Ne-Yo delivers massive, massive performance

By Steven Odeke

WITHOUT a doubt, Ne-Yo's performance, Friday night, at the Bell Pop N' Jam concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval, Kampala was one heck of showing not seen at the grounds for a long time.

The Oval has been host to so many foreign stars in recent years and, bar the UB40 show in 2008, this was one performance that seemingly left all satisfied.

The evening was chilly and the venue sodden from the afternoon heavy downpour. People should have decided to trash their tickets and stay home watch movies over popcorn, cuddle up or even follow the show on social media and the organisers would have understood. But they came to the show. 

They flocked the show in droves and filled up the venue by 8:00pm. By then, DJ Selector Jay was on the decks spinning away his set of old Skool music to warm up the revellers. 

After him, The night's emcees, Urban TV's Gaetano Kaggwa and Malaika Nyanzi, then invited curtain raisers who included Tabu Flo, Nutty Neithan, Mun G, Irene Ntale, Navio, Sheebah, Cindy, DJ Crisio and Jose Chameleone to set the ball rolling and they never disappointed. 

Then the time everyone had waited for ticked in. There was a 15-minute hiatus as the stage was set and anxiety waft in people. That is the moment Bell Lager used to launch their new bottle relayed on the jumbotron screens but the biggest attention was on the dark and empty stage. They were waiting for their star. 

At 10:30pm, dressed in a black shirt and white jeans and the customary hat, Ne-Yo was finally on stage. 

The crowd went in ruptures. He started his performance and sang every song that made him a household name and those that were not familiar with some Ugandans. But everyone had been won over already first with stage production, especially the sound system, the sexy dancers and Ne-Yo's stage charisma. 

"Uganda wadup, this is my first time here and won't be my last," he said amid his energetic performance. 

Songs like "So Sick," "Closer," "Miss Independent" were all performed and greatly so. 

It was a blast. He was done by 11:30pm.

The show was sponsored by Bell Lager and Vision Group's Urban TV and XFM.