So last Saturday night thousands of patrons including myself witnessed what is most likely to be the best musical concert ever to be organized in Ghana. Days later, and I just simply can’t get Saturday night’s beautiful spectacle off my mind. In short, if organizers keep up like this, we might start taking them seriously. Here are my thoughts on the concert. It was a good show but as usual, a few hitches here and there could have been avoided.

VIP and Standard Tickets

For the first time in my concert going years, this must have been the best supervision for tickets. There have been instances where people with standard tickets got even better seats than people with VIP tickets. This usually makes the ticket distinctions irrelevant.

However, right from the main entrance of the auditorium, the sheep were separated from the goats. There were two separate routes to get to the auditorium, making it almost impossible to sneak into the VIP seats which were downstairs. Unfortunately, I got a standard ticket and after last Saturday, I am never getting a standard ticket to Ghana Meets Naija.

The VIP ticket holders had access to the red carpet, media cameras and the chance for patrons to mingle with the celebrities around. This and many other treatments are and were very necessary to motivate a lot more people to opt for VIP tickets, next time. Event organizers can take a cue from this and make VIP tickets more enviable and attractive.

Security and Ushering

For many concert goers like myself, security can be a huge concern. We have heard stories were patrons have had their belongings such as phones, cash, jewelries and other valuable items snatched from them, due to little or no security at all.

Also, even when there is tight security, the security around can be a little intimidating and sometimes even end up causing some disturbances here and there. However, it was a totally different situation last Saturday. There was more than enough security present if you ask me. But they were so friendly, warm and very assuring. They initiated conversation and you could just flaunt your valuables around without any fears. They checked tickets with broad genuine smiles on their faces and really complimented the work of the ushers around. The male ushers were ever ready to support those of us in really high heels up the stairs and let me repeat, they were super friendly.

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The Football Match

Whoever suggested this idea of showing the Europa match on the screens while we waited for the show to start did a really good job. Otherwise, patrons who arrived early would have been bored to death. Also, many football fans would have been tempted to sit at home and watch it before coming for the program which could have delayed. The really ardent ones would have boycotted the concert all together just to watch the match at home. So, the organizers decided to kill two birds with a stone: which was to satisfy the football fans and to avoid any delays. Patrons enjoyed the match which aired on two giant screens and it was so interesting even for the non-football fans like myself.

We enjoyed the game altogether and the good news is, the show started right after the match ended. It was a win win for everyone.

Stage Set and Lights

Honestly, I don’t know who was behind the set, but whoever was deserves an award. It was simple, yet elaborate and things were just crystal clear. The lights complemented the stage in a perfect way and for once, patrons were not blinded, neither did we have to strain our eyes. They did a very good job with that.

DJ Black and His Magic Fingers

If I ever doubted DJ Blacks sovereignty in disk jockeying in Ghana, Last Saturday night just got rid of my doubts. He showed us enough proof as to why he is the undisputed number one DJ in the country.

His mixes and energy had their own magic on the crowd. He did a really good job as well. He also from time to time introduced some of the acts on stage and in my opinion, made the work of the MC of the night a little useless and rather irrelevant. The organizers should consider letting DJ Black handle everything himself next time—a new concept.

Opening Acts

You can always determine the success of a concert of this kind by the opening acts. And after the first four performances, I knew I was going to get my time and money’s worth. The curtain raiser was Koo Ntakra, the winner of the MTN Hitmaker Season Two. He did his rap to an Adowa beat which was produced live on stage by some traditional drummers. It was very unique and it portrayed his versatility and his ability to rap with a live band: a technique many of his colleague rappers would kill for. He later introduced a new act, a new kid on the block: a very young rap artist with the attitude of a multi-million artist. In short, that guy has a huge potential and should be supported.

Next came Mz Vee and her very charging intro of a group of men clad in military apparel. Her costume also had the navy theme and was very catchy. She entertained us with some of her hit songs and some very sexy moves to go with it. She was followed on stage by another new dancehall artiste by the name AK the Songstress. She also gave a very electrifying performance and even though we didn’t know many of her songs, she got us screaming and jumping with her energy.

After these two acts, a lot of us concluded that Kakkie needed to sit up when it came to her stage presence as these two girls pose huge threats with their class and energy.

Then came Guru and Lil Win, who for minutes got us on our feet jamming and laughing at the same time. Although Lil Wins performance was cut short, we still had the best of him. (My thoughts on his alleged endorsing weed on stage will come later)

Main Artistes on the Bill

To me, Sarkordie was the man of the night, followed by Shatta Wale, Guru, Castro, Edem and the rest of the Nigerian acts. I expected the headlines to read “Ghana Murdered Nigeria Last night at the AICC.” The Ghanaians owned the night last Saturday and for once in a very long time, I felt very proud to be Ghanaian.

Shatta Wale showed us why he is the man of the moment and how the organizers would have made a huge mistake for not putting him on the bill. And Sarkodie was just awesome. Castro kept way too long on stage. A little advice for Davido, please do away with the entourage next time on stage. He can maintain the really big and tall guy, at least he was very interesting to watch and he got some really interesting dance moves. The other two guys who came on stage with him were a nuisance and nearly flopped his performance.

MC

I really love Chris Attoh and I believe he is one of Ghana’s finest. But honestly, his presence on stage last Saturday seemed almost irrelevant. He came on stage just four times and his only duty was to introduce acts. He didn’t really engage the crowd and I felt he was an almost useless investment on that night.

DJ Black could have managed on his own. And if the organizers still want to maintain an official MC, I suggest someone like Funny Face. Chris brought the fire down a bit with his calculated speeches and his really calm personality. He fits better with the beauty pageants as he is used to.

Conclusion

I can say with confidence, that this year’s edition of Ghana Meets Naija was a huge success. It was a sold out concert and there was an overflow of excited people who came ready, to have fun. The stage, lights, dancers, costumes, DJs: Ghana meets Naija is definitely music’s biggest night in Ghana.

If Charter House wants to claim that tittle for the VGMAs, they need to go learn a thing or two from Bola Ray and his Empire team.

I Rest My Case…

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