Koroga Festival, which happened last weekend, hosted two different sets of fans with very different musical tastes on both days.
While Saturday had the more contemporary "Gengetone" artistes like Sailors, the Decimators and Zzero Sufuri, Sunday saw a more mature audience, the likes of Wyre the Love Child, Redsan and the main act of the day, legendary reggae act from Côte d'Ivoire, Alpha Blondy.
The atmosphere at Two Rivers was charged, fans waiting patiently for the timeless star to take to the stage with his cocktail of his native Dioula and Mandingo languages in addition to English, Arabic and Hebrew lyrics.
The fans had waited for years. Six years ago, when they turned up in their droves at the KICC grounds, they only got a no-show announcement from organisers, provoking the more than 3,000 fans who turned rowdy and destroyed property.
Inspired hope
This last time, the signs inspired hope. The turnout was even higher.
The Sunday night show had been full of fanfare, and when he hit the stage a few minutes past 7 pm, the crowd roared in excitement, with some waving flags.
Dressed in sky blue suit, the coat a bit long, the man was in his element, as he grabbed the microphone to sing Peace in Liberia.
Of course, Monrovia has since known peace and is no longer the battlefield of a bloody civil war it was in 1992 when the song was released.
“We must stop war in the world. How many Palestinian children... for how along will Israeli children die to make us stop the war in that part of the world,” he sang.
Then the beat took to that critical off-beat reggae as the revellers danced in resonance, some singing along and a good number, mainly millennials, maybe listening to his music for the very fast time. They enjoyed it anyway.
“The next song is Sweet Fanta Diallo, a dedication to my mother, all mothers in the house, and future mothers of Africa,” he announced.
The 1987 hit serenades motherhood in Africa, detailing the toil, the pains of struggling and overcoming the many challenges they face.
When he sang Jerusalem, the mood turned divine and solemn, but as it was, dancing was the way as the crowd sang along.
“You can see Christians, Jews and Muslims living together and praying Amen, let's gives thanks and praises,” he said amid applause.
Yet it was Brigadier Sabari that was the cherry on the cake. The song was released in 1982, coincidentally at a time Kenya had experienced a failed coup against President Daniel Arap Moi, and talks about police brutality. It is this song that earned him scorn and praise almost in equal measure, with some countries banning his music while fans labelled him the Bob Marley of Africa.
“I love you, I love Kenya. Asante sana!” he said as he waved goodbye to the adoring audience, asking them to unite as Kenyans and as one people.
Despite being 66, he gave an energetic two-hour performance that mesmerised his fans, most who grew up listening to his music. With this act, he also erased the sad memories of six years ago.
Christian songs
Born Seydou Koné, Alpha Blondy started his musical journey by writing and playing Christian songs until he went to New York in 1974, where he met his icon, the legendary Bunny Wailer. He was inspired to change course and ventured into secular reggae music on returning to Abidjan.
His early engagement with gospel music explains the solemn tone of his hit songs.
In Jerusalem for instance, he envisages a world where all races, black and white, lived in harmony and prayed together in one voice.
