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28 March 2024

Shah Rukh, Ricky Martin, Axwell promise an all-star cast in UAE lead-up to NYE

Shah Rukh Khan (AFP)

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

Whip out those binoculars and keep the finger on the trigger, as the UAE will go snap happy with the promise of celebrity sightings in the lead-up to a New Year’s Eve celebration.From Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond, some of the top names, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ricky Martin, Eva Longoria Parker, Susan Boyle and several others will be walking the red carpet in an action packed spectacle over the next six weeks.

Emirates 24|7 shines the spotlight on some of the biggest acts from showbiz and all that razzle dazzle that lays in wait.

Alicia Keys - November 15

She will ‘Set the World on Fire’ with her powerful vocals and the boys and girls and Done Events promise a sizzling performance by none other than the Grammy winner, Alicia Keys, who will be performing for the third time in the UAE on November 15.

The 32-year-old will take to the stage at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, bringing the world tour of her fifth studio album.

The double whammy at her concert is the return of R&B performer, Jason Derulo who will feature as Key’s supporting act.

Fans of Derulo will certainly cheer his comeback after a serious neck injury that has kept him in recovery mode for nearly a year.

Tickets for the concert start at Dh295.

Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone – December 1

If you ever needed an excuse to stay firmly put for the National Day weekend celebrations, then we give you five of them, namely Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Madhuri Dixit, Jacqueline Fernandez and Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Duvent, a part of Meraas Leisure and Entertainment, bring the ‘Access All Areas’ concert, which will be high on star quotient, production value and entertainment elements at the 25,000-seater Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sports City.

The mega event is expected to feature a grand entry for each star, followed by never-before-seen acts guaranteed to keep the audience riveted until the curtains come down on the final act. 

Susan Boyle – December 13

If you are a fan of music with soul then you cannot miss the Scottish superstar’s first ever international concert next month in Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi Cricket Club under the Chairmanship of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community and AUH Live, present the Grammy-nominated British singing sensation Susan Boyle as the first headline act at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The international chart-topping artist from Scotland will perform under the stars in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of world-class entertainment for an all-ages audience on Friday, 13th December.

Boyle won hearts around the globe with her jaw-dropping performance at the 2009 auditions for ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

She has carved out a phenomenally successful international career, with four record-breaking studio albums and numerous accolades.

This show in Abu Dhabi marks the first time she has ever performed a full concert live outside of her home country.

With reserved outdoor seating for 11,000 people, fans will be treated to 75 minutes of Boyle’s exquisite renditions of dozens of classics from across the decades including her greatly anticipated duet with Elvis Presley.

Boyle made worldwide headlines recently when it was announced she is the first British artist ever to have a posthumous duet with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll featured on their album.

Her fifth studio album ‘Home For Christmas’ features the duet with Elvis.

Tickets to the concert start at Dh250.

Creamfields – December 13

As one of, if not the most influential dance acts on the planet, The Prodigy will be headlining the 2013 instalment of Creamfields Abu Dhabi, bringing their unique high energy sound for dance music fans of every age.

With a career spanning 20 years, The Prodigy have taken the rave genre and reshaped it into techno and electronic rock with huge chart success.

Joining the group at the top of the bill will be one of the most famous and successful producers of the last six years, Calvin Harris.

Through his own tracks and collaborations, Harris has stormed to chart success combining with the likes of Rihanna, Kylie Minogue and Dizzee Rascal along the way.

Above & Beyond are welcomed back to this year’s Creamfields Abu Dhabi by an ever-growing following of UAE dance fans. Placed at number eight of the top 100 DJ poll in the world, the group continue to expand an already vast back catalogue of dance-floor fillers, 13 years since the creation of their own record label.

Making their Middle East debut at Creamfields Abu Dhabi are the English pair named one of the top acts to watch for 2013, Disclosure. The group have cemented their status as the hottest property in dance music with an ever-growing collection of chart topping singles.

Regional artists Hollaphonic, maDJam, Omar Basaad, Gunther and Stamina, Ronin and Nesta, Genie and Stacktraxxx, Angelo and Asphyxia, Mr. Mr, Mark Pick Up and, Smokingroove to flaunt their skills alongside global superstars.

Organised by Flash Entertainment, tickets start from Dh 275 for General Admission along with a VIP standing option for Dh 595

Asha Bhosle – December 13

The legendary Indian singer, Asha Bhosle will celebrate her 80th Birthday, and the 70th Anniversary of a monumental career, underscoring her contribution to the glorious century of the Indian Film Industry with a mega event at the Dubai World Trade Centre on December 13.

The event is conceptualised as an unplugged musical dialogue with the diva.

