The British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys is legendary.

In 33 years of making music, Neil Tennant (vocals) and Chris Lowe (keyboards and various instruments) have consistently delivered ingenuity, authenticity and a kind of showmanship and flare that have inspired artists of several generations around the world.

Guinness World Records has rightly declared the Pet Shop Boys the most successful musical duo in the history of the United Kingdom. Their mix of innovative beats, composition and old-fashioned crooning of lyrics ' which range from camp to sardonic to socially significant and empowering ' along with fully conceptualized visual presentations through music videos, films and stage performances, have set them apart from many other synth-pop acts that came out of the 1980s.

On Aug. 17, music lovers at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center got to experience firsthand the brilliance of the Pet Shop Boys.

The duo, especially Neil Tennant, have long been vocal supporters of LGBT rights and issues, expressing their beliefs through activism and music. This spirit of freedom and self-expression they consistently spread was felt throughout the concert venue, where many same-sex couples were seen. Some even dressed in colorful matching outfits, like the Pet Shop Boys often do.

Upon entering the hall, the audience was greeted with a backdrop featuring interchanging images of a live electronic circuit board and stylized silhouettes of the duo, heightening a palpable sense of
anticipation.

As the lights dimmed, the crowd roared with excitement. The song 'Axis' from the duo's 2013 album Electric flowed through the hall. As 'Axis' faded out, the backdrop slowly lifted to reveal Chris Lowe at the keyboards and Neil Tennant with his arms spread open welcoming the audience to their first concert in Jakarta.

In keeping with their reputation for flash, the duo wore grand outfits with shiny black spikes as bright lasers rapid-fired all around them. They launched immediately into their next piece, a medley of their 1984 hit 'One More Chance' and one of their more recent hits, 'Face Like That' from the 2012 album Elysium. Next, the tempo and excitement went up with the delivery of their biting and satirical 1983 hit 'Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)'.

As the show went on, things grew more intense. The lights dimmed and again exploded to the hard-thumping beats of the octane-filled 'Integral' from their 2006 album Fundamental. This song swept over the audience as if injecting a shot of pure adrenaline through their veins causing arms to be raised and bodies to jump with excitement. It was as if the Pet Shop Boys were saying to the audience the show's just getting started.

Throughout the performance, the duo seamless weaved newer songs that may have not been too familiar to their audience with grand, long-standing hits such as 'Suburbia', 'Domino Dancing', 'West End Girls' and 'It's a Sin'.

Their sharply honed dramatic flare was felt throughout the performance, despite the relatively small stage and the presence of only two backup dancers dressed in various brightly colored costumes, including buffalo heads.

The boys know stage and lighting design like nobody's business ' and that knowledge was put to great use in their performance as lasers, lights and video projections gave the eyes a feast equal to the one the ears were getting. The light show delivered high drama, flamboyance and a feeling of vast depth to the hall; true evidence of their inspirational theatrical craftsmanship.

Extravaganza: The boys know stage and lighting design like nobody's business ' and that knowledge was put to great use in their performance as lasers, lights and video projections gave the eyes a feast. Paul Agusta

One of the many highlights of this visual presentation was when Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant stood in front of a light projector wearing disco ball hats, which shattered the light and scattered it into tiny shards throughout the hall, underlining to the audience that the Pet Shop Boys are true showmen ' and that performing is what they do best.

Maintaining an upward emotional trend throughout the show, the boys ended the main set of their performance with their massively popular rendition of the Willie Nelson/Elvis Presley hit 'Always on My Mind'.

The crowd sang along excitedly with every word until the last note when Neil Tennant thanked the audience and the lights went down as the Pet Shop boys left the stage.

Murmuring could be heard throughout the crowd, with people across the room pointing out the conspicuous absence of one of their greatest hits. The murmurs turned into a loud chorus of 'We want more!'

The lights came back on full blast as the Pet Shop Boys returned to the stage to the deliver the missing hit: their iconic cover of The Village People's song 'Go West'. The audience roared and sang along to what is arguably the band's most globally recognizable anthem.

With the crowd thinking that the hit marked the end of an incredible performance, Neil Tennant drew an audibly excited cheer from the audience, when he said, 'We have one more song for you.'

The lights died down, followed by the blasting of bright lasers and smoke in unison with the heart-pounding progressions of 'Vocal', the second single from their most recent album, Electric.

The one-two punch of 'Go West' and 'Vocal' marked the zenith of a knockout concert that gave the audience what they had hoped for and so much more.

The performance that was brought to Jakarta by concert promoter Big Daddy Entertainment reminded Pet Shop Boys fans in Jakarta why this remarkable band has always been and will always be among the best of its kind.

The author is a writer and filmmaker in Jakarta.