Corporate Communications expert and seasoned Broadcast Journalist, Philip Osei Bonsu who hosts Ghana’s biggest political talk show on radio (Ekosii sen) has reviewed the second edition of the biggest concert (Made in Taadi) in the Western Region headlined by multiple award winning Artiste Kofi Kinaata.
OB as he is affectionately called by his listeners review’s the concert that had over 26,000 audience below (unedited);
Sekondi-Takoradi’s multiple award winning Artiste, Kofi Kinata promised and he delivered. The 2nd edition of the #MadeInTaadi Concert happened on Saturday. It was a day-long celebration beginning with a children’s party in the morning and a mega concert in the evening. I sat through the entire concert and here are my observations:
STAGE
The stage was great. Extremely elegant. Bigger than last year’s. It had
enough space for artistes to move about and engage the crowd. It was
fitted with very modern equipment. Sound quality was amazing.
Unfortunately, it had no comfortable waiting area for Artistes.
CROWD
The crowd I saw at the Jubilee Park yesterday is more than any I have
seen in my over 10 years stay in the Oil City. It was absolutely
unbelievable. Organizers should probably be thinking of an alternative
venue. Fact is if there is any open air concert that has surpassed the
Westside Carnival in terms of patronage, this is it.
Was it down to massive publicity or this was out of sheer love for the people’s HERO?
UNDERGROUND ARTISTES
Another year; Another opportunity was given to upcoming Takoradi
artistes to prove their mettle. Once again, many flattered to deceive.
Their performances were at best average. We still have a long way to go
to build the next generation of Takoradi artistes. Afezie Perry, Hindu,
Singlet, King Lucaz, Aya, Qwesi Flex et al are talented but …………
AYESEM and NERO X
Ayesem lived up to the hype with his performance last year. Nero X was
also at his usual best last year. He proved why he is still the best
stage performer in these parts. It was refreshing to see them on all the
publicity materials for this year’s event. Strangely, they were no
where to be found. I think it took something away from the concert this
year. The organizers owe us some explanations. And, I almost forgot;
Pastor Joe Beechem also didn’t show up. Why?
MAIN ARTISTES
Pappy Kojo? He turned the jubilee park upside down last year. This year,
he lost his mojo. He was flat. His friend Joey B didn’t help matters
either. He’s just not your typical carnival artiste.
Edem? He put in the worst performance from any of the big name artistes. He just couldn’t bond with the crowd. How he left the stage, summed up his evening: Terrible.
Keche? Great duo. Their energy level was amazing. I enjoyed them. They obviously felt at home.
Donzy? I must admit, this guy is hugely underrated. He is good. We have to begin paying attention to him. He was one of the best performers on that stage.
SARKODIE? He proved why he’s the biggest thing in Ghana music. He was the star of the night. A delight to behold. He really moved the crowd, dishing out hits after hits after hits. You either SARKorDIE.
Kofi Kinaata? Words fail me when it comes to describing this young man. He is a phenomenon. The pride of the West. I dare say he’s a LEGEND!
MCs
Yoofi Eyeson was great. He blended so well with Too Much of Junka Town
fame who I must admit cut down on his excesses. Dr. Pounds and PM were
great as usual. Very creative MCs. They always had something to excite
the crowd.
DJs
DJ Derek was my revelation of the night. Is he known for doing the things he did on the night? He’s simply incredible.
PUBLICITY
Nana Kwesi Coomson and the PR team must once again be commended for a
job well done. That was excellent. The buzz was all over. #MadeInTaadi18
was number one on Twitter trends a day after the concert. That’s an
incredible feat.
CHILDREN’S PARTY
Wonderful addition to the package. A nice way to build brand affinity
amongst the young ones. Will it be a one-off event? Time will tell but
considering the resource constraints, I will not be surprised if it
doesn’t happen next year.
CHALLENGES
*Time management is still an issue. The concert ended at almost 4am. That’s unpardonable.
*Transition between performances should be well managed.
*Crowd control was HELL. The security men on duty were clearly overwhelmed. They at a point resorted to brutalizing people. Organizers should please pay attention to that worrying trend.
*Is there any reason why #MadeInTaadiConcert has no headline sponsor? From deep throat sources close to the Organizers, Kinata spent some GHc120,000 on the concert this year. And that’s from his personal resources as a way of giving back. He did same last year too. This is obviously unsustainable. The team must do more next year to bring in sponsors. That’s nonnegotiable.
To conclude, let me say I’m not a fan of grading events, but if I’m pushed, I will give Organizers 90% for a job well done. This was certainly a huge improvement on what we saw last year. Kudos to Team MOVE
credit: 233times.com
Joe Bright Nyarko
Journalist/Communication Researcher. Environment & Sustainability Advocate. Managing Editor of aptnewsghana.com, a non-profit news portal with bias towards environment and sustainability issues, rural development policies and gender & inequality.
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