Impossible to satisfy

I call this picture ‘impossible to satisfy’ I obviously like it alot

This picture was taken before an event where the client had requested that the end of a conference instead of having the delegates go out to experience Kampala has nightlife we would instead bring Kampala has nightlife to them

And so we turned the conference center into nightspot club

Loads of hard work. 7 hours before the delegates came onto dance floor we were ready. And for hours Elvis paced up and down troubleshooting, running scenarios, asking what if, double-checking, rehearsing, and then triple checking.

And then everything that could be checked had been checked. And whereas we went sure at that were ready, you could see that he was not satisfied.

This picture was taken at a point when there was really nothing more for him to check. Just a few lights and the screens on. The lull before the storm. But his mind is still running scenarions, fixing problems before they happen, working out different ways it could have been done. 

Then it occurred to me that he actually is always like that, that this is what it actually takes, that you cannot let your guard down, be satisfied

Later the music came on the cocktails flowed and the delegates partied. A far cry from that quiet frozen moment

Oh and the Elvis here refers to Elvis Sekyanzi, MD Silk Events

My favourite 5 concerts of 2011 (FIVE)

Musical shows in Uganda are some of the most competitive events you can come across anywhere. Numerous yardsticks  are used by different people to judge what constitutes a good show.

This it is simply from my vantage point at these shows. I use my experience. In no particular order. I will feature them in different articles and give them article numbers that dont indicate positions.

INDIAN SHOW

The Indian community does "India Day" every year. Usually in a hall. Indoors. Now they feel they have grown as an event and they think they are big enough for a stadium. They are right.

Each year they have a large contingent of kids performing at the variety show. They never lose a kid, come up to me with a chit of with the name of a lost kid. Not once. And they come with their kids. All of them. And some are performing complicated routines on stage. The don't announce who should be backstage, lose a costume or a shoe. They never get in each others way or argue about who goes on before who. They are a well oiled machine.

When we have a small show with 6 local artistes they argue about who should go on first and last. And then I have to put my foot down. And I get disliked. The Indians never do any of that. And when the youngest lot comes on they avoid having an adult visible on stage and that is beautiful.

The 2011 show had the benefit on coming the day after the Sean Kingston show. They setup was complete days before and the lighting, sound and general scale of things was huge. They got up and danced. A whole stadium of Ugandan Indians!

Play-back singer Raja Hassan, TV singer Rehaan Khan and super star singer Pragya Sodhani, all guests from India, and they were fantastic. I don’t know if they have performed together before this but they were huge.

I like India day.

Full stadium

No adults in long complicated routines

Shy gals

Chinese like synchronization

Bullet time!

Proudly Indian

Shadow theatre! When did you last see that?

Huge Fireworks

Dwarfed by the stage

Star parade

Sense of Style

Stepping out

Dusk till dawn

Variety

Control tower salute. I think!

Stars! You've noticed I am not putting their names. I forgot the names! Shame on me

My favourite 5 concerts of 2011 (FOUR)

OLIVER MTUKUDZI

Backup singer croons

The dancing started right on the stage and spread into the crowd

Energetic, expressive, age-defying...

Simple beautiful stage

Tendo Kaggwa looks on hopefullly as I try to confince Oliver's manager that the concert wont end up on Youtube. He let us keep the live feed cameras

Mtukudzi is an old man. You would never know it. This man has an enormous stage presence. When he stops mid song to talk to you in that raspy voice, it is like he is just talking to you alone. And he tries to  relate to you.


He has been around. he gives advice on hundreds of things between songs jumping from one thing to another. 

But when he sings he fills the room with “a very big energy”. He dances. And dances. And he has this one singing girl on the stage who floated around in a long skirt or dress. You spent half an hour without seeing her feet but she just moved and moved and filled up the stage with an ageless legend beside her mirroring the moves.

He then said copyright this and that and asked for the cameras to be switched off so that the concert doesn’t end up on YouTube. The old timer is scared of Youtube. I pleaded with the manager and gave assurances. We were allowed to live feed to the screens. But people have smartphones with HD cameras. And ipads and galaxy tabs (which should never be used to record video by the way) I hope the concert isn't on YouTube. 


Then he sang again and danced. For hours.  And his wife sold his cds in the lobby. Old habits I think from the early days. Rich sound, real life legend, nice concert

My favourite 5 concerts of 2011 (THREE)

Musical shows in Uganda are some of the most competitive events you can come across anywhere. Numerous yardsticks  are used by different people to judge what constitutes a good show.


