Yasalam: Everybody wins in race to have a good time

Abu Dhabi was filled with partygoers over the F1 weekend, with concerts and gigs ranging from the high-end Skybar events on Yas Island to the free Beats on the Beach secene on the Corniche.

Revellers get in the mood on the Corniche where the UAE band Dahab played a set as part of Yasalam's Beats on the Beach programme.

The Formula One Grand Prix maybe widely known as a high-speed race, but in Abu Dhabi the event also brings with it music festivals, exclusive balls and glamorous after-parties.

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From last Wednesday till the parting of Paul McCartney's concert in Yas Arena last night, the capital's music lovers, residents and just plain curious have been treated to an eclectic array of artists spanning genres and cultures with the Beats on the Beach music festival at the Corniche and the Formula One concerts occurring on Yas Island after each day.

Some performers had to work harder than others to win the crowd's favour. South Korea's Seo In Young may be a bona fide pop star in her homeland, but she received a cool reception with her opening salvo of songs.

Dressed in a skimpy, sequinned outfit and surrounded by five red-leather-clad dancers, In Young struggled early on to gain the crowd's attention - with the exception of the small pockets of cheering South Korean fans - before resorting to the desperate, yet most effective tool in a performer's arsenal: flattery.

"This is my first time in the UAE and after watching Sex and the City I really wanted to come here," she said, through an interpreter, to cheers.

Backstage, the sweating singer was consoled for her inconsistent performance by running into her glamorous compatriots, 9 Muses. The supersized girl band were due to perform the following day and decided to come early and check out the festivities. The shrieks and laughter as both sets of performers met each other was akin to the first day of high school.

Meanwhile, inside one of the artist tents, Wyclef Jean was wrestling with a questionnaire supplied to him by The National, (to be published in a forthcoming issue). But it wasn't the esoteric, Marcel Proust-style questions that troubled the performer and Haiti presidential candidate.

"How do you spell McLaren?" he asked. "Can you check it on your phone, I wanted to get it right."

Satisfied with his answer, Jean returned the questionnaire triumphantly - only to realise he had misspelt the word "swimming".

Friday night's festivities kicked off in earnest with the city hosting the triple bill of Beats on the Beach, the Britney Spears concert and the Skybar late-night parties. All of it proved to be too much for an overwhelmed taxi driver named Mohammed.

"You can't believe it, sir, too much crowded," he said on the way to the Formula One Grand Chequered Ball at St Regis on Saadiyat Island. "Sometimes I must close my door because people rush and they hit the windows!"

In a spooky scene resembling The Shining, Ferraris and limousines carefully drove down a pitch-black driveway - no lights have been erected on the in-progress island - in an attempt to find the ballroom.

Already stressed, Mohammed's nerves were further frayed as the path to the venue included dodging ushers in reflector suits.

"What is this?" he shouted. "Are you sure this is the place, sir?"

While the ball was a fun affair, it was hard to shake off the feeling it was being held in a half-built mansion. The pre-ceremony drinks at the terrace compounded the surreal nature of the event; the laughter and chatter of VIPs were nearly drowned out by three huge generators powering equipment for a team of labourers working in the dark.

It was a slicker affair back on Yas Island at Skybar; with the bold and the beautiful sashaying their way into the purpose-built super-club. However, Jonathan, an American visitor, seemed to be having trouble stumping up the Dh600 entry fee.

The fact that he carried a plastic bag full of clothes also alerted security guards that he might not be up to the standard of the club's exclusive clientele.

Jonathan explained he was no mere reveller, but an asylum seeker as well. "I am escaping Belgium," he said, deadpan.

"The problem was, dress too well and if you just bling-out like I do, people down there just attack you and steal your money. But if you are tourist they will protect you, they seem to know the difference … Belgium is a wild place, I hope the UAE will accept me."

While he has his work cut out for him in seeking sanctuary, Jonathan apparently did somehow gain entry to the club without payment.

"I talked them into it," he beamed. "But they did say to leave the bag outside."

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