Bola Ray and his Empire Entertainment team brought their expertise on board again in the shape of the Ghana Meets Naija Concert and it’s no wonder some people tag it as the biggest entertainment show on the Ghanaian calendar.
This year’s edition, dubbed Rescue Mission took place last Saturday (June 9) at the Fantasy Dome, Accra International Conference Center and I present to you a comprehensive review devoid of any bias.
Hype Before the Event
The hype before Ghana Meets Naija Concert has always been massive. Of course Bola Ray has the resources to drum his message across board but for some strange reasons I didn’t see the propaganda like previous years.
Attendance
Attendance was impressive but like I said above, the hype wasn’t forceful relatively and that translated to the reality on the ground.
There were several vacant seat in the VIP and standard sections and I was like ‘what’s happening here?’
In the past, all the tickets get finished before the event to the extent that people who find themselves outside the auditorium and trying to get their way in far outnumber those inside.
I don’t know what happened this time round.
READ ALSO: Meet The Stars Who Gate-Crashed @ The Ghana Meets Naija Concert
Performances
The unending screams and ecstasy which engulfed the Dome from the moment I entered to the closing stage was indicative that patrons really had value for their money.
Overall, performances were superb, there wasn’t any dull moment at all. So let my quickly review some of the performances. I’ll only talk about the ‘main artistes’ of the night.
This means the likes of Nana Yaa, Obibini and most of the ‘undercards’ won’t make it into my list.
Kuame Eugene
The promising young musician calls himself the Rockstar and he did rock the stage. He burst onto the stage as Anas impersonator and quickly swung into full gear with his dancers.
He added some few dance moves in his routines and this gave the audience something to cheer about.
And the fact that he has several hit songs to name helped him a lot as the crowd sang along with throughout his performance.
I think he did well.
Fancy Gadam
I fell in love with Fancy Gadam’s stagecraft during the last edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2018.
The guy rocks mehhnn! His songs are not popular, apart from Total Cheat and perhaps Customer, there’s nothing else.
Nevertheless, his ability to wow the crowd and make them flow in his rhythm is what makes him one of the hottest artistes at the moment.
He brought motorbikes on stage as props but interestingly they didn’t utilize them.
KiDi
The Lynx Entertainment signee does not have a good stagecraft and it was evident his performance at the Ghana Meets Naija Concert.
He needs to infuse much energy into his performance and learn a couple of dance routines like his friend and label mate, Kuame Eugene.
Patapaa
I dare say is the biggest artiste in Ghana presently on the evidence of the spectacular show he displayed. His entry was epic and hi ability to sustain the momentum throughout his performance was awesome.
Patapaa is making hay whilst his sun shines
Yaa Pono
The Tema-based rapper is loved for his rap dexterity but the same cannot be said his stage performance. Although he did not flop, I did not see any a extraordinary thing about his act on Saturday
Mr Eazi
The Nigerian layback kind style of music translates to the way he performs onstage. Well the crowd were not bothered because as far as you have lot of hit songs, they will complement your effort on stage.
He put in an in average performance.
Mayorkun
The Mama hitmaker performed with KiDi before he later exited the stage for the latter to continue with his performance.
He wasn’t bad though but he should add more energy to his stagecraft next time.
Stonebwoy
I like Stonebwoy and his music a lot but I’ve never been impressed by his stage performance before.
Like I said earlier, the audience often ‘flow’ with artistes who have lot of hit songs and this becomes directly proportional to their output.
Well, I think he could have done better!
Wizkid
Wizkid was overshadowed by Shatta Wale and that affected his performance.
Some die-hard fans were all over him with one female clutching tightly even the combined efforts of the security guards around couldn’t detach her from the superstar.
He is a superstar and the brief moment he had on stage was appreciated by the audience.
Shatta Wale
And just like Wizkid, Shatta had a time with fans trying to mob him and all that but he still manage to drive everyone crazy with his cameo appearance.
When Wizkid introduced him on stage, the noise alone was enough to collapse the Dome. It was something else.
Setbacks
Every event has a setback and so the 8th edition of the Ghana Meets Naija concert. This was the bad side of the event I discovered.
Security
The security guards outside the auditorium performed their task well, frankly speaking. But those tasked to superintend the stage to prevent fans from jumping on stage could not handle their parts well.
Wizkid and other musicians know that fans showing their obsession for them in that manner happen often but the way that lady grabbed Wizkid’s neck for almost 3-minutes dampened his spirit, as it were.
Shatta Wale also almost suffered the same fate which nearly marred the beautiful evening.
I suggest that, the number of security men inside the main auditorium should be increased, especially those in charge of the stage protection.
Starting Time
Although the event was publicized to commence at 8pm, very late which is really uncalled for. It’s about time we respect time in this country.
Which country won the battle?
Without mincing words at all, I’ll declare Ghana the winner because of Patapaa. He literally destroyed the place.
Even some Nigerian fans gave him a standing ovation. That’s not to suggest that the Nigerian representatives didn’t do well.
However, Patapaa saved the day for Ghana.
Source: www.Ghgossip.com