Rihanna’s Indonesian fans will soon have a remedy for their disappointment over the diva’s canceled concert two months ago, as the US pop singer jets in on Feb. 12 to entertain them. Event promoter Troy Reza Warokka said Tuesday that Rihanna had confirmed the final date of the show and was committed to rocking 5000 of her fans at Istora Senayan, Central Jakarta.

“The concert is the most-awaited show in the country, so we hope we don’t disappoint anyone this time around,” said Troy, the representative for the concert from Showmaster Live.

In November last year, the 21-year-old Grammy-award winning singer canceled her concert over security fears after the Australian government issued a travel warning for Indonesia following the executions of the three Bali bombers.

“The travel warning was lifted and there’s nothing to fear anymore. We’re optimistic we can bring Rihanna this time,” Troy said. “Many fans refused to have their tickets refunded last time because they still believed Rihanna would come, so we would like to thank them for waiting patiently.”

Troy said his team had faced difficulties rescheduling Rihanna’s show in Jakarta because they had to compete with promoters from other countries to be included on Rihanna’s waiting list.

He added Rihanna would perform for 90 minutes in Jakarta, with her management requesting it be an exclusive solo concert. This, Troy said, meant the promoter was not allowed to invite local singers as opening acts.

“The concept of the concert will be just the same as what we previously planned, including preparing a `hydraulic stage’,” said another promoter, Willy Hidayat, who added Rihanna would still bring about 40 dancers to accompany her.

What made this different from the November plan, Willy said, were ticket prices. For the February concert, the lowest ticket price for Festival class is set at Rp 1.25 million (US$ 112) each, higher than November’s Rp 750,000. The prices for the Tribune and VIP classes remain unchanged from last years, Rp 2 million and Rp 2.5 million, respectively.

The promoter said the global financial crisis was the reason for the price increase.

“We’re sorry for the increase, but we have to adjust to the current financial situation. But we believe the prices are still reasonable,” Willy said. “What we can say is, we promise everyone a spectacular show with such prices.”

He added tickets would go on sale this week.

Troy said his team had completed about 60 percent of the preparations for the concert.

He also said his team had already talked to Rihanna’s management on Indonesian culture, as stage outfits could become a concern for some religious groups. Troy acknowledged that a parliamentary group in Malaysia had opposed Rihanna’s show following her sensual stage performance and wardrobes.

“We have coordinated with our Malaysian counterparts on this, as well as with Rihanna’s management. So far, the management has shown good understanding of our proposal,” Troy said.

After rocking her Indonesian fans, Rihanna is scheduled to perform in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13.

<b>Source</b>: TheJakartaPost.com