Veterans upstaging newbies ?

After weeks of thorough preparations, the SportPesa Festival went down at the Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, in an occasion that provided a rare treat for the local showbiz scene.

The festival menu comprised top billing acts drawn from the growing variety of Kenya’s music genres and provided sufficient cherries for the adequately stoked fans to pick from. It was evident from the

glamorous displays that the organisers (and attendees) spared no effort to deliver a flattering presentation.

“The show was broadcast live on several television stations, which doesn’t happen every day,” notes Jua Cali, “and considering that the fans also paid to see us, it was a really big deal for everyone involved.”

With expectations at peak levels, it was only natural that the entertainers would be pressed to ensure their performances were bang on the buck. Some were spot on, others not so much.

“The thing that stood out for me was watching fans sing along to some of the artiste’s lines back to back,” observes Wyre. “It’s always encouraging for an artiste when the audience responds positively to a performance.”

Such was the case for most of the established names in the local scene, with the likes of Jua Cali, Nameless, Abbas and Redsan sparking ripples of excitement. Not one to be left behind, newbies like Timmy T

Dat and Dela also pulled their weight on stage and were rewarded with signs of approval as fans hummed and swayed to their tunes.

But what sets apart captivating entertainers from the rest of the troupe?

OWN STYLE

“Every artiste has their own style of performing,” explains Nameless. “But the most important thing is to make sure you understand the crowd you’re playing to.”

With an exclusive, invite-only section, a premium VIP offering and the activity packed general audience section, the SportPesa Festival was deliberately designed to offer unique experiences for the different

categories of attendees. The result was a colourful mix of music enthusiasts with distinct tastes and preferences, each looking to usher the party season back in after the January blues.

“There was something for everyone,” says Wyre. “There was just enough of what you would call uptown acts and plenty for everyone else, so no one felt left out. This made the audience a bit more diverse than most performers are used to.”

In such cases, according to Jua Cali, the key to ensuring one doesn’t lose the momentum of their performance lies in their ability to read the crowd.

“You have to know how to engage your audience,” points out the serial crowd pleaser. “It’s like deejaying. You have to be alert to read the rhythm of the crowd and pull them back in when you notice their attention is drifting away.”

Nameless agrees. “Feedback is important. I’ve had to change the rest of a performance midway after I realised I was losing the audience. You need to be really keen to make those kinds of judgements when on stage.”

One could argue that experience plays the biggest role in guaranteeing the quality of an artiste’s performance, but Sauti Sol’s Delvin Mudigi differs slightly.

“In a show like this one, where you had so many different artistes on one line-up, the crowd eventually gets tired so it becomes hard to sustain a connection.”

He adds, “I actually got lost halfway through our performance, which made me struggle through the rest of the set.”

To channel some energy into the performance, Wyre suggests incorporating showmanship to maximise on stage presence and to break the monotony on stage.

“I especially enjoyed the dance choreography in some of the acts,” he says, adding: “The live element also brought a different feel to the flow of the show and created good vibes both for the musicians and the fans.”

Also, as it turns out, a retinue of hit songs does not always translate into a good performance.

“I realised that fans expect more than just hit songs in a performance,” says Delvin. “It made me see how spoilt we artistes are when we expect fans to cheer us on stage just because we have many hit songs. It was humbling.”

Like all things, it takes time to perfect a good act. Often, that means hours (if not years) of practice on and off the spotlight. “Instead of being discouraged when they don’t get a good reaction from the crowd,

artistes should work on what needs to be improved for future shows,” says Jua Cali. “I’ve had good performances and bad ones over the years. What I’ve learnt is that it’s only by being consistent that you can become better and gradually gain appreciation from the fans.”

Indeed, going by the precedent witnessed at the year’s first major concert gig, the standards for local music performances have been set at a remarkably high barometer which can only be expected to rise as the showbiz circuit gains momentum.

“We need more shows like this one. It’s upon artistes to deliver their best so that sponsors like SportPesa and fans feel encouraged to support local talent,’ says Wyre.

“If we keep this up, I see us getting to the level of the Beats of The Season days when Kenyan music was at its peak.