The last time Uganda was treated to a performance by English reggae music icon – Alistair Ian Campbell, jetting in with his former band – UB40, in February, 2008, the turnout was described by one of the writers, with an apt exclamation – Quel Monde, which is French for What a World! The exclamation perfectly wrapped up the show in such a precise but wholesome way.
From revellers as little as the dresses they came putting on, Zungus in their 50s, with partners half their age, to Ugandan men and women in their 40s, who, in the 80s and 90s, would dance their feet swollen to UB40 classic hits, the concert was unbelievable.
From before the sun could ready itself to set, scores of revellers, especially pregnant women, were lifted out – profusely sweating and panting, almost passing out. Some passed out. Why? The overly packed Lugogo Cricket Oval was just not allowing any space for a breather. The love for Campbell and his former band was organic and untamed. Ugandans, and scores from across East Africa, just needed to know the date, cover charge and venue, and that was it. And, indeed, that was it.
To be part of history, one had to fork out Ushs 120,000 and Ushs 300,000 for VIP and Platinum experiences respectively. And while this was such a hefty amount of money for a concert, at the time, considering that Ugandans were comfortable with top-tier music shows going for as low as Ushs 5,000, true reggae fans did not feel a thing. For those in the ordinary section, Ushs 25,000 was a worthwhile status upgrade.
Despite the show being heavily reggae-infested, Rastafarian colours and fashion styles were not everyone’s pick that day. Rather, the crowd, especially ladies, chose to flock in with red and black outfits, connecting the love month with the band’s love jams.
Back to the mammoth crowd, the bouncers of the day had to earn their pay. Having to carry one rowdy, seemingly tipsy reveller after another, all night long, was no light job. When Ali Campbell stepped on stage, performing hit after hit, the bouncers’ job got harder and harder. The barricades almost gave way. When Red Red Wine was played, some bouncers could have sworn never to be near any concert ever again.
16 years later, Campbell returns to Uganda
With this recollection of what Ali Campbell and UB40 meant to Ugandans, then, it was only expected that the former’s return to Uganda, under a new outfit – UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell, would be such a high-billing.
While the hysteria, this time round, can not be anywhere near what Kampala felt in 2008, you could still tell, following the postponement of the initially announced date – December 21, 2023, that Uganda could not wait to have Campbell back to Uganda.
Those who missed out in 2008 had an unfulfilled urge to take front row seats, this time. The young party people, whose only reason for attending shows is always the Fear Of Missing Out, also geared up for a feel of why older people love Campbell and his UB40 music that much. So, yeah, there was a significantly felt level of anticipation – especially towards the D-day, March 2, at Kololo Independence grounds.
The return show was organised by Talent Africa Group and sponsored by Next Media Services – in celebration of the 15th anniversary of their TV station – NBS.
As was the case in 2008, the crowd, which started flocking in at Kololo, by 6:00pm, did not care much about donning Rastafarian colours and fashion styles. For the older revellers, it was either a simple linen shirt with jeans or a Hawaiian shirt, lately known as Kisaati in street speak. For the ladies, it was anything rather than a Rastafarian dress code. It is always hard to explain what that gender chooses to wear.
The explanation to this could be that despite UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell being a reggae band, their culture is not deeply rooted in cultures like Jamaica and Ethiopia, where these Rastafarian colours and choices of fashion are known to have originated and gained fame.
The turnout? Well, the energy could be felt among those who turned up. They were excited to be part of the show. Was the crowd fit for a mammoth description? Certainly not.
The set-up was spectacular; Grandeur at that. With high expectations to meet, the organisers – Talent Africa, outdid themselves. The VIP and VVIP sections which cost sh5m and sh10m respectively, for a table of 8, looked as executive as they ought to be. For the ordinary section that went for sh50,000 and sh100,000, the arrangement was not to let anyone feel less important.
And for a concert that speaks to the might of UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell, the stage was curated with precision. Having attended their last concert before coming to Uganda, in Mumbai, India, Talent Africa boss Aly Allibhai picked a thing a or two about the stage size, design, lights and where to put what. At first glance, when one arrived at the venue, it would be safe to say that this was the events company’s best stage curation in a significant while.
When DJs chose to play everything but reggae
The band under spotlight at the concert is a premium reggae band. Infact, inspiration to start out with the kind of music they do, stems from their love for skank and dub, reggae styles originating from Jamaica. So, the assumption would be that wherever they perform, reggae has to shape which music is played in the build-up to the main act
The concert at Kololo, however, played a lot of everything but reggae. When Next Media’s DJ Bugy took to stage, during the earlier hours of the show, he could clearly be heard rushing through the short reggae playlist he had put together. It was not long before he would switch to Nigerian Afrobeats, a genre he would spend a lot of time playing.
Ardent reggae fans like Blazey Blaze – a reggae critic and night host of Catch A Fire at the Gardens, Najjeera, were seen mumbling through Bugy’s set in disapproval.
Later, at 7:00pm, the headline DJ of the show – Naselow Da Don, took over. Naselow’s energy and excitement aggressiveness as a reggae DJ is always enough to get everyone into a Caribbean mood. And this is exactly what his fans expected. However, despite playing a few reggae songs most popular to the current generation of reggae lovers, it would not take him long before he changed to dancehall music.
