ROCKIN’ THE UAE
by Aryeman Raj, Staff Writer
Gulf News, nited Arab Emirates
July 13, 2006 Thursday
Sisters Jackie Wartanian and Lara Teperdjian are the people who brought
Sting, Shaggy, Tom Jones and Whitney Houston to Dubai. The organisers
of the Desert Rock festival tell Aryeman Raj why their job rocks.
These two sisters certainly are "doing it for themselves" – as Annie
Lennox would have it.
Armenians Jackie Wartanian and Lara Teperdjian of Center Stage
Management have brought many big-name performers to Dubai, including
Shaggy, Tom Jones, Sting, Whitney Houston and Enrique Iglesias. Yet
they’ve made their mark as the organisers of the Desert Rock festival,
which – in its third year – attracted an audience of 8,000 in March.
"Having a rock festival in Dubai was a dream for me," says
Teperdjian. "Years ago ? I told Jackie that I would love to produce
a rock festival in Dubai like Rock in Rio or Rock am Ring (in Germany).
I wanted to have the same energy that other festivals got from their
audiences, which you don’t get from a one-off show."
Convincing her older sister was a difficult task. Wartanian was
content organising other shows that were safer bets. Yet Teperdjian
persevered and gradually won her over to the idea.
"I would have never thought of the rock festival, but she got me
thinking," says Wartanian. "Her strong conviction and innate confidence
of ‘Let’s do what nobody else has done’ amazed me. I realised that
this magic would work."
The sisters, who have lived in the UAE for 30 years, have music in
their blood. Their recently deceased father, who also worked in the
music business, tried to dissuade them from entering the field.
Yet the pair – who’ve organised concerts in Dubai since 1999 – have
since learnt that he was proud of their work. They share their vision
for the Dubai rock industry with Friday.
How did you conceptualise the Desert Rock festival?
Lara Teperdjian: We wanted to create an oasis of rock, fun and
togetherness for a day or two in the desert. I wanted to do something
drastically different; something that could mean pure enjoyment for
the entire family.
What makes rock festivals so special?
Jackie Wartanian: It is a new concept that we brought to the UAE, even
though there have been many around the world, such as Rock in Rio,
the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, Ozzfest and others.
A rock festival isn’t just about the bands or who are performing
or appearing, it is about spending a whole day out with friends and
family. You get more than just a performance – there are activities,
extreme sports, merchandise being sold, food and drinks.
It also caters for different types of people with different types of
music genres – from mainstream bands to British rock, classic rock
and alternative rock or heavy metal. It satisfies a huge range of
people who love music in general.
How did you get involved in the music business?
LT: While growing up, we were always surrounded by music. Jackie
always listened to the classics like Journey, Eagles, Reo Speedwagon
and Queen. I started getting into the harder rock in my college days.
I listened to Disturbed and techno rock like The Prodigy.
Our father was involved in the entertainment industry a long time
ago, but he was against us joining it. But somehow, music had already
infiltrated our bloodstream.
JW: Organising festivals – from the planning stage to the time when
the lights go on – is pure excitement. Our adrenalin keeps pumping
as it gets closer to the day. When we see people smiling, jumping,
releasing their stress and enjoying the moment, the experience they
will take with them is the ultimate thrill. Music is our passion and
we are lucky to make it our business.
Having been part of the entertainment industry himself, why didn’t
your father encourage you to venture into the same field?
JW: Dad (John Teperdjian) was a financier and was involved with a
studio organising shows like the Grammy Awards. (Prior to coming
to the UAE, we lived in the US.) He (felt) the entertainment arena
wasn’t a good place for a lady to be in.
LT: Dad passed away in August, 2005. Although he had never been to any
of the shows we organised, we learnt from (others) that he praised
the job we were doing to promote rock music in the UAE. Our mother
(Angel) is on tenterhooks whenever she sees me struggling to meet the
deadlines for a show. But once she sees the exuberant reactions from
the audiences, a smile lights up her face.
You’ve been through some hardship. Is it true Jackie was hospitalised
when one of the lead performers backed out of one of your shows?
JW: Well, the only shocker we have ever experienced would be Limpbizkit
backing out within 48 hours before the show (in 2004).
