Posted by By Richard Eghaghe, Entertainment Correspondent on
The Lagos end of the ‘Feel the Spark', Valentine lovers concert held at highbrow Ocean View Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos, could better be code-named ‘Lagos Na Wa', what with the love interface displayed between the visiting American group, Boyz II Men, and Lagos fans.
The Lagos end of the ‘Feel the Spark', Valentine lovers concert held at highbrow Ocean View Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos, could better be code-named ‘Lagos Na Wa', what with the love interface displayed between the visiting American group, Boyz II Men, and Lagos fans.
The obvious love chemistry was so overwhelming and intoxicating at the concert arena that the trio of Nathan 'Alex Vanderpool" Morris, Shawn 'Slim" Stockman, and Wanya 'Squirt" Morris, who now make up Boyz II Men, ended up distributing Rose flowers to fans (an Englishman's way of expressing love).
The visiting international artistes on a two-city concert in the country, courtesy of Gordon Spark brand of Guinness Plc, may not have had it so sweet with Abuja fans the previous day at Nicon Hilton Congress Hall. But with the Lagos fans, it was waoh!
Olisa Aduba had hardly finished introducing the highly professional band to take the centre stage about mid-night, when the anxious Lagos fans rose from their seats and surged forward to catch a better glimpse of the artistes and their soft, but very stimulating and tantalising acts.
On the first strike of the chord from the band, the crowd, who otherwise had maintained a ‘siddon look' posture with every other local artistes on the bill, swung into a frenzy dance session. It was as if Boyz II Men were all they needed to make their Valentine a memorable day.
From one hit song to the other, the highly reputable international entertainers played and dazzled the crowd, brilliantly radiating some of those artistic credentials that make them formidable and renowned international pop and R&B group. They were also very co-ordinated on stage, just as their brilliant acts were fantastically packaged and psychologically infectious in inducing interpersonal relationship with the fans.
Of course, there was never a dull moment in the about 90 minutes the group performed. It was as if the very matured and appreciative Lagos music fans were well rehearsed for the numbers the group performed; they sang along as the group performed the numbers; mostly love songs. The peak of the show was when the trio reached out for the bunch of flowers they came on stage with and began throwing it one after the other at the fans. It was fun. Lots of fun as the admirable music fans went all out to grab one for their lovers, perhaps.
Shawn 'Slim", ostensibly the spokesman for the group, was so amazed by the excitement, love and deep admiration of the Lagos fans that he went into emergency research of a Nigerian word to express the band's feelings. At the end he came up with the astonishing expression, 'Lagos na wa!" Even the way he pronounced the words was fun and induced laughter.
Apart from the even distribution of flowers, may be in the spirit of Valentine pervading the air at the concert ground, each member of the group also parted with one personal belonging or the other in appreciation of the fans response to their music. 'Slim" parted with his white T-shirt, throwing it for a lucky grab into the crowd. Nathan and Waya gave out a fez cap and towel respectively.
The Lagos end of the ‘Feel the Spark' concert was set in motion by Style Plus; the group, sparkling in an all white attire gave very credible account of themselves, miming to some of their sonorous hit tunes. They soon gave way to Art Alade, the revelation of ‘Project Fame'. His performance was equally good and well appreciated by the crowd. He performed a duet with Blackky, whose sudden appearance on stage was not that impressive.
Basket Mouth added a new dimension to the show with his fun-filled bag of humour. Well relaxed in the very secured atmosphere under which the concert held, the fans absorbed all his rib-cracking jokes with laughter.
African Queen rave of the moment, Tu Face Idibia, performed the last opening act after which the visiting Boyz II Men took the stage. Looking fully recovered from the attack and injuries inflicted on him by men of the underworld recently in Lagos, Tu Face hit the stage with two female sensational dancers. He sang some numbers from his current wave-making album and from some of his past works with other artistes and groups. His outing, though fantastic and very well appreciated, however, lacked the interpersonal relationship between artiste, his music, and the fans. Tu Face and every other Nigerian artiste on the bill obviously has one or two lessons to pick from the Boyz II Men group, who took better control of the audience they were meeting for the very first time and dictated the pace.
May be the Nigerian artistes could be excused for the lapses due to time constraints. It was like all the local artistes on the bill were allocated very limited time on stage and were so much in a hurry to perform, which is why they couldn't impress their fans enough to move leave their seats and dance. It was truly a Boyz II Men concert as they had both time and stage to themselves. The local artistes only mimed their music as opening acts.
Apart from the highly commendable peaceful atmosphere and the positive response from the large fans, the happiest man on the concert venue was visibly the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Keith Richards. He danced all through the concert from one end of the arena to the other with a bottle of Gordon Spark very handy and chatting up friends, business associates, staffs and the fans.
He was happy with the music, the security provided for the concert, the technical crew, and with everybody in sight for keeping the peace and sharing love fun. He summarised his impression thus: 'Only Guinness can do this." He assured that the company was planning to do even bigger project before the year runs out. The 'Feel the Spark" concert could be adjudged the most peaceful in recent times. The packaging was also commendable, but not without some lapses here and there in co-ordination.