The frenzy of festivals was always going to be a tasky one following the re-opening of the night economy. Almost everyone would want to compensate for ‘lost time’ after being largely caged in their houses during quarantine. The dunda, the rhumba and the reggae hit differently when enjoyed with a bunch of people.
“The motion was largely at house parties, playing board games, drinking, and limiting capacity. We had to be creative in how we conduct our parties to maximise on fun and also not put ourselves at risk of contracting or spreading the virus,” concert promoter and producer Michael Mutooni, aka Mykie, told Pulse.
People got so desperate they would use their personal connections to ‘hire’ ambulances in the night to flout curfew rules and go party with friends. Does the East meet West lady Laura Nderi and her privileged pose ring a bell?
Others went camping in forests, while many others sought escapades at Namanga border, in a bid to enjoy the liquor away from their homes – any kind of excitement was welcome.
“I cannot survive without alcohol and being around my girlfriend all day was too new for me. I never knew she is that annoying. I had to lie to her we were going for a boys trip, book a BnB out of town and go have fun. You know how it goes,” said a pulser.
The bottom line is the long lost feeling of being around a group of strangers, that rush of music thumping through the speakers. The joy surrounding that accompanies being united through culture, music and art.
When President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted the curfew, Kenyans exploded in ecstasy like it was Independence Day.
“Amecheza kama yeye!” my Nduthi driver said.
“We are just happy he has considered the entertainment industry. Our livelihoods were at stake for a long time, and this can restore things to the way they were if not better,” said event organiser and promoter Shema Rabala. Hitherto the announcement, Kenyan, especially Nairobi, nightlife was desolate and aloof.
Since the veil was raised, international acts have been storming in one after another; from Omah Lay and Etana to Black Coffee to Adekunle Gold & Juls, and now NSG, Konshens and Shensea. The long-lived dream many ravers have been fantasising about is unravelling.
However, it has not all been rosy. It appears the bat signal wasn’t for ravers alone, the crooks and fiends of Nairobi nightlife have also seized the opportunity to robe and pick-pocket people, while others defile young women at events relentlessly.
Ngong Racecourse, particularly, has always been the premium venue for huge parties in Nairobi. It has solidified its position as the home ground of music festivities and fun. Just ask Adekunle Gold & Nyashinski, they will brag to you Nairobi came out 8,000 strong to watch their rampage.
However, it is without a doubt that with these numbers, combined with the drinking and lack of security being employed by event promoters, there is likely to be crime.
A long thread after the gig by Twitter user @BOYCHILD (Malcom X) indignantly exposed a rape incident at the parking lot of the now-blacklisted Ngong Racecourse.
“The integrity of the firms has to be put in question,” photographer Tintseh said. “Sometimes you find a majority of the security officers concentrating too much on the VIP, leaving the regular section unmanned. Sometimes people in the crowd have blacked out, and I think we can increase medical teams to walk in the crowd, especially when the main act is playing because that’s when things get messy.”
He asks event organisers to forgo the event aesthetics sometimes and prioritise security and medical attention, and even implementing floodlights to avoid scenarios of theft. He said he felt targeted once by mean-looking characters in an event, perhaps because he was carrying heavy expensive equipment during the gig.
On a Twitter Spaces conversation last night, Vibes Only KE concert promoter Frankie said he had heard numerous complaints, and action will be taken to ensure event safety and the concert goers’ security:
“In terms of beefing up security and making sure the concert goer feels safe in the event space they are in, we will definitely invest in it more. After the event, we had a meeting and agreed we will put in certain measures, try to put certain things in place to see how it works out, but we will try our level best, bring in a few key people in security consultation, and make sure we change the narrative of concert safety in Nairobi and Kenya generally,” Frankie Theuri said.
Prior to the gig, music publicist and executive Buddha Blaze warned of insecurity at the venue.
“That Ngong Racecourse is a great venue. But the criminal activity that starts forming around any gig that you are planning is on some Costa Nostra level, even the police are scared,” said Buddha.
Funny enough, event organisers had taken heed of this and began experimenting in other venues such as the Waterfront Mall, Two Rivers and Royal Gardenia Gardens.
However, due to tight budgets and the ability to accommodate a larger attendance, thus more income from ticket sales, event organisers keep considering the haunted Racecourse venue.
A different kind of safety
Internationally, Houston music festival, Astroworld, which is also rapper and megastar Travis Scott’s annual hometown celebration, took a turn for the worst after 10 fans, including a nine-year-old, Ezra Blount, were found dead.
The cause of death was a stampede, and this is different from 17-year-old Stephen Munga, aka Shanty’s, case who died at the horrific hands of bouncers at the Naifest event last year at Ngong Racecourse.
The Highest In The Room artiste is yet to leave his house since the incident and only found out about the mass casualty incident the following day, according to his lawyer and spokesman.
“Travis knew nothing on stage. He had sound in his ears, and flash pods going on. There is no way he could tell on stage the magnitude of what was happening. The few times he saw something he stopped the show three separate times to make sure the three things that he saw specifically were addressed but he had no idea until the next morning,” Edwin McPherson told GMA.
Since then, Travis has agreed to take responsibility for the burial of the victims. He has also foregone two major shows, including a Sh550 million event in Saudi Arabia and a headlining Day N Vegas performance this past weekend, among other mitigation measures.
“He is angry and devastated that this happened,” said McPherson. “I think the finger-pointing is just – unproductive. He wants to reach out to the families. He also wants to make sure that something like this never happens again.”
Since then, acts such as Teyana Taylor, Don Toliver, IDK and SZA have been asking fans to be more sensitive to the dangers of mosh pits at their shows.
In fact, rockstar Lil Uzi Vert’s show at the Day N Vegas festival was abruptly stopped after he incited fans, saying, “They cannot stop my rage,” during his 45-minute set.
This prompted him to throw the microphone into the crowd mid-set and curse the organisers via his Instagram, posting a picture on a bed piled with money, suggesting the deal might not have gone so well.
This shows how matters of security have changed over the years.
Decades back, artistes, including The Last Poets in the late 70s, RUN DMC, Kool Herc, Eric B & Rakim and De La Soul had their performances largely simplistic. Artistes of the 90s Golden era also had fairly safe and simple gigs, yet they attracted big crowds.
Their performances consisted of an artiste, DJ booth, stage and rappers, and musicians would only recite their lyrics into the microphone.
It is also notable that African stars are not necessarily that vivacious or animated. They stick to the thrills of the stage, distanced from the fans. Only Lil Maina recently tried to stage dive and fans caught him, luckily.
Previously, American rapper Desiigner came to Kenya to perform and what was meant to be a fired-up event ended up sourly. His shoes and Sh300,000 Gucci designer belt stayed in the crowd while he was robbed hilariously.
BY THE STANDARD MEDIA