They decided to fly to the US directly (rather than stop over) and
gave no excuse for their fans here in Dubai. We were at the airport
waiting to receive them and I got a call that they weren’t arriving.
Yes, I was hospitalised, it was a stressful moment and a learning
experience. We had sold 8,000 tickets and were expecting to sell more
on the same day. After (they) backed out, we had to refund most of
it and also take the blame for it.
We ended up having 3,000 people to see the other bands. Besides this,
local band Juliana Down also didn’t perform. I would not wish this
to happen to any promoter, especially in your inaugural festival.
Because of this situation, sponsors pulled out and some asked (for)
half (their money) back and so on. We had to rebuild our relationship
with the media, audiences and companies ? and prove to them that
it was not our fault. I was almost going to call it quits, but with
encouragement from Lara and my staff we are in our third year now.
Lara, you seem to have been the pillar of strength when things went
wrong. Otherwise, it might have been the end of the festival.
LT: I told her (Jackie) I didn’t want our dream of promoting rock
music to end like this. This was just one bump on the road. As sisters,
we have a strong tendency to never give up.
We knew we could make rock festivals happen here. We made a mistake
by choosing the wrong artist, but you learn from mistakes. We were
charged up to make it even better the following year.
What are the UAE audiences like?
LT: The crowd out here realises that rock music gives you power and
relief. It de-stresses you when you are screaming, jumping up and down.
This year, we sold the tickets without announcing which bands would
be performing. We want people to understand the music, we want to
educate them – through radio and other media – that this is a great
day of having fun with music. We revamped the festival concept to be
an all-day outing with food and fireworks.
What does the public want out of a rock festival?
JW: All (people want) is to have a good time and see their favourite
artists perform. Unless you are in the industry, you will not know
or care how a festival is put together. We are still educating the
people in the UAE about what a festival is all about and about the
different types of music that are out there.
How innovative and creative are you in your approach to rock festivals?
JW: We love to be as creative as possible. We like to come up with new,
interesting ideas to keep audiences entertained or shocked. When they
leave the festival we want them to have the ‘wow’ factor. We always
seek to push the envelope, trying to be different.
What obstacles do you face when approaching performers?
JW: Most of the bands love playing in places they have never been to.
It is also interesting for them to see they have fans in the Middle
East that they didn’t know about. But first trying to go through
their agents is the hardest part in getting the bands to come.
Why are rock musicians put on a pedestal?
JW: Rock stars have a connection with their fans, not only through
their lyrics but also through the charity work and concerns they put
forward to help the community. Rock never dies.
The UAE fans are very similar to those in Europe and the US. They
are many and they are underground, waiting to come out.
We get e-mails every day begging us to have (various) metal bands
perform at the festivals. There are many metal fans out there – not
just in the UAE, but also in Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt –
and they are die-hard fans.
Tell us about the most outrageous incident you’ve experienced
involving fans.
LT: There was this young kid who tried to get past the green room
security guard. He claimed that he was the long-lost brother of the
artist and needed to re-unite with him. Seriously, loads of fans want
to meet the band or lead singers whom they adore.
Different genres of rock music appeal to different people. Have times
changed with the rock scene? Who sells now?
LT: Rock is not just for the youth. Our audiences range from 13 to
50. Classic rock bands always top the list in (terms of) selling out
(tickets). For the British rock groups, (the most popular bands)
would have to be the Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Stereophonics,
U2 and Coldplay.
For hard rock, it is Disturbed while for alternative rock, it
would have to be Nickelback. Also, you will always have the hard
metal/thrash scene.
Do you get a lot of people returning each year? Is the festival
attracting attention overseas?
JW: When people come to Desert Rock, they leave wanting to know what
is going to happen next or who is coming next year.
Once we announce the next date, we get calls asking if it is true that
this or that band is coming. The tickets are being sold outside the
country faster than locally. This year, we had people coming from the
US, UK, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia – even Russia and Iran.
LT: We have changed and improved our media coverage and have (gained
more) international coverage. We have managed to put the UAE rock
scene on the international music circuit.
What are your upcoming events?
JW: Coming up is the Desert Rhythm Festival on October 26, a world
music festival. We’re also organising Shamal 2006: The Battle 4 Dubai
Desert Rock Festival in December, which will help search for the most
talented unsigned rock band in and around the Middle East.
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