IAN TIMBERLAKE/AFPr
Legendary Arab singer Rashed al-Majed gave his fans three encores inr the Saudi capital recently. Why not? They had waited about three rdecades for such a show. r
Majed opened for Mohammed Abdu as part of what one music lover rcalled a "paradigm shift" in the conservative Islamic kingdom, which hasr cautiously begun introducing entertainment despite opposition from rMuslim hardliners.r
Both singers have Saudi roots and are popular throughout the Arab rworld but fans said Abdu had not sung in the Saudi capital since 1988. rLocal media reported there had been no other concerts in Riyadh since rthe early 1990s, after which they were effectively banned although rprivate musical events did occur.r
"We missed them a lot," Jamal al-Onzi, a 31-year-old bank worker, rsaid of the singers. He was among the audience of 2,000 -- all men -- rwho paid between 500 and 2,500 riyals ($133-$667) for the performances rat King Fahad Cultural Centre hall. "We sold out in 30 minutes," said rHabib Rahal, of the organisers Rotana Music.r
Dressed almost exclusively in traditional white thobes and chequeredr headgear, the crowd was initially sedate despite the infectious drum rbeats and melodious strings that accompanied Majed. In the shadows, one rspectator mouthed the words and moved his arms in time to the music. rAnother tapped his left hand on his thobe. There was lots of renthusiastic shouting and calls of "Rashed" before the energy peaked, rpushing the singer to his three encores. They swayed in time to the rmusic. Some even stood up to dance. Happiness and joy r
After more than 90 minutes, it was time to do it all again when Abdur took the stage at around midnight. Less pop-influenced than Majed, the relder man sings patriotic and traditionally romantic songs. "I have rfeelings of happiness and joy and pleasure," he told reporters before rending his long absence from a Riyadh stage. Abdu gained fame long rbefore Abdulaziz al-Shudayyid was born, but the 21-year-old student saidr the veteran artist "sings for my generation." "I know by heart all his rsongs," Shudayyid said.r
Although conservatism still runs deep, there is pressure for change rin a country where more than half of the population is younger than 25 rand people are connected to the wider world through the internet. They rhave a champion at the highest levels of power in Deputy Crown Prince rMohammed bin Salman, 31, who is pushing economic diversification and rsocial reform of the oil-dependent kingdom. One of the most visible raspects has been entertainment, partly out of an economic motive to get rSaudis spending at home rather than elsewhere in the Gulf. The kingdom rstill bans alcohol, public cinemas and theatres. It usually segregates runrelated men and women in restaurants and other public places.r
But hundreds of men and women, side-by-side, clapped to the hip hop rbeat when New York theatrical group iLuminate performed in October. Thatr began an entertainment calendar that has so far included WWE wrestling rand the kingdom's first Comic-Con pop culture festival. The US-based rMonster Jam truck competition is scheduled for next week in Riyadh. rEveryone listens to music r
There has, however, been resistance. Recently, a member of the rreligious police disrupted a musical performance by a group from rMalaysia at a venue hosting Riyadh's international book fair, damaging rtheir sound system. The information ministry called it "an isolated rcase" by the religious police, whose power has been greatly reduced. A rscheduled show by Abdu last September in Riyadh did not take place, but rin January he performed without incident in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, rwidely considered somewhat more liberal than Riyadh.r
Abdulrahman al-Shaya, 28, a chemical engineer who attended the rRiyadh concert, said Saudi Arabia is going through "a paradigm shift" rwith such events that have proven popular. "This is towards the good of rthe country, and I hope they continue," he said.r
Saudi Arabia's highest-ranking cleric warned in January of the r"depravity" of cinemas and music concerts, saying they would corrupt rmorals.Eman al-Nafjan, a veteran blogger on Saudi society, culture and rwomen's issues, told AFP that the "loud fundamentalists" against music rare a minority. "Everyone listens to music," she said.r
THIS STORY IN 30 SECONDSr
Legendary Arab singer Rashed al-Majed and Mohammed Abdu performed inr Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia in the first concert there in three rdecadesr
Although conservatism still runs deep, there is pressure for change rin a country where more than half of the population is younger than 25 rand people are connected to the wider world through the internet.r
They have a champion at the highest levels of power in Deputy Crown rPrince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, who is pushing economic diversification rand social reform of the oil-dependent kingdomr
New York theatrical group iLuminate performed in Saudi in October. rSince then there has been WWE wrestling and the kingdom's first rComic-Con pop culture festival. The US-based Monster Jam truck rcompetition is scheduled shortly in Riyadh.r
There is still resistance but Eman al-Nafjan, a veteran blogger on rSaudi society, culture and women's issues states that the "loud rfundamentalists" against music are a minority.