This it is simply from my vantage point at these shows. I use my experience. In no particular order. I will feature them in different articles and give them article numbers that dont indicate positions.


JUDITH BABIRYE:  MAAMA WANGE
Judith had a wonderful selling point. Our mothers. And she is a crossover artiste. She braved the Nile Hotel myth and we had the makings of a really nice concert. Now, many times this concert bordered on running away from us. Awards were given out that we were unaware of initially. And I couldn’t find the responsible people when it was time for the awards.
But I like Bugembe’s appearance even when he had his own show at Nakivubo on the same night. He asked me if he could perform early and go. I said how many songs. He said only one.  I said please do two. He said no time, only one. I said if  you do only one I will make you perform last! Bad joke I think. He was under pressure to run and he took me seriously. He glowered at me. I didn’t know he could do that! He performed 5 minutes later.
Then there were the presidents daughters. They have grown up in the public glare that comes with their father running this country for over 20 years. Yet they are shy. They fidgeted.  A lot. Then for some reason they were called up to the stage to hand over something. Events overtook what was being awarded and they got stuck up there. To make things worse they were asked to say something. I was sure they were going to bolt.

Surprise appearance

Shy

Surprise embrace

A mother closes her eyes and grooves  as a 128 channel ilive digital mixer behind her thumps out the song "Maama"

I liked this show a lot because everyone brought their mothers. Very different crowd from the usual. Many white haired ladies in their favourite busutis. At some point their all stood up and danced with their sons. And daughters. All kinds of funny dances from the 40s and 50s. And all kinds of tears. Men concentrating on their forgotten favourite women and many wives happily stepping aside to let it happen.
I thought maybe the sound system is too loud for some of them. I was tempted to turn it down. I didn’t want the concert remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Then some sad stories and a sad video. Then we danced again and celebrated the gift of mothers and all they mean to us. Wonderful concert

My favourite 5 concerts of 2011 (TWO)

Musical shows in Uganda are some of the most competitive events you can come across anywhere. There are numerous yardsticks that are used by different people to judge what constitutes a good show.
 
This one is simply from my vantage point at these shows. I use my experience. In no particular order. I will feature them in different articles and give them article numbers that dont indicate positions


Other in this list shows here


2. MAURICE KIRYA




I had always wanted to do a show for Maurice. We talked about it for a while and then I gave up


He then came up to us and said I want to do a show that is different. He had some truly crazy ideas about how he wanted the show done and I am saying CRAZY! We indulged some. He wanted 20 bodabodas on the stage. and Iam talking real bodaboda men, helmets, dirty jackets and all. The bodaboda smoke would set of the Serena Hotel fire alarms.
A boda man can have an accident all on his own in a large open space.  Now Maurice wanted  many of them on a small stage that had some expensive equipment. We jammed!


We had many meetings What came out was that Maurice knew EXACTLY what he wanted down which light should be warm yellow 3 minutes into which song.

 

I hear Maurice called for auditions on Facebook. Then whittled down to this wondrous meloidious group!

Cheeky lighting when Valerie came on. Henry (our lighting guy) made it seem like her dress glowed and threw light on the crowd!

My friend Hosea Jemba was on board with a Panasonic HPX 370. For the first time we rocked HD for the whole show. Stuff doesn't get tighter than that! Thanks Hosea and Julius Sentongo

My biggest worry was that since Maurice was integral to the pre-production, he would fail to be the artiste and try to direct the show form the stage. Shouldn't have worried, should I?

That is a real boda boda man. Hosea has an elbow up. just in case 

And it was a wonderful show. Maurice has done over 30 concerts around Africa and the experience shows. The air was electric. The choir crooned! Girls screamed 'Marry Me Maurice!' and swung placards and guys danced. The boda boda men drove on. Yes. But just 2 of them. They were nice and they didn't knock down anyone. They wanted to get on 2 songs early and I got a bouncer to keep them in check!


His brother Vampos did a cameo at the climax. Vampos quipped before going on,'Iam gonna have to get paid before I go on. This thing of being his brother isn’t gonna work this time.,.' he then ran on and rocked! I didn’t see any payment made.


Maurice has a unique style. And a fire in the belly. And we indulged him a lot. Hardly any compromises were made in doing this show. Wonderful, wonderful show!