We waited for them all this while and yes, the wait was worthwhile. That is a statement that pretty much sums up the high octane Tusker Lite Sauti Sol concert held at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
The four lads whose name loosely translates to ‘Voices in the Sun’ hypnotized their Ugandan fans with brilliant dance moves. Their ‘SuraYako’ hit, with an offshoot of Western Kenya’s Lipala dance was the highlight of the night, if not the reason there was a full house.
The group has been performing all over the world for the last 10 years and this was their maiden concert in Uganda.
Fresh off a Black Entertainment Television (BET) nomination, Sauti Sol was in Uganda to launch Tusker Lite’s new ultra-modern pack as well as set in motion the ‘Lite the Way’ campaign. The campaign aims to inspire a trend of fresh inspiring consumers, who are ambitious and revolutionary.
Prior to the concert, Grace NshemeireGwaku, the Marketing Director at Uganda Breweries Limited explained that the concert’s underlying aim was to unveil a beer that delivers an easy drinking experience.
“We would like to show our customers that Tusker Lite is a perfect companion for optimistic, cool customers who want a beer that will not slow them down as they party and work hard,” she said.
To kick start the night, Nutty Neithan, the ‘new’ kid on the block belted out his popular hits; ‘Follow my rules’ and ‘Bakuwe Kyonywa.’ Toniks followed immediately before leaving the stage for Michael Ross. The ‘Tell me’ hit singer wowed the audience with his dance moves and somersaults.
As Michael Ross bowed out, Swahili Nation stepped onto the stage. These guys’ music never goes out of vogue. They have indeed redefined the term ‘timeless.’ Their classical fads, accentuated by their vocal prowess makes them appeal to all age groups. They took the audience down memory lane with hits from the 90’s before concluding their performance with their mega hit, ‘Hakuna Matata’ also known as ‘Mpenzi.’ A wave of euphoria hit the crowd who by now had long abandoned their seats.
DJ Chrisio, a favorite disc spinner then took to the turn tables. For moments, the Victoria Hall was turned into a dance hall of sorts as the vigilantChrisio made sure everyone was catered for musically. A cocktail of dance styles could be seen as the crowd got ‘busy.’
As Chrisio exited, on came Maurice Kirya. The night was only getting started as the ‘Mwoyo’ crooner, with his trademark guitar stirred up the audience. Kirya never disappoints and he was not about to do it on this night. A line up of his favorite hits; ‘Mulembe gwa Kirya’, ‘Busaabala’ among others prepared the audience for the main act.
At around 12am the main act, Sauti Sol took to the stage amidst loud cheers. They knew Kampala was waiting for them and boy, they were here to deliver on that promise. As every song concluded, the audience chanted SuraYako. Yes they wanted that single so much that a few could be seen warming up on the peripherals of the dance floor. They sang Nishike, Soma soma, Nereya, keeping the crowd on its feet the whole time.
As the band’s 90 minute performance was coming to an end, SuraYako was played. Need I say, more? The now jam packed dance floor became the center of attraction as everyone tried to outcompete the other.
They then thanked Kampala before inviting a few dancers to join them on stage.
“Thank you Uganda, we shall be back. We love you,” and they were done.
