BY NEVILLE TIMOTHY SANDERS & ANNABELL NAJA TOMMY
KUCHING: Famous Indonesian band Ungu took the centre stage during last night’s Konsert Rakyat at Padang Merdeka here.
They performed some of their biggest hits, including “Tercipta Untukmu”, “Kekasih Gelapku” “Cinta Dalam Hati”, and “Demi Waktu,” and fans were truly singing their hearts out during the performance.
The lead vocalist, Pasha, or his full name, Sigit Purnomo Syamsuddin, said that throughout their career, last night’s concert was the largest crowd they had ever performed to so far.
“This is the biggest we have ever seen so far, and I have learned that people came all the way from Miri, Sibu, Mukah, and even Peninsular Malaysia.
“I want to say thank you to the fans for coming to see us,” he said during their performance as the final act.
Besides Ungu, other artistes who performed during the concert were Dolla, Datuk Awie, Joe Flizzow, and Floor 88.
On another note, over 30,000 people came to the Konsert Rakyat, which was held in conjunction with the Sarawak 60th Independence Anniversary celebration.
The crowd started to flock to the Padang Merdeka compound as early as 6.30pm, and some of them even camped in front of the stage in order to get the best spot for the concert.
The pre-concert began at 7pm, with performances from local Sarawakian artistes such as Glien Gale, Carrie Geres, Firdaus Materang, Bob Yunus, Ramles Walter, and Masterpiece.
Two magnificent firework displays were showcased during the concert; one was at 10pm and the other was at the end of the concert (12am).
Some of the audience members who came to the concert were truly entertained by the performances of some of the acts.
Nur Nasya Nadzirah Razman, who was among the attendees, said that she came to see Dolla and Joe Flizzow.
“I was excited to see them perform because I’m their biggest fan, and this concert is a great initiative to celebrate the state’s independence day.
“In the meantime, I hope to see Sarawak continue to progress for future generations,” she said.
Mohd Hasbi Bobbie, 27, said he waited to see Awie during the concert.
“I am so glad to see a major crowd come to this concert, and of course I am happy to see Awie perform just like during his prime days,” he said.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan and his wife Datuk Melinda Claudia Bucking Lawan, and Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information, and Sarawak Public Communication Unit) Datuk Abdullah Saidol.
