Bobi Wine and his wife arrive at the Kyarenga concert
2018 was not such a big year for the entertainment industry, but that does not mean there were not some good shows. Here are the few that stood out. Gabriel Buule & Lawrence Ogwal writes.
Bebe Cool’s Golden Heart Concert
Bebe Cool’s Golden Heart concert was not your ordinary show because, well…it is not every day that the President attends a music concert.
The concert’s purpose was in the name – to fundraise for flight tickets for five children who needed heart surgeries in India. Despite all the political beef at the time, Bebe garnered quite the crowd because there is no doubt that he is a crowd puller. But besides that, we saw the artiste break the concert rules, performing beyond midnight. The show went on until 2am.
Turn the Replay
Levixone will forever be grateful to November 24 this year because it was the day he held his first major concert. The gospel artiste, who took a risk with Lugogo Cricket Oval, did prove that he indeed serves a big big God as he attracted a full house and even left his fans wanting more. Besides the energetic performances from Levixone and other gospel artistes, the Turn the Replay show was well-produced and the revellers showed they were having a good time.
Nyege Nyege Festival
Besides Bobi Wine’s Kyarenga, this was probably one of the most controversial events. Trouble started when Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo called off the annual festival over claims that it promotes homosexuality and promiscuity. Telecom company MTN, had just signed a three-year contract as title sponsor of the festival so it was about fighting tooth and nail when it was called off. For four days, Jinja was the centre of fanfare as lifeaters from across the world flocked Nile Discovery Resort for the four-day festival. This year’s Nyege Nyege, which was the fourth edition, attracted the biggest number of revellers; about 100,000.
Kyarenga Busabala
To date, it is hard to believe that Bobi Wine’s Kyarenga concert actually happened. The back and forth between the artiste, Namboole management and the police made the fate of the concert seem doomed. For a show that was initially planned for October 20 at Namboole stadium, the Kyarenga concert happened on November 10 at the singer’s One Love Beach.
Thousands thronged the concert and by mid-day, the venue was painted red – now a signature colour for the People Power group, a thing that made the show look like a political rally. The live performances and turn out at the concert ranked it high on our list.
Rema’s Banyabo
Rema was stopped from having a concert at Africana Hotel and when she announced Kampala Serena Hotel as her venue, many doubted her as much as she herself, but she took the risk. Her Banyabo Concert sold out and she took the opportunity to hit back at those that mocked her. What, however, left people talking for days was her princess dress.
