Rejected Multiple Times, Promoter Admits Wanting to Give Up on Organizing a Concert for Sheila On 7

Kapanlagi.com - The concert "Tunggu Aku Di Jakarta" by Sheila On 7 in 2023 has become one of the most successful shows. An interesting story from the concert promoter, Antara Suara, was revealed behind the success.

CEO of Antara Suara, Andri Verraning Ayu, revealed that they were initially often rejected by Sheila On 7 when they first invited them to perform in Jakarta. They even almost gave up and considered looking for other artists as replacements.

"I was rejected several times, they didn't immediately agree. I was speechless and almost gave up, 'Well, Sheila on 7 is unlikely to have a concert, let's find another artist,'" said Ayu in a press conference in Kemang, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (17/4/2024).

However, after several persuasions and negotiations, the band consisting of Duta, Eross, and Adam finally accepted Antara Suara's offer.

"Finally, after a long conversation, Sheila On 7 said, 'Okay, let's try one point in Jakarta.' Wow, I was thinking about the timing, it was like I couldn't believe it, 'Are they really willing to come to Jakarta?'", said Ayu.

1. Sempat Overthinking

Sheila on 7 © KapanLagi.com/Adrian Utama Putra

Although happy to successfully invite Sheila On7 to perform in Jakarta, the promoter also felt stressed thinking about the concert. After the pandemic, regulations regarding concerts are still unclear.

"During the pandemic, concerts were still uncertain. Concerts, capacity, and everything else were strict. The initial story was when Antara Suara just got acquainted with Sheila On7," said Ayu.

"We had a long conversation and finally we had the same vision and mission. Finally, we made Sheila On7's first solo concert after 27 years. Well, we finally made it happen once in Jakarta," Ayu continued.

Distance coordination, uncertainty about the technical implementation of the concert and the pandemic, as well as concerns about unsold tickets, made the promoter's stress reach its peak.

"We weren't even prepared if the tickets didn't sell out. We have prepared various materials if the concert is not sold out. Our level of overthinking reached its peak," she said.

2. Tour of 5 Cities

After a very long preparation, the concert "Wait for Me in Jakarta" by Sheila On 7 finally succeeded. The concert also became Sheila On 7's first performance after a hiatus during the pandemic.

"Sheila On 7 did have a quite long hiatus during the pandemic. It takes a long preparation to hold this big concert. So, how was the preparation for six months?" she concluded.

After the success in Jakarta, Antara Suara once again invited Sheila On 7 to tour five cities in the concert "Wait for Me in". It starts from Samarinda on July 27 and continues to Makassar on August 10.

Then, Pekanbaru on August 31 and continued to Medan on September 14. The concert "Wait for Me in" will be concluded in Bandung on September 28, 2024.

(kpl/far/phi)