Fans have rallied around Mohammed Abdu after a performance in Jeddah on the weekend went viral.
The veteran Saudi crooner, known for Khaleeji music staples Masa' Al Khair and Al Amakin, was visibly emotional during a stirring rendition of Shabeeh Al Reeh at the newly built Jeddah Super Dome on Thursday.
Translated to “Just like the wind,” Abdu choked up half way through the track as tears streamed down his face.
Footage of the performance was shared on social media amid fans and colleagues, expressing support for the revered singer.
Emirati singer Ahlam, who often referred to Abdu as the “master of the Khaleeji song” tweeted: "What made you shed these tears from pain? You broke all our hearts."
Saudi composer Fahad Al Nasser described the performance as an example of the soulful nature of Khaleeji music.
“The Arabic song cried last night and arose the Gulf melody (with its) emotion,” he posted.
Egyptian composer Walid Fayed leading the orchestra in Abdu's concert, described the stirring concert as a triumph.
“An honour for myself and orchestra to stand beside this great giant, Mr Mohamed Abdu in one of the most beautiful and greatest artistic evenings in Jeddah," he tweeted.
A song of anguish
Released in 2008, Shabeeh Al Reeh is about some of the pains and anguish we go through.
Composed by Sadeg Al Shaer, the sprawling verses are full of metaphors with life viewed as a voyage through stormy seas until we reach the serenity of salvation.
"My heart is like a tired boat and you are the wind," Abdu sang. "I am tired of trying to reach the shores of your sweet nature… I'm tired of collecting the pain of all things from the ports as I embrace your phantoms.”
Saudi Arabia’s booming concert scene
Abdu's performance comes as part of another weekend of star-studded concerts in the kingdom.
On Friday, Lebanese pop-stars Nancy Ajram and Assi El Hallani teamed up for joint performance at the four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre.
The shows continue a resurgence of the live events sector in the kingdom.
Last month saw Egyptian pop stars Amr Diab and Mohamed Hamaky also performing at the Jeddah Super Dome; while Lebanese stars Elissa and Wael Kfoury, in addition to Syrian singer Assala Nasri and Kuwait’s Nabil Shuail performed in Riyadh.
The concerts come after the General Entertainment Authority announced new safety protocols for events.
Released in May, some of the measures include requiring all those in attendance to be fully vaccinated, a 40 per cent capacity for outdoor events, social distancing of 1.5 metres and the wearing of masks.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
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• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
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- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
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2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
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4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
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Director: Laxman Utekar
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Rating: 1/5
