BACK TO THE 70’S: GREASE
Saturday, April 22nd 2006 together with my wife and kids, we happened to be among the audience of the new BCA Card launching. The theme was Batman, and it was a huge event with a big concert stage. The headliners were Shanty and Wong Pitoe. But I’m not going to talk about them. It was their opening act, Absolute Band.
They were a 7-piece band, with the common formation (keys, bass, guitars & drums) and 3 vocalists (1 male and 2 female). When we arrived I could say they were very good. At least the drums was very creative, the bass was my kind of bass-lines, and unfortunately the sound very poor that we couldn’t hear the keys and guitars. But the outstanding performance was the three vocalists, especially the 2 girls. The sung Indonesian hits such as Aku Adalah Lelaki (by Samson), Sinaran (by Sheila Majid), Cintaku (by Chrisye) and Semua Jadi Satu (by 3 Divas/ Dian Pramana Poetra). Especially on Sinaran and Cintaku, I couldn’t stop but sing along while my daughters (Ratnadya and Kalista) were so anxious they stood in front of the stage. My wife Idah just kept head-dancing.
Apparently the 3 vocalists noticed that I was very excited whenever they delivered each song. I applaused with cheer everytime they end a song. One of the girls even pointed me, and sent me signs to sing along with them. They were absolutely wonderful, and somehow the keyboard started to be audible. But not the guitars.
Their encore was the three famous songs from the movie Grease: You’re The One That I Want, Greased Lightning, and Summer Nights. The girl said aloud to me while the music intro,”You must know this song, sir!”And I nod to her reply, to confirm I knew what they were going to play these three songs in a row. I sung each lyric of You’re The One That I Want (originally by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta). Greased Lightning (by John Travolta) and Summer Nights (another duet). I couldn’t stop singing! They even gave signs to continue the lyrics! Oh God! Those beautiful memories from the past kept recollecting! When they ended, I really wished they continue to sing all night long.
The movie Grease was very important to me, as it was a part of my childhood. I remember it was 1979 or 1980 when I saw it first hand in my friend’s house. Back then having a colour television and videoplayer were luxurious. Even my family only had a B/W television. The movie Grease was among my all time favourite, and I collected its laserdisc, DVD and soundtrack CD. It’s an absolutely timeless movie, ageless music, and moreover, absolutely wonderful Absolute Band!
