Ghana celebrates X’mas with Ofori Amponsah

This year’s Christmas season witnessed various live musical events throughout the country to mark the celebration of the birth of Christ.

The mother of all the events took place at the National Theatre on Monday December 24, where thousands of Ghanaian and foreign music lovers came to take part in perhaps the biggest show in town, dubbed “Ghana Rocks With Ofori Amponsah and Friends”.

The auditorium of the National Theatre was packed to capacity and music lovers were treated to a wide range of songs and music genre ranging from gospel, hiplife to contemporary highlife.

The main roads from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) headquarters and the Ridge Hospital witnessed heavy traffic, which moved at a pace so slow that many had to park their cars at any available space and make it to the venue on foot.

Most music fans who were late could not get seats and therefore had to stand on their feet till the end of the show. Virtually every available space in the huge auditorium was occupied; not even the extra chairs brought in could solve the problem.

They however did not regret paying the GH¢30 to watch the show, which was splendid and worth the money.

The show, which was well organized, attracted a larger number of music lovers compared to Kojo Antwi’s.

Kojo Antwi, ‘the musicman’, who is known for his annual December 24 musical concert where most of his fans turn up to have a direct feel of him on stage, threw in the towel, giving Ofori the green light on 24 night, for fear that his show would not attract large patronage.

Among the top music giants who performed to the delight and satisfaction of the crowd were Pastor Lenny Akpadie, Kwaw Kese, Becca, Kofi B, Shasha Marley, Daasebre Dwamena, Jeff Bogologobo of ‘Alhaji’ fame and Ofori Amponsah himself.

The show, which started at 8:40 pm and ended at 3:00am, saw music fans on their feet dancing throughout the night.

Pastor Akpadie set the tone for the night when he mounted the stage. The audience could not remain in their seats as they joined him in dancing to his gospel songs. Kofi B received a thunderous applause when he thrilled the audience with some of his latest songs like “Koforidua Flowers” and “Akua Atta”. He opened the floor with one of his biggest hits, “Akua Atta” and had the people rocking on their feet.

Just when “Koforidua Flowers” started playing in the background the crowd began screaming.

Kwaw Kese of ‘Abodam’ fame stole the show with his creative stagecraft as he staged a brilliant performance which sent thousands of fans rolling with him.

He appeared on stage in a Father Christmas outfit and for fifteen minutes, shook the National Theatre amid shouts of “Abodam ooh Abodam” by the audience.

Becca’s stagecraft also won the admiration of fans when she performed her favourite track You Lied To Me and a song by Ofori Amponsah.

She dazzled music fans with her charming personality and dancing skills, making fans wiggle in their seats in appreciation of the performance of the beautiful singer.

Ofori Amponsah, who was the last to perform, brought the whole auditorium to a standstill as both the young and old were seen dancing during his performance.

Ofori performed most of the popular songs on his old and current albums.

Ofori, whose live performances won the hearts of most of the fans, exhibited excellent stagecraft as well as singing and dancing skills.

His appearance on stage was greeted with loud cheers and applause from the audience. One of the unique features of Ofori’s rendition was the quality vocal strength he exhibited throughout his performance.

Majority of fans interviewed indicated that the show was splendid, but some said they were not happy with Daasebre and Kofi B as they lacked stagecraft. They suggested that Ghanaian artistes who lacked stagecraft should be made to undergo formal training in stage performance.