.jpg) |
| Nervecell with Metallica |
Who knows, the audience reaction from this part of the
world may well be why the group is returning to the capital on 19 April this
year.
“It’s phenomenal they are returning,” says local musician from Point of View, Royden Mascarenhas. “I have to say I was pretty surprised to hear they were coming back so soon.” The band performed here at the Yas Arena in October 2011, again brought out by this year’s organisers Flash Entertainment.
“I think the reaction here in the Middle East is so completely different to that given out by USA audiences,” says Mascarenhas, who has been to Metallica stage shows in six different US towns including San Francisco and Detroit.
“It’s phenomenal they are returning,” says local musician from Point of View, Royden Mascarenhas. “I have to say I was pretty surprised to hear they were coming back so soon.” The band performed here at the Yas Arena in October 2011, again brought out by this year’s organisers Flash Entertainment.
“I think the reaction here in the Middle East is so completely different to that given out by USA audiences,” says Mascarenhas, who has been to Metallica stage shows in six different US towns including San Francisco and Detroit.
 |
Royden Mascarenhas holding a Metallica Beach Ball thrown to the audience during Metallica's Death Magnetic' World Tour. During the song Seek and Destroy, he says “ these huge beach balls would fall from the roof of the arena and a lucky few got to keep the beach ball. I was at a Metallica show in Detroit (at Joe Louis Arena) on Jan 13th, 2009 where Lars (the drummer) kicked one of these balls from the stage and it landed right in my arms.’ |
“People in the States are used to seeing them, it’s
almost like they are at their back door. Here in the UAE, it’s usually a
once-in-a-life-time event, so the huge fan base (20,000 people at the last show
here) gives out just a beautiful vibe,” he says. “That was one hell of a performance.”
Equally excited at the return of the metal legends to home ground is Barney Ribeiro from Nervecell, one of the first extreme metal bands to emerge from Dubai, who will this time round view the show mingling with the audience. In 2011 his local band was in the incredibly enviable position of being the opening act.
“It’s funny as we had already bought our tickets to see Metallica,” says guitarist Riberio. “Then 10 days later we got the call from Flash to open the show. It was an incredible experience - every rock band’s dream. Of course it seriously boosted our ratings here too.” Widely known among fans of metal for their first album Human Chaos, Nervecell celebrates more than 12 years together.
He believes Metallica doesn’t attract only serious musicians. “It is probably the only band in the entire world that can have a 12-year-old and a 58-year-old dancing to the same tune,” he says. Turn up the sound when Sandman and Nothing Else Matters spools through the iPhone and see who reacts. It’s across the age range, not too surprising for Metallica have been in circulation since the formation of the band in 1981, when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper.
Abu Dhabi-based event organising company Flash Entertainment, part of Abu Dhabi’s government-backed media free zone,Twofour54, has brought to the Middle East bands such as Coldplay and Madonna, so is adept to giving residents the performance of a lifetime.
John Lickrish, Managing
Director, Flash Entertainment, says that deciding which artists to bring to
Middle Eastern shores depends on how many tickets they can expect to sell and
at what price.
“As long as the revenue is higher than the expense, then we will proceed with the show,’” he says on the thinkflash.ae website. “We can probably deliver the highest amount of revenue possible for the artists because we sell tickets through an automated ticketing system, while the partnerships that we have are probably better than anywhere else in the region.”
“People know what to expect and they know that they are not going to be ripped off for their ticket
price,” says Lickrish. In addition, because of the number of events the company does they can negotiate better rates with suppliers. “They work with us because they know they get paid on time, they know they get treated professionally, and they know that they get to work with the best in class. All of those things help us deliver the artist into the region,” he says.
Equally excited at the return of the metal legends to home ground is Barney Ribeiro from Nervecell, one of the first extreme metal bands to emerge from Dubai, who will this time round view the show mingling with the audience. In 2011 his local band was in the incredibly enviable position of being the opening act.
“It’s funny as we had already bought our tickets to see Metallica,” says guitarist Riberio. “Then 10 days later we got the call from Flash to open the show. It was an incredible experience - every rock band’s dream. Of course it seriously boosted our ratings here too.” Widely known among fans of metal for their first album Human Chaos, Nervecell celebrates more than 12 years together.
He believes Metallica doesn’t attract only serious musicians. “It is probably the only band in the entire world that can have a 12-year-old and a 58-year-old dancing to the same tune,” he says. Turn up the sound when Sandman and Nothing Else Matters spools through the iPhone and see who reacts. It’s across the age range, not too surprising for Metallica have been in circulation since the formation of the band in 1981, when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper.
Abu Dhabi-based event organising company Flash Entertainment, part of Abu Dhabi’s government-backed media free zone,Twofour54, has brought to the Middle East bands such as Coldplay and Madonna, so is adept to giving residents the performance of a lifetime.
John Lickrish, Managing
Director, Flash Entertainment, says that deciding which artists to bring to
Middle Eastern shores depends on how many tickets they can expect to sell and
at what price.“As long as the revenue is higher than the expense, then we will proceed with the show,’” he says on the thinkflash.ae website. “We can probably deliver the highest amount of revenue possible for the artists because we sell tickets through an automated ticketing system, while the partnerships that we have are probably better than anywhere else in the region.”
“People know what to expect and they know that they are not going to be ripped off for their ticket
price,” says Lickrish. In addition, because of the number of events the company does they can negotiate better rates with suppliers. “They work with us because they know they get paid on time, they know they get treated professionally, and they know that they get to work with the best in class. All of those things help us deliver the artist into the region,” he says.