You could say, Afrobeats, kidandali, with an array of dancehall mixes, ruled the earlier parts of the show. For an avid reggae fan, your hope was only left in what Ali Campbell and his band had in stock that night.
But before the much-anticipated band, local cover band – Abeeka, came to the rescue of stranded-and-forgotten reggae lovers. A big part of their set had a lot to do with reggae music, and they did justice to the genre. Pages, their lead singer, got the lyrics right, the band was complemented by good sound – quenching some thirst among the crowd.
Local acts take to stage
When Swangz Avenue’s Elijah Kitaka – a vocalist and formerly a drummer, held the microphone, it was a good time to start off the show with some good RnB music for the lovers. His voice; soothing. Although he has recorded some reggae songs in the past, the versatile Kitaka went for the relatively popular titles like Nothing and Ndi Wuwo, which got the younger audience enlivened. While there was something in his music and performance, there was a lot more in his outfit and physique – that got the ladies screaming his name.
Kitaka would be followed by an artistic sew-it-on-the-spot display of fashion designs by Latif Madoi. While creating a dress from scratch, live on stage, Latif treated the crowd to some of his music – which did not impress as much as the fashion designing. However, he kept the crowd’s eyes glued on stage, setting ground for Navio to find a charged crowd.
Navio gave the reggae show a touch of Hip-hop, without sounding out of place. With his classics like Ngalo and Nawulira, he connected with the mature audience, who were the majority, quite well. When he performed Njogereza, the crowd was in for an electrifying moment, his mother Maggie Kigozi inclusive.
The rapper closed his set with his long-time friend and partner and rapper The Mith with whom he performed some of their collabs.
When dancehall artist Vampino got introduced to stage by Comedian Patrick Salvador – who was the MC of the night, he came in with such unmatched energy. Clad in an all-black, shiny suit, it was evident that he had come to give a showstopper. Some musicians choose the right stage to shine, and Vampino clearly knew which moment to capture.
Alas, his smooth moment would be disrupted by a glitch in sound, forcing a 2-minute pause. He resumed thereafter, but with sound output not as good as before. It would take a technical person to explain what had happened during and after the glitch, but to a layperson who just came to have a good time and listen to good music, the output had gone bad.
The problem would carry into Weasel’s set. The remaining half of Goodlyfe was inaudible but this did not hold him back.
Vinka had a better experience with the sound, and one could comfortably say, she had a good time on the stage. Her voice could be heard shouting through crowd, as clear as you would like.
She performed Believe, All Over You and Bailando, songs that upped the tempo among the crowd, especially with a line of enchanting dancers behind her.
The highlight of the local acts has to be Bebe Cool who put put up a memorable showcase. It was visible that for him, this was more than just a gig.
From his outfit – raggedy pants with an oversized shirt, Bebe left nothing to chance with his grandstanding entrance. His song selection was deliberately curated for a reggae event. He performed Love You Everyday and Born In Africa, all of which have a touch of reggae, if you listen intently. He also performed some of his latest songs including Questions, and took fans back in time with Kabulengane.
Ali Campbell and band send chills down fans’ spines
At 10pm, the band’s hypeman, who also doubles as an instrumentalist on the Congas, took to stage with such energy, wasted no time, and introduced band lead singer – Ali Campbell who kicked off with The Way You Do The Things You Do.
His voice, that signature UB40 voice, immediately hit the crowd, forcing VIP guests out of their seats. The hysteria in the crowd rose incredibly high in less than a minute. Politicians like International Affairs Minister Henry Okello Oryem were seen swinging their arms in the air, in absolute excitement.
With nothing like flamboyance or stage gimmicks, the ex-UB40 lead singer went on and on enchanting his fans with songs that have dotted many people’s lives growing up. The sound? Impeccably good and clear. The band’s backline being one aspect that local entertainers could pick lessons from.
When track number 5 – Cherry Oh Baby, played, it felt like the band was only getting started. The crowd almost ran mad with ecstasy. Those in the normal setting section who had maintained calm the whole time, couldn’t resist the urge to stand and groove.
The band unexpectedly paid tribute to fallen American popstar – Prince, performing one of his most popular songs – Purple Rain, one with a deep feel of reggae music. However, many had expected the band to pay to tribute to fellow reggae icon – the late Peter Morgan, former lead singer of the Morgan Heritage band, who died on February 25.
Campbell and the band performed several of their other hit songs including Stick by Me, Kingston Town, One in 10, Dont Make Me Cry, I got You Babe and the crowd’s favourite – Red Red Wine.
When Red Red Wine played, you could tell that almost every reveler was waiting for this one song. Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa who was in company of his wife couldn’t contain their urge.
“Red red wine …. goes to my head, makes me forget that I.. “ the crowd sang along, only to mumble through the rest of the lyrics. But Campbell was there to carry them through to the end. It was a surreal moment for those who stopped at nothing to be there.
The closing record of the night was I Can’t Help Falling in Love. For the lovers, it was time get more intimate. While others held hands dancing, the rest hugged through the whole song.
One hour and 25 minutes later, the band called it a night. “Thank you, Uganda, Big Love!” said Campbell, to which the crowd screamed in appreciation. NBS TV celebrated their 15th anniversary in style, Ugandans ticked a show off their buckets lists in poignant style.
