Nigel Nassar
Kampala

THE crowd was mammoth and ecstatic. Everyone, young and old, VIP and ordinary, got on their feet, singing and dancing along. Akon did not disappoint. His live concert on Friday night was worth every penny revellers paid for it.

The venue, Lugogo Cricket Oval, was full to the brim. It had filled up by 6:00pm, about two hours before the beginning of the show.

Recorded music entertained the crowd until the first curtain raiser, Uganda’s Chameleone, got onto the stage. He was followed by Bebe Cool.

Then came a close substitute. Nigerian US-based duo P-Square got onto the stage and sang the remaining chill out of the audience. They taught the crowd the Do Me dance - and it was quick to learn.

Finally, at about 10:45pm, Akon stepped onto the stage to claim his show, sending revellers into a frenzy.

They screamed and jumped high in the air with their hands reaching out, trying to touch him.

Clad in a black cardigan with its hood covering his head, a pair of blue denim jeans and black dancing shoes, he let out a loud holler: “Uganda, are you ready?”

The “yes” response was deafening.

Then he uncovered his head, revealing a wavy hairdo and diamond-studded earlobes.

“What a hunk!” a lady in the VIP section yelled.

Then the Senegalese-American R&B/Hip-hop sensation set the ball rolling, singing out his heart and thrilling Kampala with more than 15 of his hits, including Mama Africa and Locked Up.

By the time the show ended, one and a half hours later, he had stripped to a bare chest and thrown the four T-shirts he had been wearing into the crowd.