Amr Diab to perform in Jeddah as Saudi Arabia's concert scene ramps up

The General Entertainment Authority recently released health and safety guidelines for the running of events in the kingdom

Egypt's Amr Diab is one of the Arab world's most popular singers. Picture by Akl Yazbeck

Amr Diab has announced he will perform in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah later in June.

The Egyptian pop star shared a concert poster on his Instagram page, revealing the show will take place on June 18.

Saudi Arabian press, including television news broadcaster Al Arabiya, said the concert will take place at Jeddah Super Dome, a new venue in King Abdullah Sports City.

Tickets are set to go on sale on Thursday from Ticketing Box Office.

The move marks the first concert of the year for Diab and sets the stage for what will seemingly be another busy summer.

In May, the singer posted a picture of himself in the studio with producer Nader Hamdy with the caption "cooking something".

Last summer, Diab all but owned the airwaves after dropping a number of hit singles, including Ya Baladna Ya Helwa, an ode to his homeland that racked up more than 40 million YouTube streams, and Amaken El Sahar.

The latter came with a beachside video featuring actress Dina El Sherbiny, thus confirming their relationship status.

While Diab is no stranger to Saudi Arabia, having performed large shows in the capital Riyadh, including 2019's mega music festival MDL Beast, his return to Jeddah will be extra-special as it may well be the first concert held in one of the Gulf's exciting new venues.

Located north of the city, the Jeddah Super Dome is said to be the largest of its kind in the world, with a diameter of 210 metres. The Tokyo Dome formerly held the title with 206 metres.

The venue, however, should not be mistaken for the Jeddah Dome, in the Sharafiyah district.

The much smaller cultural venue, home to art exhibitions and poetry readings, was built in 1978 and recently underwent restoration.

Concerts are back in Saudi Arabia

Diab's concert comes after the kingdom recently announced the resumption of entertainment activities, which were previously restricted to curb the spread of Covid-19.

In May, the General Entertainment Authority released health and safety protocols for events.

Some of the measures include requiring all attendees to be fully vaccinated, a 40 per cent capacity for outdoor events, social distancing of 1.5 metres and wearing masks.

Diab’s concert is one of several organised by the authority this week.

On Thursday, Kuwait's Nabil Shuail and Syria's Assala Nasri will team up for a joint show at the Crowne Plaza – Riyadh RDC Hotel & Convention Center.

The following day, Saudi crooner Mohammed Abdo will perform in Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre.