Live in Nairobi and Eldee

By STEEVENS MUENDO and DAVID ODONGO

On Friday, as a cold September evening tentatively fingered its way over the frigid landscape of Nairobi, shadows reluctantly,began to pale, revealing a featureless grey cloud cover. It was going to rain and despite the cold and a damp sting to the air, the scene at Nakumatt Prestige was electric. Camp Mulla was launching their video, Party don’t stop and the building’s third floor was packed to the rafters.

The gathering dusk gently nudged the party to commence. The launch was graced by renowned local celebrities and media personalities among them Habida, Kaz, Budha Blaze, Edward Kwach, Sauti Sol, Kenzo, Elani, Edu Gee and Collo.

Producers too, such as Ulopa, R Kay, Eric Musyoka and Wyre were also in the house as Shaffie Weru emceed the event. Rap group Camp Mulla is following in the footsteps of P-Unit by holding mega parties to launch their videos and arguably are giving them some competition in the marketplace – the group unveiled their new video, a way to ‘pushing new levels’ of style, sound and visuals in the music industry. Shot by top Nigerian producer Clarence Peters, it was the first camp Mulla video.

"We shot it within two days in a basement. It was our first video shoot, so we encountered some problems with the set up. Eventually, we got the hang of it and everything went smoothly;" says Yung Kass a band member.

As Camp Mulla rocked, there was another party at Nyayo Stadium. And those who attended the finals of the Sprite Slam Basketball tourney would be forgiven for initially getting a bit wary with the dancing moves from a set of dancers.

Like a horde of barbarians descending into Rome, the dancers piled into the arena and started their dance routine. The results were equally disastrous. With moves that made women feel assaulted, and men cover their eyes in shame, the dancers continued unabated.

Timely intervention

Thankfully, the DJ intervened by stopping the music and the crowd collectively let out a sigh of relief. It was a painful ordeal that the audience had to endure at the finals. The day was saved by Juliani, who delivered a powerful performance.

As the simple minimalist yet outstanding tract to Hela burst forth from the speakers, Juliani, running to the end of the arena, arms spread apart like a chick attempting it’s first flight, Juliani stood still, eyes focussed on a spot above the audience and vigorously shook his head, side to side, as his locks tumbled from the tidy grip of a ribbon. Picking up speed, he shook his head faster, with the now loose locks flying wildly in a circular motion as the crowd cheered on.

Singer Jaguar took off from where Juliani left with catchy, complex act featuring four dancers. It added extra spice and urgency to the guitar-driven melodies with the constant bass line in each of his Ogopa produced singles.

As the beat went on at Nyayo Stadium, there was a big cast of celebrities electrifying Eldoret. Just as the hip-hop hit song Party in the Rain goes it was super party as heavens opened up. The rain pounded Eldoret town on Saturday night during the Safaricom Live concert.

However, this did not dump the mood of revellers who thronged the venue as Kenya’s top musicians Nameless, Jua Cali, Redsan, Wahu, Linda Muthama, MOG and Ally B pitched tent.

Nothing had been left to chance. As early as 5pm, at the Eldoret Agricultural Show grounds, the atmosphere was ripe for a mega show. DJ Hassan was on the decks, churning sizzling music mixes whose irresistible allure got fans streaming in their hundreds. By 8pm, the crowd was estimated at 3,000.

Being the last before the much-awaited grand Nairobi concert, in a series of countrywide town-to-town talent search bonanzas, the rather cosmopolitan Eldoret town had brought out its treasured gems for selection. No sooner had the Altimate Band, led by Linda Muthama rendered a rendition of the national anthem than hype emcee DNG hit the stage with energy with the 2008 Banjuka remix to the jubilation of the exuberant crowd.

Kenya Live Dancers showcased good footwork in their choreography as Juma Tutu band wowed the crowd with unique vocals. Backstage, the rest of present stars chased butterflies and only time separated them from their moment of glory as the cheering fans screamed out their names, one after another.

Pregnant clouds

But then again, unprecedented danger was looming. Heavy dark clouds hung on the sky as strong chilly wind swept through the stadium just as the local talents took to the podium. It didn’t take a warning. In another moment, the rain gods were at it with a heavy downpour.

Disillusioned, the organisers sought redemption from the act of God, making frantic efforts to save the concert from turning into a clinker. In the confusion, DJ Hassan bravely went behind the decks and started playing the music to a fanatical crowd that had defied the rains. Soaked in the rain, they danced and chanted: "exorcise the rain devils, let the music play". So equally fired up were the emcees DNG and Sqlich, who took up the challenge, by grabbing the microphones and declaring, "the party ain’t stoping". In the same spirit, gospel singer Allan Aaron too jumped on stage in his trademark white mukorino headgear rending the air with his 2009 Wi Mutheru hit. And the rains were gone!

From there on, the celebrities performed like they were on a revenge mission and neither the live band nor the crowd disappointed.

Singing Ni Wangu and Maria singles, celebrated Mombasa singer Ally B took over the mantle, his energetic Giriama dance moves charming the crowd. Then there was award-winning MOG gospel trio taking the excitement to a new level with their Papa God Oh hit, featuring Seed. By the time a startling looking Wahu was taking to the stage with her own rendition of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry reggae classic, the adrenaline rush at the venue had accented to astronomic heights.

Just as it has been in the other Safaricom Live concerts, the showdown between MTV-Award winning singer Nameless and the Dancehall King Redsan was a highly anticipated climax and the two did not disappoint. However, the showstopper of the night was Jua Cali to whose songs the crowd sang word by word till daybreak.