As night fell in the Indonesian capital, pop ensemble Kahitna took to the stage for a drive-in concert nearly two hours long that attracted eager listeners in rows of hundreds of parked cars.
The eight performers played yearning, sentimental tunes, capitalising on patrons' nostalgia for the group's 1990s heyday, with listeners honking and flashing their lights as the band launched into its hit tune, "Cerita Cinta" or "Love Story".
That was a reminder of the good times before the coronavirus pandemic brought the music industry to a juddering halt, said Chaeruddin Syah, one of the concert organisers.
"Our economy has declined for four to five months, we have not worked at all and have not made any money," Syah told Reuters.
"We hope this concert can provide solutions and inspiration to the entertainment industry."
Indonesia, which is grappling with a surge in virus infections, racked up its biggest daily increase in cases for a third straight day on Saturday. The Southeast Asian nation has tallied about 170,000 infections and 7,261 deaths.
The organisers of Saturday's event said they had prioritised safety, asking listeners to provide negative test results and wear masks.
The concert, which will be followed by another on Sunday, drew a crowd of about 900 people in 300 cars, all of whom had to stay in their vehicles.
Each car tuned into an FM radio channel to hear the concert. Each was sprayed with disinfectant on arrival, and received a carbon dioxide detector to alert occupants to open their windows if levels of the dangerous gas rose too high.
"This concert is an extraordinary initiative," said one listener, a 45-year-old who gave her name only as Emilia.
"This is really good, especially when we don't know when the pandemic will end."
A city of 10 million, Jakarta has recently recorded the highest daily increase in infections among Indonesian regions, and maintains curbs on public transport and businesses, although this week its governor said cinemas would re-open soon.
The adverse impact of the virus had forced musicians and their crews to adapt, said Adib Hidayat, who tracks music trends for the Indonesian industry.
"If the (drive-in) concept could have a strict protocol and a tight discipline from the audience, it could be one of the new breakthroughs," he told Reuters.
Reuters
Sun Aug 30 2020
People watch a drive-in concert by local pop band Kahitna during the New Live Experience series, at a parking area of the Jakarta International Expo, August 29, 2020. REUTERSpic
Dana asing pacu Bursa Malaysia kepada aliran masuk bersih susulan pertumbuhan kukuh KDNK - MIDF Research
Dana asing yang merekodkan aliran keluar tahun sehingga kini bertukar kepada aliran masuk bersih sebanyak RM4.9 juta.
Serangan balai polis: 7 termasuk 5 ahli keluarga suspek masih disiasat
Tujuh individu masih direman dan disiasat berhubung insiden serangan di Balai Polis Ulu Tiram yang mengorbankan dua anggota.
Eksport Malaysia rekod peningkatan ketara pada April 2024 - MITI
Perdagangan Malaysia mengekalkan prestasi kukuh dan trend peningkatan pada April 2024 dengan merekodkan pertumbuhan dua digit 12.1 peratus.
Ideologi Guardiola bentuk Man City muncul kelab terbaik England
Dominasi Manchester City dalam saingan domestik seakan terlalu sukar digugat apabila menjuarai Liga Perdana Inggeris buat kali keempat berturut-turut.
Perintah larangan: Che'gu Bard akan rayu keputusan mahkamah
Che'gu Bard, 45, akan membuat rayuan terhadap keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Johor Bahru, yang mengeluarkan perintah larangan bersuara berhubung kes kasino Forest City, Iskandar Puteri.
ME 20/2024 peningkatan kes sebanyak 14.8%
Di Malaysia, pada ME 20/2024 iaitu pada12 Mei hingga 18 Mei 2024 sebanyak 1,230 kes COVID-19 dilaporkan, ia merupakan peningkatan sebanyak 14.8% berbanding ME 19/2024.
Suka kongsi hal peribadi di media sosial, mungkin alami FOMO
Mereka yang terlalu berkongsi hal-hal bersifat peribadi tentang kehidupan di media sosial mungkin mengalami sindrom FOMO (fear of missing out) atau 'ketakutan kehilangan' sesuatu peristiwa, perkembangan semasa dan masa kini di media sosial.
Menurut anggota Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia Prof Madya Dr Azmawaty Mohamad Nor, sindrom tersebut berpotensi memberi gangguan kepada emosi pengguna media sosial sekiranya tidak dikendalikan dengan baik.
Menurut anggota Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia Prof Madya Dr Azmawaty Mohamad Nor, sindrom tersebut berpotensi memberi gangguan kepada emosi pengguna media sosial sekiranya tidak dikendalikan dengan baik.
AWANI Ringkas: Nahas helikopter Presiden Iran
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Berjalan jauh, tidak dibenar duduk cabaran unit peronda TH
Berjalan kaki sehingga lapan kilometer sehari dan sebahagian besar masa dihabiskan dalam cuaca panas melebihi 40 darjah celsius sudah menjadi rutin kepada anggota Unit Pasukan Peronda Tabung Haji (TH) setiap kali musim haji tiba.
Helikopter Presiden Iran terhempas, apa selepas ini?
Prof Dr Kamaruzaman Yusoff mengulas berkenaan impak politik terhadap Iran susulan nahas helikopter yang meragut nyawa Ebrahim Raisi.