Have you ever noticed the way Ugandan artistes name their concerts before they happen or these extra ones they always do after the main event is done? For starters why have over 10 extra concerts after the main show? Story for another day.
I have decided to look at what forces promoters or artistes to name their concerts the way they do.
‘Return of the champion’
This was not a sports event. But it was a musical event to celebrate one of Uganda’s living icons, Maddox Ssematimba which happened a few weeks ago at Imperial Royale Hotel.
Balaam, the promoter of the show decided to name it “Return of the Champion”. This is a good name to for a sports celeb, not someone who does music. And that aside, why tag the word “return” on an artiste who has been around for more than five years, performing in different places?
Most people who attended just wanted to see how good Maddox is as an artiste. He had been leaving revellers hungry at most of the shows he has been performing at and this was the only opportunity he had to be on the stage alone and perform most of his songs. The fans came in good numbers but it certainly was not because of the name of the show.
‘Aidah Bikwasse Kyagulanyi’
Back in the day, Bobi Wine used to hold his concerts at places like Kati Kati, Kyadondo, and the Cricket Oval among others. But a few years back, he decided to stick to his One Love Beach as the venue for his concerts. And because of its location and the type of people who go there, the musician decided to name his concerts after titles of his songs.
He had concerts titled “Munna Uganda Situka Mudembe”, “Kiggwa leero mu Paradiso” and “Aidah Bikwase Kyagulanyi”.
This might seem awkward but Bobi Wine does this so that his fans relate with the songs and usually, it’s the song that has been a hit that he decides to name the concert after. Besides that, it’s also the last song he does as the event comes to a close.
This technique has worked for other artistes like David Lutalo, Mowzey Radio and Weasel and Mesach Ssemakula. So Bobi Wine is on the money here.
Legend Hit after Hit
On June 30th, Jose Chameleone will be staging his concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval. This is not just any concert; the artiste is going to take his fans through his musical journey of more than 15 years in the game. What made my eyes pop was the title “Legend Hit after Hit”. It doesn’t make any sense at all but knowing that it’s Balaam behind the show, I just rested my case. He might be one of the best if not the best promoter in Uganda but he’s clearly not that creative with concert names.
A fancy title like “Chameleon’s musical journey” or something related would have worked better.
Best of Bebe Cool
For two consecutive years (2015 and 2016) Bebe Cool has had sold out concerts at Kampala Serena and I can say the names of the concerts contributed something to their success. “Best of Bebe Cool” and “Life of Bebe Cool” was what he named them.
People streamed inside the auditorium to see what he had in stock for them. Much as he tried to exhaust all his hits in the three hours he was on stage, he couldn’t and some people felt cheated, having come to listen to their favorite jams from him.
He said during one of his interviews that he’s starting a new chapter in his career from the day he did “Life of Bebe Cool”. My question is, what name is he going to come up with next year if he has a concert?
