“It was worth it!” exclaimed a number of people after the Jan. 22 show, including fans and the promoter.

Born Shaffer Chimere Smith Jr., Ne-Yo was first scheduled to perform in Indonesia last December. Event promoter SentraLive! had planned to have him on stage with another R&B singer, Chris Brown.

Aliendheasja Fawilia

When asked about the cancellation, Ne-Yo said he did not know anything about it. SentraLive! said a misunder-standing had occurred during the booking process.

However complicated the pre-concert problems may have been, Ne-Yo smoothed things over by selecting Jakarta as the site of his one and only pre-world tour performance this year. The world tour for his latest album Libra Scale (released in November of 2010) will not begin until February of 2011 in the United Kingdom.

Local performers Soulvibe, Maliq & D’essentials, Ello, DJ Twist and DJ Mikey Moran warmed up the night. Though people paid Rp 800,000 (US$89) to watch Ne-Yo, the lineup of Indonesian artists was also well appreciated, marked by the number of screams in the venue during their performances.

Ne-Yo opened the night with Because of You, the first single from his second album Because of You, which won him a Grammy in 2008 for Best Contemporary R&B Album. As if trying to prove he is the next Michael Jackson, to whom he is often compared, Ne-Yo did little walking, but danced his way around the stage all night instead.

At Saturday’s press conference, Ne-Yo admitted he did not know where Jakarta was. However, he hypnotized 5,000 Jakartans with more than 13 songs, including a mash-up of five songs he wrote but were done by other artists like Irreplaceable by Beyonce, Take A Bow by Rihanna and Let Me Love You by Mario.

He also sang So Sick, his first hit in Indonesia, and Miss Independent, a song that won him the 2009 Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. The artist, who worked with the likes of Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Usher, also had the singles Beautiful Monster and Champagne Life from his 2010 album on his set list.

Ne-Yo’s staging with a full band was far from boring. In fact, he presented some songs with additional twists as he said he got “a little bit sick” of playing the same song over and over again. “But only a little bit,” he reassured playfully.

Sure enough, when he performed his songs, the audience threw their hands in the air energetically and danced excitedly. The absence of dancers was soon forgotten as Ne-Yo owned the stage.

Toward the end of his performance the crowd’s screams grew louder when a girl was brought onto the stage. “I can’t sing this next song unless I have someone to sing it to,” Ne-Yo said as he started singing One In A Million. Howls of jealousy echoed loudly as the girl refused to keep her hands off Ne-Yo.

The talented singer, songwriter and actor — his movie titled Battle: Los Angeles will be released later this year — finished the concert by repeating his gratitude for such enthusiastic Indonesian fans.

Engaging is the right word to describe Ne-Yo’s performance. All eyes were focused on his dance moves, all ears were concentrating on every word he said as he interacted with the audience in between songs, all lips were mouthing every lyric of every song.

While he might not know anything about Indonesia, Ne-Yo sure knows how to make a crowd shriek at the top of their lungs, especially when he tossed roses to the audience.

Staying in Indonesia for only two nights, Ne-Yo left the country with an incredible remark about his future: “Just like love, music is unpredictable.”

One thing that is predictable will be the growing number of Indonesian fans following Ne-Yo’s first successful concert in the country.   

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