By Francis Emukule
Nigerian musician Michael Adebayo Olayinka also known as Ruger, held a concert in Uganda earlier this year (2022) that was almost cancelled due to a few administrative blunders. The “Big Brunch Concert” was the first performance to take place following the COVID-19 shutdown.
The organizers were instructed, according to the police, to have a traffic plan for the partygoers who would attend the show, put access control measures in place, communicate with the territorial police, have an ambulance from a reputable hospital on site, implement crowd control measures, and also obtain approval from the venue owner and local authorities.
However, none of the above-mentioned requirements was put in place, so the police decided to cordon off the premises of the concert and announce its cancellation until the requirements were met.
As a result of the police notice, thousands of people who had purchased early bird tickets were left stranded.
So, the concert, which was slated to take place on February 12, 2022, on a Saturday, was pushed to the next day, which was Sunday.
To many that attended the show, they had a blast, but judging from the number of people that showed up versus the size of the Dungu Resort where the show took place, it was barely half filled, which means the organizers might not have made financial sense.
Although Ruger did not have enough hit songs to keep him entertained on stage, the show would have sold out if the organizers had met the requirements sooner.
From the look of things, it seems Ruger is a bankable artist, and event organizer Kash Events is proving that, but with a little twist to his plot.
Unlike the other promoters, Kash is bringing Ruger, but this time with a pinch of South African rapper and Amapiano maestro, Costa Titch.
Titch’s stage presence and performances are excellent, and considering he was in Kampala in July to headline the Club Dome event, where he delivered an electrifying performance, it is almost a certainty that with him on the line-up, the show is bound to sell out.
In addition, his blend of rap with the Amapiano sound is so in vogue that many young people love the grove and dance moves he stitches into the whole sound.
So, although Ruger has a number of hits under his belt, Titch’s presence is going to play a huge role in pulling in the young crowd, especially.
The event’s organizer was also smart enough not to opt for big venues but rather for a space where revellers can partake in the optical nutrition of the artist as they perform but also eliminate any presumptions of the show flopping.
Kash events proprietor Ukasaha Seganga, also known as Kash, said during the presser that they aim to bring the artist closer to the fans as opposed to a big venue.
The event will take place at the Garden City Rooftop, and this time around they have partnered with Vision Group, Jumia, Roke Telecom, Flames, and Jikoni.
