In Abu Dhabi – three hours of non-stop music from leading tribute acts

The Concert That Never Happened, which is at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, promises to be an all-killer, no-filler affair, with five tribute acts.

Jody Jackson has been performing as a Madonna tribute act for six years. Courtesy Jody Jackson

Madonna, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Cher and R Kelly all together on the bill at one mammoth pop concert? It sounds too good to be true.

Well, it is – but for the next-best thing, don’t miss The Concert That Never Happened at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Friday, March 27.

The event will feature more than three hours of back-to-back hits performed by some of the leading British cover bands and solo tribute acts.

While the songs may not be breaking new ground, the gigs sometimes do, as Madonna impersonator Jody Jackson found out in December.

“The email said: ‘Do you do funerals,’ and I said yes, even though I never had,” she says.

“It was a young guy who had died and was a massive Madonna fan. They wanted me to perform at the church, but they realised it was too much messing about to set it up, so I did a show at the wake. There was lots of dancing and crying.”

After six years as a Madonna tribute act, Jackson says she is not surprised by the demand for her show and others like it.

She says Madge’s eclectic career and wide reach have made it easy for any decent cover act to deliver an entertaining show.

“She has so many No 1 hits that many people know the songs,” she says. “I am never struggling when it comes to material for my show. If anything, it is always a question of which songs to put in.”

After tours of the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and her current visit to the UAE, Jackson is setting her sights on the lucrative cruise-ship market.

“You can make a lot of money on the ships,” she says. “After shopping around, I found someone to make the musical arrangements for me for that, so I plan to be on the ships later this year.”

For Olu Rowe, the Abu Dhabi show marks an international premiere of sorts – it’s the first time he has taken his solo R Kelly tribute show overseas.

“He has collected a lot of hits over the years,” says Rowe. “He also has this great swagger when he performs, so it makes for a really good show.”

Rowe had a taste of R Kelly's appeal in Dubai back in 1998 when he performed in a cover band. "I remember I sang I Believe I Can Fly and that would smash it," he recalls. "That would stop the room back in the day."

• The Concert That Never Happened is on Friday, March 27, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Sas Al Nakhl. Tickets start at Dh150 at www.platinumlist.net. Doors open at 6pm, show at 7pm