Jakarta (dpa) – Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue and Justin Bieber are among big names that held concerts in Indonesia last year. Katy Perry, Rod Stewart and Roxette recently performed in Jakarta, while Lady Gaga and Elton John are on the roster to make stops in the coming months. International acts are flocking to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, taking advantage of its strong economy and a growing middle class with disposable income. “Indonesia is home to a large number of music fans, and more and more tour promoters are eager to finance concerts by international artists,” said Hasief Adriasyah, an editor with the Indonesian edition of the Rolling Stone magazine. With a population of 240 million people, “there's a huge untapped market,” he said. Social media such as Twitter, highly popular in Indonesia, also allow local fans to get in touch with artists directly and asked them to hold concerts in their country, Ardiasyah said. Rock bands that were popular in the 1980s and 90s such as Dream Theater, Iron Maiden and Yes either have or are scheduled to perform in Indonesia. But the biggest music event of the year in Indonesia is the annual Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival. About 1,500 musicians from 15 countries were on the festival's March 2-4 bill. They include top names such as Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu as well as US jazz legends like Pat Metheny, Bobby McFerrin and Al Jarreau. Such a major international event presents a security challenge for Indonesia, which has suffered terrorist attacks blamed on Islamist militants in recent years. The bombings of two nightclubs on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. There has not been a major attack since 2009, thanks to a police crackdown on militants. American trumpeter Maurice Brown said he was satisfied with the security arrangement provided by organizers. “I have no concern about security,” Brown, who participated at the Jakarta jazz festival for the third year, told dpa. “The people of Indonesia are really kind and they really embrace the music,” he said. “That's why I like coming here so much.” Tickets for Stevie Wonder's show on Sunday cost about 200 dollars, worth two months' salary for many Indonesians. But well-off fans are willing to dig deeper into their pockets to see their favorite artists perform live. “Indonesian music fans have strong purchasing power,” said music industry observer Bens Leo. “You may find it shocking that some David Foster fans spent 25 million rupiah (2,600 dollars) on the tickets for his recent concert.” Rina Afrizal said she was a big Stevie Wonder fan and could not wait to see him in concert. “This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I don't want to miss it,” said the head-scarved, 32-year-old computer programmer. “The expensive ticket is definitely worth it.” Indonesia's economy, the largest in South-East Asia, is growing about 6 percent annually thanks mainly to strong domestic consumption and investment. It has remained largely unaffected by the global economic uncertainty. Officials said the expanding concert culture in Indonesia is good for the economy. “Not only do we enjoy the performances but we also reap the tourism windfall,” said Sapta Nirwandar, deputy minister for tourism and creative economics. “Their visits will send a positive message that Indonesia is safe, that Indonesia is conducive to playing music,” he said. Brown, the trumpeter for Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, said his only complaint is Jakarta's notorious traffic congestion. “Once you get caught in traffic, you can get caught for a couple of hours,” he said. “That's not so cool, but everything else is really cool and the food is great.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Zp7VW Tags: Bieber, Festival, Indonesia, Music Section: Culture, East Asia, Entertainment, Features
