| Publish Date: Tuesday,15 March, 2005, at 11:35 AM Doha Time |
TAKE A massive sand dune, sprinkle on some musicians, add a dash of colour with some vivid banners, provide the right ambience with brilliant lighting and spread the word.
That was precisely what happened on Friday as thousands of music lovers converged on giant dunes between Salwa Road and Mesaieed for Dunestock 2005, Qatar’s version of the legendary American rock music festival Woodstock.
These majestic golden dunes, shaped by the wind into characteristic crescents that drift slowly across the stony floor of the desert, have long been a popular venue for weekend relaxation for both locals and expatriates.
For many years an event known as ‘Starry Night in the Dunes’ has been held there in December, when western expatriates gather for an evening of festivities and seasonal singing.
But no event on the scale of Dunestock has ever taken place - until now that is.
Inspired by the success of the last ‘Starry Night’, Doha Players members Andy Baldwin, Gerard Kennedy and Peter Phillips realised that the dunes are a perfect venue for an open-air concert.
“Starting out as a small scale idea for a bit of fun in the desert, we set up a group in January 2005 to organise a live music night,” said Gerard Kennedy. “We thought maybe we would have a few musicians and an audience of two or three hundred people.”
How wrong they proved to be.
Fifty-seven musicians rocked their 2,500-strong audience with 11 hours of non-stop music.
The aim of organising Dunestock was to raise funds for new seating and carpeting for the popular Doha Players theatre in West Bay. After hundreds of performances over the past 25 years, renovations to the furnishings are badly needed.
The organisers had hoped that Dunestock would raise a few thousand riyals for the seating fund.
But the event proved so popular that the numbers of people attending exceeded all expectations.
The Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Resources gave its permission for the event and the team from the Doha Players began the mammoth task of organising the event.
A huge stage was erected facing one of the largest dunes by the Qatar Al Attiyah Scaffolding Division, with sophisticated lighting by Class Act, both providing their services for a fraction of the normal cost.
Hempel Paints provided the hues that went into the large colourful banner on the stage and other companies, such as Qatar Kentz supplied the crane to install the toilet block at a very substantial discount to the Players while Spacemaker provided an entrance booth and flooring for the stage free of charge.
Without such generous help it would not have been possible to stage this event.
The crowds began to arrive and simply kept on coming.
Tickets were sold out before the event even began so the newcomers simply paid at the entrance. All the performers provided the music for free.
A huge variety of talent was on offer, ranging from the semi-professional Doha Jazz Orchestra, led by the American School’s head of music Mark Seay, to aspiring young musicians from the Doha College, who made up for their comparative lack of sophistication with enthusiasm, and won the hearts of the crowd.
The music ranged from jazz, blues and rock through to folk singers such as the group Coarse, Rough and Direct, always popular with Doha Players audiences.
In all, 18 bands and groups turned up to entertain the crowd, with musicians from Britain, America, Canada, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The audience was equally international with people from all corners of the world enjoying themselves under the skies.
As night fell, the lights came on, powered by a huge generator supplied by Byrne Equipment Rental at cost price.
Hundreds of people climbed the great dune, and lasers projected patterns on to the dune and dancing lights over the crowd, producing a magical effect.
Crowds of excited children danced under the coloured lights in front of the stage.
Among the groups performing under the stars were Mojo, comprising guitarists Gerard Kennedy and Alan Burne, bass player Kevin Henty and Mark Carter on the drums, who play regularly at the Movenpick and Ramada Hotels and the Golf Club.
Other entertainment was provided by Mel and Billy’s Allstars, a blues group, Hard Khor from Al Khor who play rock music, and Soul Syndicate, a newly formed 11-piece band which plays mainly soul music.
A brand new group, G-Force, was formed specially for Dunestock, headed by singer Andy Baldwin, most of its members also appearing with other groups performing at the feista.
The food and beverages for the enthusiastic spectators was provided at a discount price by Powerhouse and Garveys Club with many a family preferring to camp overnight on the dunes.
“We were overwhelmed at the response,” was the response of organiser Gerard Kennedy afterwards.
“This is the first festival of its kind in Qatar and, we believe, in the whole of the Gulf region. The fact that everyone had such fun is worth all the hard work we put in, and we are already planning to repeat Dunestock next year.”
Doha Players is still delightedly counting the takings, but it is estimated that the event raised between QR50,000-60,000, more than enough needed for the Seating Fund.
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