God Bless Concert: A Nostalgic Experience

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The acoustic concert of the Indonesian rock legend, God Bless, at Balai Sarbini Jakarta on Saturday, May 17, 2025, was opened with simultaneous guitar strums and drum beats. Ian Antono played his acoustic guitar while sitting, then together with the intro to the song "Bla Bla Bla", vocalist Achmad Albar stepped onto the stage and greeted the audience.

In addition to Achmad Albar and Ian Antono, there was also Abadi Soesman at the grand piano, who usually played the keyboard if not in an acoustic format. Accompanied by additional players for drums, violin, and bass, for the first time in their 52-year career, God Bless held a concert in an acoustic format.

Following this, Achmad Albar and his friends performed a song titled "Kehidupan" (Life). The audience joined in singing along.

God Bless and Criticism of Social Issues

After singing the song "Kehidupan" (Life) created by the late Yockie Suryo Prayogo, Achmad Albar expressed that the song spoke about criticism of the government. He said, "It's about athletes or anyone involved in sports. They are always trained and forced by the government, coaches, and clubs, but they do not take care of the athletes' lives,".

The stage performance continued with the song "Balada Sejuta Wajah" composed by Achmad Albar and Ian Antono. The two of them were proven to be the most prolific creators of God Bless and Gong 2000 songs, which can be said to be a miniature of God Bless.

The view of the band concert, formed on May 5, 1973, was different from other concerts today. All of Balai Sarbini's seats were numbered, and the audience sat relaxed, watching and singing. That night, the majority of Balai Sarbini was filled with God Bless fans over the age of 40.

God Bless vocalist Achmad Albar during the God Bless Unplugged concert at Balai Sarbini, Jakarta, May 17, 2025. Tempo/Martin Yogi Pardamean

Audience Live Streams the Concert on Facebook

The audience not only watched with empty hands but also held their respective gadgets. Some showcased the concert through live streams on Facebook, while others shared the concert through the Zoom application.

One of the audience members who is also a musician, Bangkit Sanjaya, said he admired God Bless, as it played a role as the starting point of his music career. "I first recorded and was born into the singing world from Mas Donny Fattah as my first producer. I like the album Dunia Huru Hara," he said.

Onstage, Achmad Albar, standing and holding the microphone at the age of 78, looked robust. He wore a t-shirt with the typical hard rock genre print, paired with a jacket and skinny jeans. He loudly followed the acoustic music from his bandmates while singing "Saksi Gitar Tua" and "Bis Kota". "God Bless once wanted to go to practice but didn't have a vehicle, so we took a city bus," said Achmad Albar.

Before the next song, Ian Antono recalled that in the 1970s, God Bless often looked for their own materials for clothes and shoes. They made it themselves. "My shoes had high heels, so once the heels came off, I fixed them backstage," he said, laughing.

He also reminisced about when God Bless served as the opening band for the English hard rock band, Deep Purple, which held a concert in Jakarta on December 5, 1975. "The sound was extraordinary, and that was the beginning of sound development in Jakarta; everyone competed to produce good sound for concerts," Ian said.

While the audience was still laughing at the facial expressions of Achmad Albar and Ian Antono as they tried to recall moments in the past, God Bless performed the song "Orang dalam Kaca" (People in Glass). Five backing vocalists accompanied Achmad Albar in singing the song created by Yockie Suryo, with lyrics by Iwan Fals.

As the song ended, singer Nicky Astria entered the stage and greeted the members of God Bless. "I often took the opening band on God Bless tours, especially when brought by Mas Ian," she said. Shortly after, guitarist Tohpati took the stage. Together with the Indonesian rock legend, Nicky and Tohpati performed the song "Jangan Ada Luka" (Don't Hurt).

After the stage performance of the guest musicians, Ikang Fawzi took the stage. Dressed in all black with a material reminiscent of 1970s punk musicians, Ikang shared his encounter with God Bless. "I once won a songwriting competition at Prambors in 1979, titled "Cahaya Kencana". It was Achmad Albar who sang the song, so I went to the radio just to meet him," he said. Not stopping there, Ikang Fawzi continued to perform the songs "Panggung Sandiwara" (Stage of Drama) and "Satu Dua Tiga" (One Two Three) in a vocal duet with Achmad Albar.

After the commotion on stage, Donny Fattah, who had not played from the beginning and had been replaced, finally entered the stage. With a cane supporting his hand, he sat down and reached for his bass guitar. "I have been with God Bless from the beginning, May 5, '73. Until today, we have been creating for 52 years," he said, initiating his address to the audience.

With an extra original member on stage, God Bless performed the song "Musisi" (Musician). Donny Fattah's bass plucking in the intro of "Musisi" colored Balai Sarbini.

Rhoma Irama's Performance as an Enemy and a Friend

Singer, Rhoma Irama, when performing with God Bless at the God Bless Unplugged concert at Balai Sarbini, Jakarta, May 17, 2025. Tempo/Martin Yogi Pardamean

After performing a song, dangdut king Rhoma Irama took the stage. Suddenly, the audience became excited and applauded. "God Bless is both an enemy and a friend. So we had a feud between dangdut and rock. But at that time, I brought the song 'Neraka Jahanam' by God Bless, and they performed the song 'Begadang'. That was the point where we became friends because we performed together," he said.

Then Rhoma Irama along with Achmad Albar sang the song "Zakiah", but did not finish it. Rhoma Irama then shook hands with each member of God Bless and left the stage.

Before the finale, God Bless performed their flagship song, "Semut Hitam" (Black Ant). The audience rejoiced as they sang along. Some of the audience members stood up and clapped their hands.

For the last song, Tohpati, Nicky Astria, and Ikang Fawzi returned to the stage with God Bless to perform the song "Rumah Kita" (Our Home). Not only them, but the whole of Balai Sarbini joined in singing this Indonesian rock legend. "God Bless is still here, and for 52 years, they have been accepted in Indonesia," Achmad Albar concluded his stage performance.

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