Ugandan musician Joseph Mayanja aka Jose Chameleon, during a past performance. PHOTO | NATION
Four minutes to midnight, his signature roar was heard from the back of the stage. It is this roar that announces his presence. He did it thrice to the excitement of revellers at Sheraton Hotel Kampala last Sunday evening during the Ug Mix Dance Party.
Chameleone emerged on the stairs of the stage clad in an all-white outfit with a blue cape, backed by another artiste in his camp known as Melody, as well as his flag waver.
They came singing Kigwa Leero. As soon as he appeared on the stage, some people ran near the stage with phones in their hands to record but midway the song, the first set of fireworks went off. New Year 2024 had clocked in and everyone’s attention switched from the stage to the blazing fireworks.
People would scream at the site of every blaze. Many hugged, danced, took selfies, and recorded videos for this moment but Chameleone never stopped performing.
Five minutes after the fireworks, the attention went back to the stage. Now he had switched to Banana, a song he featured in with an artiste known as Fik Gaza, before proceeding to Kuma Obwesigwa.
It was at this point that he asked security to remove the barriers separating VIP section from the ordinary. With security reluctant to his request, Chameleone abandoned the stage and decided to perform in the crowd. He went on different corners, standing in top of different tables with his aides surrounding him before returning on the stage to finish up his performance with Kipepewo.
After his performance, the crowd was seen leaving the venue despite the emcees promising that the party had just started.
This year’s Ug mix dance party, however, did not meet people’s expectations.
The crowd was not as big as those of previous years and the hype surrounding this edition was lacking.
Other artistes who graced the event included Sheebah Karungi, Mesach Ssemakula, Madrat and Chiko, Karole Kasita and Cheza Band, among others. The show also marked Radio 4’s fifth anniversary.