a beastly force to be reckoned with in the music industry and on stage.

Its last release, 2008’s “Chinese Democracy,” became a myth even before it was released. The record took 15 years to finish and cost a whopping $13 million to record — massive numbers even by Guns N’ Roses standards. That it sold more than 1 million copies and was still considered a commercial failure should say something about how gigantic the “GNR” brand has become over the years.

Then there is Axl Rose, a name synonymous with rock star excess and unabashed talent. His ear-piercing shrieks, energetic live performance, serpent snake dance and penchant for being incredibly difficult to work with define rock star. His appearance alone would draw crowds.

Four of the other original members — guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bass player Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler — have since departed for careers of their own with varying degrees of success. The lineup change continued throughout the 1990s with the addition of guitarist Gilby Clarke and keyboardist Dizzy Reed (the only one still with the band today).

“They were like gods of rock ’n’ roll,” says Derry Zarimhan, a marketing executive who plans to go to the Jakarta show. “The [original members] were each iconic in their individuality. Slash and Izzy were the cool, silent types with some craziness and Axl was a rock star among rock stars.”

For Derry and more than a few others, the current Guns N’ Roses members do not hold a candle to the original five’s chemistry, but they are happy with what they’ve got.

“The current band members are definitely no schlocks,” says Benny Budiman, a guitar teacher who is often asked by his students to teach them some Slash licks.

The current band includes some major names in the instrument virtuosity department. Among the eight members are guitarists DJ Ashba and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, whose abilities will be on full display with the many guitar solos featured prominently on “Chinese Democracy.”

The excitement of local fans can be summed up by longtime fan Conrad Pamungkas.

“Their popularity has dimmed a lot since the ’80s and ’90s, but what excited local fans and myself — and why we are going to the concert — is to relive that high school excitement of listening and singing along to their songs. ‘Paradise City’ is going to be a riot.”

Guns N’ Roses
Saturday, Dec. 15
Lapangan D Senayan
Tickets via IndikaProductions.com

Tonight’s Guns N' Roses show in Jakarta at Lapangan D Senayan is officially postponed until tomorrow (Dec 16) and moved to MEIS (Mata Elang International Stadium) Indoor Stadium, Ancol. Please note that the show time will be 1pm and doors are scheduled to open at 11am.

This is due to the outdoor stage at Lapangan D Senayan being damaged by the heavy rains that occurred yesterday afternoon. Despite best efforts to remedy the situation, it's been determined that the outdoor stage does not meet the necessary safety requirements for tonight.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident and hope that fans will understand that Guns N' Roses want nothing more than to deliver an amazing and safe show for their loyal fans.

Tickets to the original show will be honored at the new venue and we hope to see you all there tomorrow at 1pm.

Ticket holders who cannot make it to the show tomorrow can request a refund at Rajakarcis.

Say what you will but no other band in the world does what Guns N' Roses does in an effort not to screw their fans. Today in Jakarta the stage was f*cked. I was there. I would not put anyone on that stage and put them in danger so I voted against. So did management and the promoters. The only option besides an outright cancellation is doing the show tomorrow afternoon at 1pm @ Mata Elang International Stadium (MEIS ANCOL).

Guns N’ Roses still rocking after all these years
Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Mon, December 17 2012, 7:58 AM

Any negative speculation following the change of concert venue disappeared when Guns N’ Roses opened its show on early Sunday afternoon.

The location of the concert, which was changed by the promoter at the very last minute, moved from the Senayan outdoor stadium, Central Jakarta, to the Mata Elang International indoor (MEIS) stadium in Ancol, North Jakarta.

Performing in front of around 20,000 people, the band started the concert at 1:30 p.m., it provoked the crowd by playing well-known hits — “Welcome to the jungle”, “Mr. Brownstone/It’s So Easy”, “Estranged” and “Rocket Queen” mostly taken from the band’s seminal album, Appetite for Destruction — without even acknowledging the fans.

The audience’s reaction to the timeless tunes clearly signaled that they were familiar with the songs.

Axl Rose, the band’s legendary front man, still had plenty of charm.

Wearing a jacket, black sunglasses and a cowboy hat, Axl — with his thin mustache and shoulder-length hair looked slightly chubbier than his 1990s persona — seemed to be quite relaxed. He wooed the audience by hitting those all important higher notes when singing, albeit not as high as they were 20 years ago.

Many diehard fans recognized the score music for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic movie, The Terminator.

Without losing any momentum, the band followed up with one of their favorite ballads of all time, “Sweet child o’ mine”, hightening the crowd’s hysteria.

A nice, yet sympathetic, surprise came from lead guitarist, Ron “Bumblefoot”, Tall in the middle of the show. Ron, who has been in the band since the sixth album Chinese Democracy, played the melody of Indonesia’s national anthem of “Indonesia Raya” (Great Indonesia), which spurred spontaneous singing by most of the audience. Done with the anthem, Ron then played the intro of “Don’t Cry”, one of the band most anticipated ballads.

At the end of the show, Axl shouted “terima kasih Jakarta” (thank you Jakarta) and then thanked everybody for their understanding regarding the change of day and venue.

Guns N’ Roses were at its height during the 1980s to late 1990s, which was why most of the audience seemed to be at least in their early 30s. In fact, during the show, the audience responded better to the songs that featured on older albums such as Appetite for Destruction, Lies and the double album Use Your Illusion I and II.

Amel, a member of the audience acknowledged that the band was her idol during her youth and she had been a fan ever since junior high school. She praised the concert, saying that the band were amazing.

“They are awesome. The music is great and to my surprise Axl still could reach the high notes like he used to back then,” she said.

Adli, another diehard fan, gave the band high credit for the performance. However, he said, it was apparent Axl’s stamina was lower than it used to be.

“That is pretty normal for a guy who has been around for more than 20 years. They earn the credit,” he said.

Many musicians — some of them rockers like Boomerang ex vocalistRoy Jeconiah, Aziz, lead guitarist of Jamrud, Sucker Head’s vocalist Krisna J. Sadrach and celebrities like newlyweds Iko Uwais and Audy Item — watched the concert.

Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was also reported to have attended the concert. Jokowi is known as rock music aficionado.

During the band’s performance, hundreds of smart phones were seen waving in the air filming the action. The tiny lights emitting from the phone screens created a truly unique scene.