On a day traditionally celebrated worldwide by Christians as Good Friday, music lovers and fun seekers trooped out in their numbers for the 5th edition of the Gidifest concert at the Hard Rock Café in Lagos. The organizers of the event, capitalizing on a period where there is a relative scarcity of major events, put in place a well-driven campaign in their desire to deliver a world class concert on a consistent basis. The festival is more than a music concert as, provisions were made for beer gardens, food tents, makeshift photo studio and gaming arenas creating a relaxed and refreshing vibe.
Last year, GidiFest attracted international star Diplo alongside Davido, Simi and the likes but the roll call of acts this year which was headlined by Wizkid and 2Baba, also featured Tiwa Savage, Adekunle Gold, Brymo, Mayorkun, Show Dem Camp, Efya, Lady Donli and a host of next generation acts.
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The concert also witnessed a significant increase in the number of attendees and, backed by a notable number of sponsors, the organizers could well be pleased with what they were able to deliver.
But beyond the very flashy lights and superstar line ups, the concert had its hits and misses and for it to attain the reputable height that it seeks, persistent failings must be erased and successful attributes identified and improved upon.
THE NEGATIVES
It has become a tradition for concerts to kick-off very late on our side of the continent, this we have become accustomed to and aptly termed the ‘African Time’, but the lordly and in-your-face nature of it reeks of disrespect for the fans. For an event advertised to start by 12 noon and with the least amount for a ticket as high as N5,000, the least the organizers owed the crowd was a level of professionalism and value.
The stage area was filled with enthusiastic music lovers who had gathered early to secure choice spots so as to get a good view of their favourite acts but nothing seemed to be happening around the stage till almost seven hours after the scheduled time. Outside the VIP section and some vendors who provided limited chairs, the crowd had to stand long hours under the sun while the organisers took time out for sound check and stage setting. Endurance became a common theme for the crowd as the artists kept apologising and appreciating their patience.
I understand Murphy’s law is a constant feature in our music concerts but still, there was no justification for turning a concert into a vigil with Wizkid closing the festival well past 5am. This drained the energy levels and excitement of the fans as they were barely able to stand on both feet at that time.
The festival also deserved a better set of hosts, the duo seemed to lack the basic ability of an event compere which is crowd control. They kept asking the crowd ridiculous questions, were not in sync with happenings backstage and continuously mixed up the line-up of performers. And on occasions when there was a delay in the announced artist coming on stage, the duo lacked the tact to keep the energy going and most times had to be saved by DJ Aye.
That said, Tosan who later came up, improved on the poor showing.
There was the major case of production, which was filled with basic holes from start to finish. Technically, the event was almost a fail, the sound just didn’t clique all night, the microphones kept going off in-between performances and towards the end, especially before and during Adekunle Gold’s set.
The sound was so loud that one could literally hear thumping heart beats due to the shrilling sound from the giant speakers. For artists who lip-synched, it was a disaster as their voices was totally overshadowed by the songs playing in the background, while for those performed live, they struggled to find a balance between their instrumentalists all night. One wonders if quality sound is a thing too much to ask for in 2018.
Another obvious fail was how the acts were scheduled to perform. Like a boxing bout where the undercards all get into the ring before the main attraction, a lot of indie and upcoming acts were given the platform to showcase their skills very early on. And while that’s commendable, putting a Tay Iwar – whose brand of music is grim and moody – in-between a pop star like Mayorkun and an electric performer like Brymo felt like a terrible idea.
THE POSITIVES
Clearly, the consistency of the organizers has to be acknowledged and concerts are largely about the performances and the performers saved the day on this one. On the night, there were top notch performances and sets that would leave a lasting memory in the minds of everyone who witnessed the concert. The next generation acts led by the likes of Odunsi the Engine, Terry Apala and D-Truce all had their shine time and even though most of them failed to grab the opportunity, they showed a lot of promise and won a couple of new fans
But the night belonged to the established acts who performed like they had a point to prove. Brymo, in a flowing white outfit, proved why he is arguably one of Nigeria’s most talented performer. His presence, composure, facial expressions and communication on stage was a delight to watch as he belted quite a number of songs that one began to wonder if this was a Brymo concert.
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Show Dem Camp yet again gave rap its day in the sun, showcasing their palm-wine music collaborations with younger acts like Boj, Poe, Odunsi and Tomi Thomas. Tec in particular kept engaging the crowd in a call-and-response exercise, and the crowd was obliging.
Also, with his stage presence and a healthy stash of pop hits, Mayorkun is actually beginning to grow into his moniker, ‘Mayor of Lagos’. Ycee and his Tinny Entertainment mates too had a decent but not a wowing performance. Adekunle Gold and his 79th Element band are gradually becoming a force especially when Femi Leye, his lead guitarist, stepped to the front of the stage.
When the intensity dipped, DJ Spinall practically brought back life into a ‘dying’ crowd with his 15 minutes set.
After that, Tiwa Savage and her girls were impeccable with their routines and bringing out Reekado Banks was the icing on the cake. Star boy Wizkid, backed by DJ Spinall, delivered a retinue of hit records that kept the crowd asking for more. But the night belonged to 2Baba as the legend rolled back the years and showed the younger acts how it is done.
From his old hits like “Right here” to recent ones like ‘Gaga Shuffle’, 2baba showed an extreme level of controlled energy as he didn’t just bring his hits to the table but he brought a bagful of stage craft. His was a tutorial in utilising the stage, freestyling, constant crowd engagement, voice control. 2Baba had an incredible synergy with the band during his entire set which was flawless such that the fireworks that are normally reserved for the end of the show was ignited continuously, casting bright lights over the arena and the excited fans.
Gidifest 2018 has taken a page from the playbook of regular Nigerian concerts, and as proven on the night, good music is a unifier irrespective of the class of fans. With every edition, comes increased expectations and bigger audience and the organisers need to take the challenge of what the festival is growing into and score a homerun in subsequent editions.