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Not so far from the glittering sea and its crashing waves, an enormous stage with far-reaching pyrotechnics and piercing lights mounted on fine sands. With each tick in time, gatherings grew into multitudes and hundreds grew into thousands before the stage, acquiescing the host’s enchantment, sipping overflowing beer and soliloquising song choruses – “na ham, na ham” or “nzaza oluwa nzaza” – in anticipation of their faves.
The location was Landmark Leisure Beach, Oniru, Lagos, and it was Friday, January 6, 2022. Fans were gathered to enjoy an evening of wonderful musical performances from Asake, Seyi Vibez. Black Sherif and more, under the auspices of the first edition of the ‘Beer With Us’ festival (BWUFEST). And a wonderful evening it was as they were duly treated to thrilling performances.
The show, first, was well ‘organized’ — no pun intended. Security manned every crucial point. The VIP section stood right in front of the stage, the regular section was farther behind; while the VVIP stood higher up to the right side of the stage as personnel rerouted revellers to their respective sections through the tag on their wrists.
Every fear that the show would begin many hours than scheduled was quickly put to bed as DJ Spicy began to play back-to-back hits before long. By 11 pm, the impressive host, Eric ‘Mr Hyenana’ Adebamiro, had begun inviting up-and-comers to the stage to showcase their talents and work fans into the right mood. From battle rappers to street hop enthusiasts and singers-cum-dancers to comedians, budding artists took the spotlight. At the high point, the stage was opened up to freestyle rappers from the crowd and a talented concertgoer took the opportunity to showcase his skill, winning an iPhone in the process.
While all of these went on, drinks moved around and aromas from the multiple food stalls that dotted Landmark Leisure Beach wafted out, reminding fans that they could help themselves to a meal anytime they deemed fit.
The concert became even livelier as dusk transitioned to dawn. Different DJs, hypemen and dancers showcased their craft and drove the crowd into a momentary frenzy — some more sustained than others. Then came the first much-recognized name of the night in Ugoccie, with her purple hair and black cargo pants which combined well for a perfect pop performance. After her album A Piece Of Me, which came furnished with seven enchanting symphonies, it wasn’t a surprise to see her on this stage.
Superstar Iyanya came out next to delight the audience as he swung his waist as swiftly as he swung between his new hits and older jams. “Iyanya get voice sha”, a fan said on hearing first-hand Iyanya’s riffs and runs on the song ‘Mr Oreo’. As he sang ‘Kukere’, two trenchant ladies in red emerged to accompany Mr Oreo in his usual belly dancing and the moment was all entertaining to watch.
Ghanaian singer Black Sherif, who received critical acclaim for his songs ‘First Sermon’ and ‘Second Sermon’, then emerged. The mystical “Kwaku the Traveler” performed a host of songs with the refrain “of course I fucked up” specifically electrifying the ‘Beer With Us’ stage.
@blacksherif_ electrifies the stage with an amazing performance at the Beer With Us Festival.#BeerWithUsFestival#Landmarkbeach
#BWUFest pic.twitter.com/bGMMw5pbDK— Netng (@theNETng) January 7, 2023
The man of the moment Seyi Vibez was up next. The rave reactions to his performance showed just how mainstream he is gradually becoming despite his use of Yoruba dialect and street lingua. Although the Afrofusion artiste could do better with his stage command, his perfect infusion of Amapiano, fuji vibes and chants were enough to bail him out.
Performing back-to-back hit songs could be a tough job. But not for Ahmed ‘Asake’ Ololade who closed out a wonderful evening with hits on end. From ‘Joha’ to ‘Terminator’ and ‘Palazzo’ to ‘Sungba’, ‘Mr Money With the Vibes’ set the stage alight with deft dance steps and a pure vocal dexterity that the mishap of an unhinged fan relentlessly cluinging to his feet couldn’t outdo.
Barring the fact that they stalled for time here and there, ‘Beer With Us’ was an impressive debut that we can’t wait to see more of. It — not the event held on the evening of January 1, 2023, at Wonderland, Eko Atlantic City, Lagos — should set the stage for other concerts in the year 2023.
The post #BWUFEST: ‘Beer With Us’ Blazes A Trail As Asake, Seyi Vibez and Black Sherif Delight Fans At Maiden Concert appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
