Nkonkonsa Celebrity Gossip From Africa
It’s 8pm, Saturday March 7, and the buzz inside The Grand Arena at the Accra International Conference Centre is already fever high.
A night of magical promise, the venue, about to host perhaps, what can be described as one of the biggest concerts to be staged in Ghana this year for a mature audience, is all lighted up in hues of blues and reds, and the Patch Bay Band is already dishing out a session that’s titillating many a feet among the teeming guests!
Surely, you must not be left out of this razzmatazz of a night that features the world class international band, Steel Pulse, who will distill some of their iconic tunes, alongside our own international export, ‘Mr Musicman’, Kojo Antwi!
So, you’ve seen Kojo perform several times, you say, what will be new? We caught up with Kojo at rehearsals and put this question to him. The man’s sheer enthusiasm to perform doesn’t seem to have waned since the 1980s!
“For me,” he suddenly became immersed, after a few ice breakers, “every platform I get to play on, is as important as the last one. I don’t take it for granted, no. I see each show I play at, each stage I perform on, as an opportunity to share my sermon with my fans, so this one too is as absolutely important as the last show I did!” That felt intense, even though he was smiling now.
Of course, if you’ve ever seen Kojo on stage, you’ll know no two shows he performs are the same. There’s always something different, something special for his audience. A grand entrance, the selection and sequence of songs, his whole aura, even the way he wears his very meticulously wrapped dreads, are a delight to behold. This is something that has become synonymous with the man all these nearly 40 years since he has been entertaining us!
Time was when he held us spellbound with his most anticipated and sold out Dec 24 concerts. Those were the days! How we looked forward to them. One night you knew was guaranteed to be magical. And he never disappointed. Sharing the same show with them again is still a big deal to Kojo. “Of course, I deem it an honour to once again share the stage with the class act that is Steel Pulse. You know, this is the group whose music expanded the scope of reggae, and I am always glad to get the chance share the stage with them, any time.”
Now, not only Kojo will kick the night into action. Have you heard of Ssue? The latest stage sensation who has in her very short spurt onto the music scene, performed on the same stage with some of the greatest artists including Salif Keita, Bona and Dela Botri!
The firebrand goddess will work the stage to get the audience stimulated a bit before we get into a crescendo with Kojo, and then the main act. Did I mention that there will be a dance area! There will be. No reggae concert is a through and through sit down affair, and this will be no exception. Come prepared to dance!
The Grand Arena is also set to make this experience a very memorable one for its patrons, it will go down as one of the biggest indoor concerts so far in the year. It is designed to give patrons the nostalgic feeling which can be shared together as a group or an individual. For companies looking to reward or give its deserving employees a break from work, for school year groups looking to reminisce, for friends looking to hang out, for families looking to spend quality time together, this is the perfect indoor nostalgic experience for the matured persons. With its table and theater seating, red carpet experience, the whole ambiance is assured of top notch VIP experience. GOLD table for 5 people which comes with soft drinks, juice, snacks, water, white/red wine is going for GHC5,000 and SUPER DELUX table going for GHC7000 for 7 people. VIP section which also comes with refreshments is going for GHC500 cedis, PREMIUM for GHC300 and STANDARD for GHC200.
A joyous occasion celebrating 25 years of Joy FM and 20 years of Charterhouse, this event comes off on Independence day weekend, March 7, at the fully air conditioned Grand Arena which is located inside the Accra International Conference Centre. The event is supported by Labadi Beach Hotel, KNET and South Africa Wines.
