Hey, Jakarta, are you ready to rock?

If not, you'd better prepare yourself for the Java Rockin'land Festival, Southeast Asia's biggest rock festival ever.

There are four reasons why you should put the dates of the Java Rockin'land Festival - Aug. 7 to 9 - into your organizer.

First, it is bringing to Jakarta world-class rock bands whose live performances you've probably only ever seen on TV. If you've ever wanted to see Mr. Big, Third Eye Blind or Vertical Horizon live in concert, be grateful: Your wish is granted. These three American bands will rock this city, along with other international performers including Mew, Secondhand Serenade, Bagga Bownz, Joujouka, Melee, Renaissance BLVD and Motherjane.

Surely everyone remembers the legendary Mr. Big, which split up in 2002 after a solid 14 years of performing. But surprisingly, in February this year, the band's members - Eric Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) - decided to reunite, thanks to the never-ending demand from their fans. Wouldn't it be nice to help celebrate the happy ending to this story by singing along with Mr. Big at Java Rockin'land?

Mr. Big is scheduled to perform on Aug 8. Vertical Horizon and Third Eye Blind will rock the festival on Aug. 7 and 9, respectively. But perhaps your preparations should include a cup of coffee or two: These headline acts are set to kick off their shows late at night, around 10 or 11 p.m.

But in the hours leading up to them, there will be plenty of exciting performances by local bands - and this is the second reason you should come to this festival. More than 70 local bands are scheduled to hit the eight stages set up for Java Rockin'land. Among the bands are the ever-popular /rif, Andra and the Backbone, Superman Is Dead, The Brandals, Saint Loco, Naif, Netral, Pure Saturday, J-Rocks and Slank.

With such a range of rocking performers in just one event, why think twice about joining the crowd? And do it for your city too; after all, we're striving to recover our reputation after those bombs a few weeks ago. By showing our confidence in this festival, we can show the world that Indonesia is a safe - and cool - place to visit. There's reason number 3 for attending Java Rockin'land.

After the bombings at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels on July 17, there was plenty of discussion about whether Java Rockin'land should go ahead or not. But the organizer, Java Festival Production, confirmed the show must go on.

"Safety, in fact, has become our main concern *after the bomb attacks*," the organizer said in a press release. "But letting the perpetrators scare us away, and cause Java Rockin'land to be cancelled, is like saying yes to their threats and demands."

The organizers have explained that they're coordinating with the Jakarta Police and the Jakarta government in ensuring high-level security measures are in place for the festival. The organizer is confident enough to go ahead with Java Rockin'land because of their long experience in holding international music festivals such as the Java Jazz Festival and the Java Soulnation Festival.

"More than anything, music is one way to spread the word on democracy, tolerance and harmonious life within society, and peace," the organizer said, adding that "canceling a music festival, in our opinion, could mean we hamper this effort".

The international artists have confirmed their support for this event, with Third Eye Blind sealing their agreement in performing for Java Rockin'land right after the bombings. So if the artists themselves are ready to be there for the Indonesian crowd, why shouldn't we show our support, too? After all, there's not that much else of interest in town next weekend, so Java Rockin'land could be the best way to spend your weekend.

And since the festival will be held at Carnaval Beach Ancol, in North Jakarta, you can just imagine how much fun it will be to share the euphoria by the seaside. So, there is the fourth and final reason why you should commit to Java Rockin'land on Aug. 7, 8 and 9.

If any or all of these four reasons are compelling enough for you, drop by www.javarockingland.com for more information on booking tickets. Tickets are Rp 200,000 for a daily pass and Rp 500,000 for a three-day pass.

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