Will Glen Washington disappoint Kenyan fans a second time?

Jamaican rapper Glen Washington (right) with Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja at his office on December 8, 2017. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Washington's return brings back memories of his last show in Mombasa 13 years ago, that almost flopped after he turned up late.
  • Ted Kwaka (Big Ted), who was to be the MC alongside Bernard Otieno (Papa Shaq), took the flak as angry fans pelted him with stones and bottles.
  • The event inadvertently exposed the underbelly of the organisers and put the musician's credibility in question.

Glen Washington is back in Kenya. The Jamaican reggae songwriter and drummer arrived this week to a rousing welcome from fans including Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.

His concert is set for Monday at the RidgeWays Inn in Kiambu and is organised by Dread Brothers Promotion, Shashamane International and Ridgeways Inn-the Yard.

Washington's return brings back memories of his last show in Mombasa 13 years ago, that almost flopped after he turned up on stage after midnight to the disappointment of many fans.

Ted Kwaka (Big Ted), who was to be the MC alongside Bernard Otieno (Papa Shaq), took the flak as angry fans pelted him with stones and bottles.

The event inadvertently exposed the underbelly of the organisers and put the rapper's credibility in question.

In the recent past, other artistes visiting Kenya have also disappointed their fans. In 2016, Koffi Olomide was deported following an incident at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

HIGH TICKET PRICES

A few months later, American rapper Chris Brown's Mombasa show flopped following poor attendance, lack of local artistes and high ticket prices. VVIP tickets cost Sh50,000 while regular ones were sold for Sh10,000.

“Fans were very excited to see Chris Brown but the turn-out wasn’t very good. There were less than 2,000 people there and the organisers were expecting a crowd of about 10,000 people.

“I think they missed the point on many key factors, like ticket sales and advertising,” Mombasa events organiser and director of Extreme Entertainment John Chacha said. Brown was apparently paid Sh100 million for his performance.

This year, Nigerian artiste Tekno disappointed fans after he performed for only 30 minutes on stage after keeping them waiting for several hours. He turned up at 3am to the chagrin of the audience most of whom had paid between Sh3000-10,000 for a ticket.

Sauti Sol's Bien-aime Baraza however criticised Kenyans for not supporting local artistes. "Kenyans deserve that Tekno show. Campmulla makes a comeback and all you're talking about is how bad Tekno was," he wrote on Twitter.

KEY LESSONS

So what should event organisers do to make sure their concerts are a success?

Mr Samuel Weston, who has been in the industry for the past five years, says it takes a lot of effort and mobilisation of resources to set up a successful show. He is behind the Reggae Peace Concert that was held in July this year at the KICC grounds attracting over 6,000 fans.

“I began organising for the event in 2014 and thought it would happen that same year. However, despite making all the arrangements with our partners, we were unable to pay for the artistes' tickets to Kenya,” he said.

He says when looking for partners to sponsor an event, you have to ensure they are willing to invest their money. “You can’t organise for an event until you have enough funds; some artists may require payment prior to the performance,” he said.

He notes that getting sponsors requires a lot of convincing because some are sceptical due to bad previous experience: “I have seen artists who refuse to get on stage until they get at least half of the agreed amount. Organisers have to be prepared for such emergencies.”

SOCIAL MEDIA
“Before the emergence of social media, advertising and curtain raising for an event was very difficult and expensive,” he adds. But in a good month, he is able to make Sh 200,000 from various events.

When it comes to artistes' lineup, Mr Weston says you have to be careful because not all will pull crowds: “Study the market first and know which kind of an artists will bring value to audiences as well as the sponsors on board. Combining artists usually works because it helps in balancing the stage performance.”

He says it is important to promote local artistes to avoid backlash which can negatively impact a well-organised event.