JEDDAH: The Egyptian singer Mohammed Hamaki — renowned throughout the Arab world — took the stage of King Abdullah Economic City in Jeddah on Thursday. As the countdown to his appearance began, the crowd was entertained by a casanota band, whose melodies warmed up the crowds streaming into the auditorium. Then Hamaki appeared on stage to be greeted by loud cheers — it was reported that they had been heard miles away from the venue. As he finished his first song, in tribute to the crowd’s energy, Hamaki, called out “Jeddah ghair” (Jeddah is unique). He took requests from the audience and, in an interaction with them, he gave away the band’s drumsticks. The 42-year-old singer began singing along alternate lines with the audience — singing a line and then letting his fans pick up with the lyrics and notes for the next. “You all should audition for ‘The Voice’ next time. Your voices are amazing,” shouted Hamaki, a coach on The Voice Ahla Sawt. ”This concert will not be like any other I have done, because it won’t have songs from last year or recent album. We will cover songs from all 15 years of my career,” he promised. And he certainly didn’t disappoint as he opened up his songbook and delivered greatest hits such as “Ma Balash” (“Please Don’t”) “We Aftakrt” (“And I Remembered”),“Wahda Wahda” (”One by One”) and “Kan We Kan” (“It Was.”) As the performance continued the crowd and the singer’s energy seemed to increase. Buoyed up by the crowd’s reaction, Hamaki performed more songs than originally planned, then wrapped up with “Kan We Kan” and a word of thanks to the organizers who had made the event possible. “I am very excited to perform here, as this is an exceptional concert,” Hamaki told Arab News. “I love the people here, they are very hospitable and professional.” “I have performed in many countries before, but performing here in Saudi Arabia for the first time is so exciting. I hope to put smiles on my fans’ faces.” He certainly succeeded in his ambition as fan Sarah Ahmad, 23, who summed up the feelings of many, when she said: “I can’t believe a day has come where I am able to see Hamaki live. I am such a big fan of his.”