Eminem, Justin Bieber, Kylie Minogue and Nickelback are just some of the tickets UAE music lovers will clamour for in the coming weeks.
For Jennifer Lopez fans, however, it's too late. Her November 22 performance at Dubai's Media City Amphitheatre has sold out, with the promoters Done Events confirming no more tickets will be made available.
The enthusiasm for those tickets however will pale in comparison to the expected onslaught to watch Eminem and Justin Bieber, both their shows announced yesterday.
Flash Entertainment's inclusion of the 39-year-old superstar rapper, real name Marshall Mathers, is the final piece to the year-long guessing game that is the Yasalam After-Race Concerts.
Eminem's November 4 show will round off a triple-bill beginning with Minogue on November 2 and Nickleback the following night.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter's Abu Dhabi show will be a welcome return back to the stage after a relatively quiet year on the music front. After the success of his two-part comeback albums Relapse (2009) and Recovery (2010), the rapper toured sporadically, with his last major appearances being in 2011 at Chicago's Lollapalooza Festival in August and a December tour of Australia.
The announcement sadly squashes any hopes of seeing Mick Jagger and Keith Richards performing in the Gulf for the first time; Rolling Stone was one of the names being tossed around for the F1 concerts.
Instead, fans will have to make due with the arrival of another giant world tour: the one belonging to the Canadian pop wunderkind Justin Bieber. The 18-year-old will perform at Dubai's Sevens Stadium on May 4, 2013.
Unlike the Yasalam After-Race Concerts where, let's face, it was pure guesswork (Lady Gaga and Green Day) and outright fantasies (Jethro Tull and Bob Dylan), Bieber raised expectations of his Dubai concert when on July 4 he tweeted that the Middle East will be included in his forthcoming world tour.
Bieber is expected to perform tracks from his latest sugarcoated release, Believe. Co-produced by Usher, the third album has already spawned global hits such as Boyfriend and the Big Sean collaboration As Long As You Love Me.
Eager fans can now register at www.justinbieberdubai.com to receive pre-sale information 48 hours before the tickets go on sale to the public.
The live music doesn't stop, however, with more big events and announcements on the way.
The line-up to the free pre-F1 music and cultural festival Beats on the Beach, to be held at the Abu Dhabi Corniche from November 9 to 12, is expected to be announced by Flash Entertainment next Tuesday.
The multi-night event, which drew a bumper crowd last year to see the likes of Wyclef Jean, Fatboy Slim and the Emirati star Ahlam, will return with more live acts as well as outdoor film screenings.
But before all the Formula One fun, Dubai will be the centre of the music calendar with the next instalment of Sandance, headlined by the soft rockers The Fray and the DJ Krafty Kuts on October 12 at Nasimi Beach at Atlantis The Palm.
A week later, on October 19, the music action will move to the Meydan Racecourse with the Atelier/Festival festival featuring 50 Cent, Duffy and Nelly.
And for those bemoaning the lack of fun in today's musical landscape, the Mix Tape Rewind music extravaganza is for you.
Held at the Emirates Golf Clu on November 16, the festival celebrates the brainless exuberance of Nineties pop with headliners including the English pop duo Go West, the former lead singer of Ace of Base, Jenny Berggren, Haddaway and Snap.
* For more information on the shows, visit www.timeouttickets.com
