Hearts were touched and tears were shed on Friday night in a much-anticipated concert dedicated to one of Bahrain’s most beloved musical icons, Ali Bahar, with a second show to take place tonight.
The Bahrain National Theatre’s 1,001-seat hall was packed, as people gathered to hear high-art, classical renditions of popular songs as a tribute to the late Mr Bahar, nicknamed ‘the Bob Marley of Bahrain’.
A larger-than-life hologram of Mr Bahar, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), was projected onto the stage and sang the last two numbers, much to the audiences’ shock and awe.
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The show was performed by the Bahrain Philharmonic Orchestra, led by maestro Dr Mubarak Najem, and featured members three members from Mr Bahar’s band - the Brothers Band (Furqat Al Ekhwa) - along with a number of talented Bahraini singers.
Due to the overwhelming response by the music-loving public, as the show was sold out very quickly, a second show was added and is set to take place tonight.
Three members from the Brothers Band sat in the heart of the orchestra. Co-founder Sultan Al Mas on the conga, Wajeeh Hasan sang and played the bongos, while the band’s newest member Mohammed Rashid gave a memorable electric guitar performance.
“It was such a historical event that tickets were sold out within 24 hours, and the second concert was sold out in under four hours,” Dr Najem told the GDN right before the show started.
“This is unprecedented - this has not happened to a Bahraini artist before. This just speaks to the place that Ali Bahar occupies in people’s hearts and souls.
“Ali Bahar’s fans are so very loyal. These concerts aim to immortalise his memory, legacy and the works he left behind. We made sure to do the late artist justice, and to the Brothers Band as well.”
“A new generation of Bahraini talents were given the opportunity to spread their wings. Two musicians - Mohammed Rashid and Abdulla Haji - had their very first experience arranging songs for the orchestra.”
He added that the songs, originally performed by a simple five-piece band, have been transformed into grand, orchestral works, with more than a 100 classical musicians. Additional arrangements were done by Robbie G Centeno.
Mr Bahar’s vocals were performed by Bahraini singers Mohamed Qamber, Mohamed Janahi, Mohamed Al Arayedh, Ebrahim Najem and Abdulla Al Qattan, joined by the audience, of course.
Dr Najem stated that the 16 songs on the programme were carefully chosen, including Kam Anayt (How I Have Suffered), Jamal Al Kown (Beauty of the Universe), Yumma Warda (Mum is a Rose) and Balad Aini (Bahrain in my eyes).
Mr Bahar’s sons, Mohamed and Yousif, were honoured and welcomed on to the stage. The concert also gave tribute to late founding member Khalid Al Thawadi, who died late last year.
Accompanying the grand musical pieces was a series of videos and visualisations of the songs, which evoked feelings of nostalgia and had a distinctly Isa Town aesthetic - the birthplace of the band.
As the show drew to a close, the theatre hall went dark, and a projection of Mr Bahar appeared on stage, concluding with a heart-breaking ‘Irjaa’ (Come Back) and fan-favourite Arjooch (I Beg You).
His likeness even gave a speech with an (AI) generated voice, thanking the audience for their love.
The hologram was created as a lifelike composite of photographs and videos of Mr Bahar. Dr Najem’s vision to bring him to life was executed by film production company 24F.
“We wanted to present Ali Bahar at his peak, in his full glory,” 24F co-founder Yusuf Al Jafan, who was the concert’s executive producer and creative director, told the GDN. “It was a challenge to gather all the materials to make the hologram, as there aren’t that many high-resolution photos of Ali Bahar; they’re usually grainy and pixilated.
“We trained an AI software on the set of images, until it looked right.
“It was also a challenge to make the vocals match the hologram. This isn’t a 10-second video, this is a 12-minute performance, so it had to be seamless.”
When asked about the ethics of digitally reanimating a dead individual, Mr Al Jafan explained that the projection was an idea brought forth by the orchestra itself, and was created with the support and blessing of the band and Mr Bahar’s family.
“I wished the concert wouldn’t end, and the final part was the cherry on top,” lifelong fan Shaikha Showaiter told the GDN. “Even with the brilliance of the singers who performed the vocals, nothing can beat the beauty of Bu Mohammed’s (Mr Bahar) voice, its cadence and emotionality.”
However, another fan was dismayed by the projection. “It’s an odd experience being asked to clap for an AI rendition of a dead person, applauding its speech as if it’s a person standing before me. Honestly, it was unsettling,” the young man from Isa Town said.
The Brothers Band was founded in 1972, and released a total of 17 albums over their long tenure between 1986 and Mr Bahar’s untimely death in 2011, at age 51.
The Brothers Band consisted of Mr Al Mas and two sets of brothers – Ali Bahar and Isa Bahar, Ibrahim and Khalid Al Thawadi - later joined by Wajeeh Hasan in 1996, and Mohammed Rashid in 2006.
Mr Bahar, who was the lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist, was said to have created a fusion of Eastern and Western tunes, combining Latin and tango music with traditional Bahraini rhythms.
He was known to be humble and did not seem to care much about his fame, living a simple life. Since the group formed in Isa Town, it has been associated with it, becoming an intrinsic part of its culture.
“I was a huge fan of the Brothers Band, they inspired me to pick up the guitar,” guitarist Mr Rashid told the GDN. “When I was invited to play with them, I thought it was a joke.
“I went from an adoring audience member to become part of the band itself.”
Just last month, the remaining members toured in Kuwait. According to Mr Al Mas, this could be the beginning of a new era when it comes to the Brothers Band.
The concert was part of the 34th edition of the Bahrain International Music Festival, organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca).
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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