An audience with this celebrity is something that is much sought but completely unheard of, in this part of the world.

In fact, this is the first ever international event of her speaking to a live audience with bursts of singing to connect key events and milestones in her life.

Tickets for the event start at Dh100 and go up to Dh2,000.

Eva Longoria, Ricky Martin – December 14

Two iconic stars, namely Eva Longoria and Grammy winner Ricky Martin,  will be headed to Dubai for a charitable cause for the Global Gift Gala that will be hosted in Dubai on December 14.

The Global Gift Gala is a unique international fundraising initiative that forms part of the Global Gift Foundation.

The Galas were launched in 2005 with the aim of making a difference in the lives of women and children around the world. The foundation is chaired by actress, activist and philanthropist Eva Longoria, who together with founders Maria Bravo and Alina Peralta, is changing the meaning of philanthropy through dedication to making a positive global impact.

“We are proud to endorse this important international initiative taking place in the UAE for the first time. Global Gift Foundation has successfully been raising funds to support the needs of underprivileged women and children and has so far raised almost USD 1.6 m this year alone at the worldwide Global Gift Galas,” said Eduardo Leemann, CEO of Falcon Private Bank that is organising the event.

For the first edition of the Gala in Dubai, Global Gift Foundation and Noor Dubai Foundation will unite forces, raising funds to provide support and medical care to vulnerable groups in Dubai with the hope of creating a world free from preventable forms of blindness.

Global Gift Foundation will be collaborating with The Eva Longoria Foundation and Sunrise K Foundation to help raise awareness of women and children in need.

Longoria will honour humanitarian Ricky Martin with the “Global Gift Humanitarian” Award for his philanthropic work promoting the well-being of children relating to education, health and social justice.

Chicago – December 19 onwards

It is time for all that jazz as one of Broadway’s biggest spectacles returns to Dubai for a two-week run that promises all the razzle dazzle of a musical as legendary as ‘Chicago’.

From December 19, organisers Yak Events will bring its jazz hands and dark tale of inner city corruption to the Dubai World Trade Centre, which will open with the immortal line: “Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption and violence, exploitation and treachery, all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”

And the pace and atmosphere - and light hearted narration – doesn’t stop from there, as the Grammy award winning musical takes you back a century, to a time of fame, fortune and all that jazz.

Set amidst the decadence of the 1920s, ‘Chicago’ is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and cabaret dancer who maliciously murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her.

Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

The longest running American musical on Broadway, will host 20 shows in Dubai that will feature more than 40 dancers and musicians across the holiday period.

Tickets and VIP packages are available now prices starting from Dh245.

Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour – December 30 onwards

Back in 1994, nearly a decade before the likes of Madonna and Justin Bieber discovered the UAE, there was a certain Mr Michael Jackson who announced to his fans that Dubai was to be his city of choice to extend his ‘Dangerous’ world tour.

Unfortunately, it was the concert of the season that never really took flight when Jackson left devastated fans and organisers, The Talent Brokers, in the lurch, cancelling the gig without a single official explanation for his eccentric behaviour; albeit the rumour mill has often coughed up the name of the late Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor as being a defining point in his life at the time.

While it’s water under the bridge now, Jackson’s turn in the spotlight here will remain an unrealised dream for UAE fans after the ‘King of Pop’s’ untimely demise in June 2009, mere weeks before ‘This Is It’ was scheduled to hit the road.

“We can never have Michael back, but what we bring to you is the next best thing,” came the passionate response from renowned celebrity choreographer and one of the four dancers on Jackson ‘Dangerous’ tour, Jamie King.

As the creative director behind ‘Michael Jackson – The Immortal World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil’, King said the world renowned sold-out show is a tribute to the legend, the icon that once mesmerised the world with his music.

The Cirque Du Soleil visual spectacle, which will be hosted in the emirate during the 20th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival, will be staged from December 30 to January 14, which organisers Duvent, describe as ‘directing a legacy that is a fitted tribute to the legend’.

The show will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre arena, with tickets ranging from Dh295 to Dh2,295.

Axwell – December 31

It’s New Year’s Eve and its Sandance. With a combination such as this, all you need is a blend of electro dancing to get you into the mood as Axwell returns to Dubai for this one night performance.

The one-third of the Swedish House Mafia, this four-time Grammy-nominated producer and remix king will spin the decks and get the crowd reeling to tracks such as ‘Don’t You Worry Child’, ‘Save the World’ and so much more.

Some more top names will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets are priced Dh395 and Dh600 for this mega event, which will be held at Nasimi Beach on Atlantis The Palm.