Davido performs at the event
Iyanya doing his thing
Tuface Idibia
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
As part of activities following on the heels of the carnival parade which held on Friday, December 27, top of the shelf musical performances by Nigeria’s great music icon, TuFace Idibia, and stars such as Iyanya, Davido, Sound Sultan, among others, were on display on Saturday, at the main bowl of the U.J Esuene Stadium.
Tagged “Calabar Rocks”, it was a show packaged by the Calabar Carnival Commission as a series of Calabar Festival events lined up to usher in the New Year, 2014.
As early as 8pm, the over 16,000 capacity U.J. Esuene was literally bursting at the seams, as hordes of spectators surpassing the previous day’s carnival bands’ parades, were salivating to be tantalised by some of Nigeria’s very best musical gladiators.
After what seemed like an endless wait by the revellers, having had their appetite already whetted by local acts, the stadium suddenly became electric with the appearance of Sound Sultan to set the stage aglow. Sound Sultan literally uprooted everyone from his or her seat as the sea of heads could be seen tossing in Mexico-wave fashion.
If anyone thought the crowd was jaded by the toll exacted on them from the previous day’s fatigue, the gyration on display on this sweaty Saturday night, by the very old, the young, men and women, boys and girls offered no such hint as they joined the dancing train.
Refusing to allow any dull moment take over the crowd, rap sensation, Nato C dished out some of his rap tunes much to the excitement of the music throngs who wound and wriggled while Nato C did his thing.
The stadium erupted in ecstasy when the “Skelewu “ and “Omo Baba Lowo” crooner, Davido mounted the stage and got the crowd crooning and yelling along to his rave tunes. It was a moment they sure would live to remember in a long while to come.
In what could be regarded as home coming, it was the turn of home boy, Iyanya who was given a hero’s welcome by the crowd as he made his ascent onto the stage. With his “Kukere” and “Your Waist”, he wowed the crowd into a wild moment. the crowd which hardly held back, joined him in singing and dancing to his native “Etighi” dance steps.
Apparently serving the best for the last, then entered the the ‘big masquerade’ himself, Tuface Idebia, Nigeria’s multi-award winning music maestro. Tunes after tunes, he held the crowd rocking back and forth as the night wore on into the early hours of Sunday. The night was turned into somewhat of a dancing competition among the teeming crowd, the highs and the lows, including those at the state box, as everyone tried to showcase his or her dancing skills.
But it was not just a night of music and musicians alone as one of Nigeria’s best things in comedy, Julius Agwu thrilled the crowd with his rib-cracking jokes. They wished the show never had to come to an end. But they were wrong as every good thing must come to an end. Nonetheless, the crowd enjoyed themselves as they were fabulously thrilled and entertained. It was one long night they would never forget in a hurry.
Tagged “Calabar Rocks”, it was a show packaged by the Calabar Carnival Commission as a series of Calabar Festival events lined up to usher in the New Year, 2014.
As early as 8pm, the over 16,000 capacity U.J. Esuene was literally bursting at the seams, as hordes of spectators surpassing the previous day’s carnival bands’ parades, were salivating to be tantalised by some of Nigeria’s very best musical gladiators.
After what seemed like an endless wait by the revellers, having had their appetite already whetted by local acts, the stadium suddenly became electric with the appearance of Sound Sultan to set the stage aglow. Sound Sultan literally uprooted everyone from his or her seat as the sea of heads could be seen tossing in Mexico-wave fashion.
If anyone thought the crowd was jaded by the toll exacted on them from the previous day’s fatigue, the gyration on display on this sweaty Saturday night, by the very old, the young, men and women, boys and girls offered no such hint as they joined the dancing train.
Refusing to allow any dull moment take over the crowd, rap sensation, Nato C dished out some of his rap tunes much to the excitement of the music throngs who wound and wriggled while Nato C did his thing.
The stadium erupted in ecstasy when the “Skelewu “ and “Omo Baba Lowo” crooner, Davido mounted the stage and got the crowd crooning and yelling along to his rave tunes. It was a moment they sure would live to remember in a long while to come.
In what could be regarded as home coming, it was the turn of home boy, Iyanya who was given a hero’s welcome by the crowd as he made his ascent onto the stage. With his “Kukere” and “Your Waist”, he wowed the crowd into a wild moment. the crowd which hardly held back, joined him in singing and dancing to his native “Etighi” dance steps.
Apparently serving the best for the last, then entered the the ‘big masquerade’ himself, Tuface Idebia, Nigeria’s multi-award winning music maestro. Tunes after tunes, he held the crowd rocking back and forth as the night wore on into the early hours of Sunday. The night was turned into somewhat of a dancing competition among the teeming crowd, the highs and the lows, including those at the state box, as everyone tried to showcase his or her dancing skills.
But it was not just a night of music and musicians alone as one of Nigeria’s best things in comedy, Julius Agwu thrilled the crowd with his rib-cracking jokes. They wished the show never had to come to an end. But they were wrong as every good thing must come to an end. Nonetheless, the crowd enjoyed themselves as they were fabulously thrilled and entertained. It was one long night they would never forget in a hurry.
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