Tuesday March 24, 2009
The right to party
By RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
The Sunburst festival in Kuala Lumpur pulled a massive crowd once again in its second edition — but unfortunate permit problems for certain acts left behind a sour taste.
SIX stages, 12-hours of non-stop live music by local and international acts and a rollicking good time. The scene – the Polo Pavilion, Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur, which was host to the second Sunburst KL Music Festival.
When Malaysians decide to exercise their right to party, they tend to do it in huge numbers. Nearly 10,000 fans made their way to the outdoor event despite all sorts of complications and rumours leading up to the festival, notably the late announcement of international acts and the promoter’s ill-fated chase to get Brit rock act Coldplay to play the festival.
No Chris Martin, no problem. Last Saturday, the Sunburst fest had to sink or swim with international acts like Korn and N.E.R.D. leading the main stage attractions. It was up to the nu metal fans and the trendy hip hop crowd to swell up the outdoor grounds.
Over 40 other acts, mostly homegrown and regional, filled up the rest of stages and deejay decks. In the hands of Brit trip hop diva Skye and a capella act Naturally 7, from New York, the fest also had decent quality on the fringe. But it was a bummer that Grammy award-winning R&B singer Erykah Badu, who was slated to perform, pulled out at the last minute, leaving event organisers Pineapple Concerts with an uphill task to get the last minute punters interested.
Jonathan Davis, frontman for Korn, performing at the Sunburst KL International Music Festival 2009. The official word from Badu’s agent was that she couldn’t come to Sunburst because of “unforseen circumstances.”
As expected, there were many disappointed fans that came from far to see Badu live, and some of them were seen flogging off their tickets on the cheap at the gate. But the show had to go on.
The rest of the crowd’s spirit did not seem to be dampened. “If you build a party, they will come,” must have been the adage of the day. The skies were clear and the crowd made themselves comfortable on the ground. What more could you ask for?
The Sun and Sky stages (right next to one another) were the place to be seen with N.E.R.D. and Korn playing there. Over at the Livesounds and Loud & Clear stages were performances by Skye and Naturally 7, respectively. These acts had their share of fans while those who had never seen them perform before became instant fans.
But at the Sun and Sky stages, the anticipation was starting to grow from the crowd once the sun went down.
Leading up to the headline acts were several local and regional acts. Indonesian indie band Nidji gave a very good account of themselves and connected with the crowd. It was then time for Butterfingers who made a grand entrance with bagpipes but faded beyond that.
After that, electronica band Agrikulture took to stage and had the crowd cheering with their wide array of sounds interspersed with rock. They covered Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit before bowling the crowd over with EMF’s Unbelievable. I never was a fan of electronica, but I might be now after watching this band from Indonesia.
Agrikulture was just the perfect warm-up to N.E.R.D., although there was a slight delay. The wait was worth it as the combination of Pharrell Williams, and Shay Haley (without Chad Hugo) gave an unforgettable performance, making sure the crowd was “bouncing” for more than hour. Williams made clear six ground rules – crowd surfing and mosh pits were mandatory among others. But the sixth rule was the most important (like break more rules!).
N.E.R.D.’s Pharrell Williams gave an unforgettable performance, making sure the crowd was ‘bouncing’ for mor e than hour. N.E.R.D. were hired to rock the crowd and that is what the band did. All the heavy-duty numbers were brought out to move the masses, notably Time for Some Action, Kill Joy and Spaz. The band did it all – hip hop, rock and funk.
“It’s about the people,” declared Williams at one point when he saw that the security was preventing people from getting on the stage. The security personnel did not adhere to his pleas and he stopped midway through another song.
“If people are getting pushed around, we will leave the stage,” Williams warned again.
From that point on, there were no interruptions. N.E.R.D. made the festival rules. The band further endeared themselves to the crowd by getting people to dance on the stage.
First it was the guys, about 30 of them dancing to Popcorn, the first time they were performing this song anywhere.
Then it was time for the fairer sex and this time about 50 of them were on stage to shake their booty to Everybody Nose (All the Girls Standing in Line for the Bathroom) and She Wants to Move.
By the end of their performance, it was obvious that N.E.R.D. had captured everyone’s imagination with a set built on showbiz and groove.
Which brings us to the other headlining act of the day – Korn, a band which has been around for 15 years but never made it to these parts until last Saturday, as put aptly by their lively frontman Jonathan Davis. Personally, Korn was the reason why I was excited about this year’s festival. I was disappointed at first because I was not able to meet the band at the cancelled “media conference”, but all that disappointment was forgotten when Korn opened with the head-banging Right Here, Right Now.
Davis’ gruff vocals cast a spell on every Korn fan in the arena who lost all intuition and just started headbanging. Mosh pits naturally formed and those high on the aggressive sounds of Korn enjoyed themselves with some body-slamming thrown into the mix. The band from California played songs such as Here to Stay, A.D.I.D.A.S., Falling Away From Me and Coming Undone. The kilt-wearing Davis also played his bagpipe for a good two minutes before the set continued with the band’s earlier songs.
But the moment all Korn fans were waiting for was when they came out for an encore. Korn played Blind – their first ever single which was released in 1995. With a knowing smile, Davis goaded the fans before shouting the words Are You Ready! – the signal to go crazy for all Korn fans. I could not resist the temptation to join in the “merriment” of the mosh pit and ended up with a few bruises. But it was worth it.
Korn ended the show with Got the Life before the band members showed their gratitude by throwing guitar picks and drum sticks into the crowd. The festivities did not end straightaway, however, and local indie disco deejays Twilight Actiongirl closed up shop to a sizeable crowd. Festivities ended at about 2am.
Unfortunately, the behind-the-scenes drama started after the Sunburst festival came to a close. The Immigration Department and other authorities were at the venue to check on the performance permits for N.E.R.D. and Korn.
Reports have surfaced that N.E.R.D. had to cancel their concert in Jakarta on Sunday.
According to the Jakarta Post, the band was released and their passports returned after negotiations with the Malaysian authorities.
The Jakarta promoters had tried to persuade N.E.R.D. to continue with their trip to Jakarta, according to the report, by assuring them the Indonesian authorities would not pull a stunt like the Malaysian authorities did, but N.E.R.D. had insisted on flying home.
At press time, Pineapple Concerts, the Sunburst KL organisers, had yet to meet the authorities to clarify the debacle surrounding N.E.R.D. and Korn.
Related story:
Local bands hold their own
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