•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

One of the best-selling artists of all time, Rod Stewart is bringing his distinctive, raspy voice to Indonesia for the first time.

The British singer and songwriter is scheduled to perform on Jan. 31 at the Jakarta Convention Center as part of his “Greatest Hits Tour.” It will be his only concert in Asia.

Stewart got his start in the music industry in the early 1960s and bounced around different bands before teaming up with The Jeff Beck Group in 1966, which proved to be his big break. While Stewart found his voice with the band and enjoyed a number of successes, he left in July 1969 to pursue a solo career.

His first solo album, “An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down,” was released the same year and featured his first hit single, “Maggie May.”

Stewart was later brought in as the lead singer for Faces, the British rock band, joining guitarist and good friend Ron Wood in the lineup. He was soon juggling two music careers. As a solo artist, Stewart delivered songs that combined elements of folk, rock and country blues, while the music of Faces was often reminiscent of the Rolling Stones.

In 1975, Stewart and Faces parted ways, and he poured all his energy into his solo career. He quickly became an international star with a string of hits including “Never a Dull Moment” and “Sing It Again Rod.”

By the late 1970s, some critics were writing Stewart off as a fading star. He proved everyone wrong with a career revival in the early 1980s and his renewed stardom lasted for the next decade and included three platinum albums: “Foolish Behavior,” “Tonight I’m Yours” and “Out of Order.”

In 1998, Stewart’s life took a dramatic turn when he was diagnosed with throat cancer. After undergoing surgery, the veteran rocker found himself taking singling lessons as he tried to find his voice again.

Stewart has continued to sing and release albums, and he has changed his image from that of a playboy rocker of the 1970s to a crooner of ballads, the father of eight children and husband of former model Penny Lancaster.

In 2002, he released the first album in a series called “Great American Songbook,” for which he recorded pop standards and classic songs. More albums followed, with the latest, Volume 5, being released in 2010.

“As a musician, you’ve got to follow your own nose — which is quite easy for me, having quite a big nose — and so even though there was a bit of opposition to going this way, this is what I believed, and what I had to do,” Stewart said in an interview posted on his official Web site.

“American Songbook” fared well on the charts, and Stewart, now 67, was recognized for his contributions to the music scene. In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame that same year.

About his latest album, “Fly Me to the Moon … The Great American Songbook Volume V,” Stewart said: “It’s really a happy album when you look at it. For me, the hallmark is that I keep playing it a lot, and I very rarely go back and listen when I’ve finished an album. I’m my own worst critic, but I’m just knocked out by this one. I’m over the moon with it.”

His busy schedule has never allowed him to make a stop in Jakarta before, but now, 50 years after he launched his career, Indonesian fans will finally have the chance to see Stewart live on stage for a planned two-hour concert.

The Rod Stewart experience, however, doesn’t come cheap. Ticket prices range from Rp 1.5 million to Rp 15 million ($165 to $1,650). But according to Michael Rusli, president director of music promoter Big Daddy, which is organizing the concert, it will be worth it.

“Regarding the cost, this is the most expensive Big Daddy show to date,” he added. “That’s why we can’t lower the ticket prizes. The show will have a very high quality.”

“[The fans] will have a different experience,” he said during a press conference in December. “And for them, we would like to maximize the experience.”


Rod Stewart: The Greatest Hits
Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 8 p.m.
Plenary Hall Jakarta Convention Center
South Jakarta
Tel. 021 5366 4700