On friday night,Telecoms giant MTN staged the Abuja edition of its "Loud in Naija" concert tour at the humongous River Place Park, Wuse. Needless to say, security concerns in recent times have suppressed the general appetite for nightlife in Abuja. Especially for events that boast of traditionally high numbers of fun-seekers at once. Concerts being the hardest hit in that genre.
Kizaro's Blog caught up with MTN events ace, Joseph Ogbuka and got him to say a few words about the significance of the Abuja concert. He told Kizaro's Blog - "the event is part of the company's drive to leverage on our brand ambassadors to spark the re-invigoration of Abuja's nightlife and concert culture".
Like most MTN organised events, the show was brilliantly organised and the artistes quality had elbow room to shine on the night. The concert kicked off at 6pm to a fun start with Dj Sose and a couple of acts that set the tone for the evening's action. The introduction of Mavin Records artiste, D'Prince seemed to signal an escalation of the evening's proceedings and he lived up to the huge welcome the crowd gave him.
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| D'Prince giving a lecture to the ladies on selling points |
Following close behind was MTN Project Fame Alumnus, Ochuko who mounted the stage for an impressive three song performance. Next on the bill was singer/producer and lover-man Harrysong who elevated "artiste to audience" interaction to very charming heights. He literally had the crowd in his pocket throughout his twenty minute set and ended his performance with his hit song "I'm in love", during which he totally tantalized and teased and every living thing present (including the stern looking security personnel) into submission. By the time he belted the last lyrics to the song - "everybody shout oyiiiii o", there was a massive singalong and even more rapturous ovation from the appreciative crowd.
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| Harrysong acknowledges the crowd with tears of joy in his eyes. (or is it an effect of the cognac from backstage?) |
The high tempo was sustained by Mavin's own Dr. Sid who gave a usual all action performance and reminded all present why he has been in the limelight since his harcdore rap Trybesmen days from the early 2000s. Next up was another MTN Project Fame graduate and R & B crooner, Praize who also put in a strong performance.
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| Dr. Sid rocking the house |
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| Praize during a mellow moment |
Cherub faced, cutie-pie songstress Chidinma came on at about 10.30 and gave the security team an extra task of controlling the excited crowd when she coyly asked "which fine boy for here go follow me go?". There was no shortage of male hands in the air and voices screaming "me o"!! The action continued with Banky W who displayed a high level of stagecraft and choreography. After a light banter with the crowd he broke into a rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual healing" which he brilliantly morphed into his hit track "Good lovin"
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| Chidinma, addressing an army of captivated male fans |
Davido was up next with his HKN crew for a thirty minute set that had the crowd leaping in the air all through his performance. At the end of his act the crowd was already hyped up and it took the magic fingers of DJ Sose to harness their energy as he cranked out hit tune after hit tune till the wee hours of Saturday.
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| Davido & HKN Gang reminded us not to "Dami Duro" |
All in all the concert was a show that rocked! The artistes brought their "A Game" and Abuja had its first successful outdoor show in more than three years. Let's hope its the signal for a rebirth of the FCT's entertainment scene and not a carefully crafted fluke.
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