W

hile performers have a million ways to delight the crowd, at times the chemistry can be reciprocal, as demonstrated by Stevie Wonder’s performance at the 2012 Jakarta International Djarum Super Mild Java Jazz Festival on Sunday night.

The singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist sang with all his heart, his fingers dancing on the electric keyboard and piano. Upbeat songs like “The Way You Make Me Feel” featured a plethora of instruments and were mercilessly groovy, and slow numbers such as “Overjoyed” drew cheers.

Wonder also showed his penchant for boosting the crowd’s energy, asking everyone to sing together. At one point, his games delighted him so much that he threw his head back and laughed, and the energy was contagious.

He got up to sing the famed “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, prompting a sing-along, and dedicated “I’m Every Woman”, sung by his backup singers, to recently departed Whitney Houston.

Festival attendees at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, started lining up over an hour before the scheduled start of Wonder’s performance.

“I really like Stevie Wonder, and besides, he is one of the few artists who rarely play in Asia,” Angie, one of the fans lining up for the show, said.

While the line for the Wonder show was forming, Al Jarreau was scatting away to the crowd at a nearby hall, while young musicians on an open stage near the line performed a tribute to Betawi icon Benyamin.

The third day of the festival had somewhat mellow beginnings, especially because of the rain that began after midday. At 4 p.m., the smooth melodies coming from Pat Metheny’s performance at one of the expo’s halls went well with the weather.

Nearby, Barry White, clad in a glittering tuxedo, was encouraging a cheering crowd to sing with him.

This year’s Java Jazz festival, the eighth so far, aimed for 110,000 music lovers to attend the three days of concerts, PT Java Festival Production’s head of promotions Ressanda Tamaputra, said.

Angie, who is a Java Jazz regular, said the event has become more crowded over the years. “It’s good that jazz is spreading more, but it is really too crowded,” she said.