Ruger thanked Ugandans for giving him his first hit song.
Saturday evening was destined to be an evening of partying. It was the first time in two years that Ugandans were allowed to welcome the New Year, the only way they have known how, for years.
As has been norm, there is usually a foreign artiste in town on New Year’s Eve and this time round, Nigeria’s Ruger and South Africa’s Costa Titch were the biggest names in town, headlining at an event organised by Kash Events at Garden City rooftop.
For some, this was anticipated to be one of the biggest parties to usher in the New Year and the rooftop was deemed a small venue for the two artistes in one space.
The two had both performed in Uganda this year at bigger venues but by the time the show ended, rooftop ended up being a big venue for the event as only a handful of people turned up to witness this show.
Performances kicked off at 11pm with Chosen Blood. He was shortly followed by singing duo Kataleya and Kandle, who impressed and set the vibe for Vinka, whose Thank God, Tubikole and Fimbo worked the crowd.
Grenade, who has been on fire this year, ushered people into the New Year and his performance came with a fireworks display at the venue, which somewhat distracted revellers but they all got their eyes back on stage when Babandana came on.
After a deejay mix of about 30 minutes, Rickman came through with Ebango and Enjoyment, among others, then made way for Costa Titch at 12.40am.
If there is one thing the South African artiste knows best, it is to work the crowd. His effortless dance strokes was a beauty to see. The footwork and body movement left the ladies screaming their lungs out.
He was engaging, often guiding the audience on what to sing. Of course the whistles were audible in the audience during his session that lasted not more than 20 minutes. He ended his time on stage by thanking Ugandans for the reception and wishing them a happy new year.
Usually when an artiste leaves the stage, they disappear through the backstage and leave the premises. Costa Titch did not. He just joined his deejay on the mixers and jammed along to amapiano vibes.
As they were busy on the turntables, Sheilah Gashumba occupied the stage, dancing and emceeing. She did this for more than an hour.
Ruger came on stage at 2:15am, followed by screams from the crowd. Even those who seemed bored, abandoned what they were doing and came closer to the stage.
He started off by appreciating Ugandans for loving him and how they gave him his first hit. He performed all his eight songs and trust Ugandans to sing along to all the lyrics. They sang each song word for word and every time he was starting off any song, he first did an acapella before his deejay met him halfway to complete it. Bounce, Dior and Girlfriend were the people’s favourites.
issejjombwe@ug.nationmedia.com
