A picture of Justin Bieber flashing on the screen does not augur well for a night dedicated to tunes from the 90s (and 70s, considering German band Boney M were there too). But as a voiceover calmly explained, “If you came looking for this, we truly apologise.” Cue deafening cheers.
And with that began the second Mixtape Rewind concert at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai on Friday night. The wigs, the neon dresses and the grunge, they were all there.
German Eurodance duo Snap! tried to get the party started with their 1992 hit Do You See the Light. But dogged by sound problems, it took a while for lead singer Penny Ford to pick up grooves. It was only when the beats to the next song, and one of the band’s biggest hits, The Power, came on, that the party actually began.
From Oops Up to Mary Had a Little Boy, songs Ford helped sing as part of Snap!’s original line-up, it was all smooth-sailing before the sound problems stalled the performance again. A visibly upset Ford then snapped, forgive the pun, at the DJ. “Hey, less talking OK! Just play the music,” she screamed from the stage, before she stepped things up a notch with Rhythm is dancer, their last song of the night.
A rather awkward Dr Alban was on next. Dressed in a white suit and accompanied by dancers, he began with Hello Afrika, the lead single from his debut album in 1990, and replaced Africa in the lyrics with ‘Dubai’. At 56, the Swedish singer seems to have lost a bit of his energy as he tried his best to warm the crowd. Of course, he eventually managed that with his biggest hit ever, It’s my life, which he performed twice. No complaints there.
Brit duo N-Trance began their set with Forever, and then moved on their hit covers of Staying Alive (Bee Gees) and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy (Rod Stewart). They saved the best for last with the song they were most well-known for Set You Free.
But when it comes to super duper hits that still have the power to get people on their feet dancing, the credit has to go to Boney M. Led by original band member Maizie Williams, the four-piece picked it up with Sunny, their hit cover of the Bobby Hebb song. And then, from the Caribbean-esque Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Holi-Holiday to Daddy Cool and the West Indian song Brown Girl in the Ring and that ode to the Russian mystic, Rasputin, it was all groove all the way. Until, alas, the sound problem abruptly cut them off.
Unfazed, Williams led a beautiful rendition of the classic Rivers of Babylon, by far the most well-received song of the night. They ended their set, aptly, with Gotta Go Home.
There were many dressed in 90s-themed fashion, but when the Vengaboys finally took the stage, it was clear the Amsterdam group were going all out with theirs. Kicking off with Ho Ho Vengaboys, the four-member group had the longest set of the night covering all their hits from We’re going to Ibiza, to the intense Boom Boom Boom Boom and the naughty Shalala Lala and Kiss (When the Sun Don’t Shine). By the time they sang We like to Party (The Vengabus), it looked like even the chilly Dubai air was all forgotten as the venue erupted with raucous cheers.
Justin Bieber still has a lot to learn it seems.
