BY 7:00pm Easter Sunday, the roads leading to Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, were clogged with vehicles in traffic jams. The surge of crowd were headed nowhere but to watch AY Live at the Convention Centre of the Eko Hotel.
The show, hosted by popular on-air-personality, Freeze, started at about 9:00pm, over two hours behind schedule. And with about 6, 000 attendees, all seats were fully occupied, and some attendees had to stand throughout the show. Sponsored by Maltina, a brand of Nigerian Breweries Limited, the event’s theme, ‘Complete Happiness’ which is in line with Maltina’s tag line of ‘Happiness’, featured a long line of artistes, including dancers, musicians and comedians to do just one thing create fun.
Immediately after a serenading session by the Veentage Band, the show kicked off with a mock performance of the result announcement for the recently-concluded presidential election. Actors mimicked the sign language interpreter and electoral officers of Kano and Rivers States (the two states with the most surprising result margins for the big political parties APC and PDP) while AY played the role of the electoral umpire. In a seemingly brief dialogue, AY receives a telephone call and blurts, “I cannot rig it” which generated peals of laughter from the crowd. The ensemble was made complete with an actor playing Elder Godswill Orubebe’s role in the election process.
Then came the entrée AY and Helen, clad in soutane, depicting a religious prophet and prophetess. Closely following this was Explicit, an Ibadan-based dance group also put up an energetic performance, including a well-coordinated acrobatic sync.
However, given that AY-Live thrives on comedies, the show featured the likes of Helen Paul, Princess, Acapella, Laff Up, Ushbebe, Gordons, Ajebo (comedian and OAP), MC Shakara and MC Galaxy. Few areas were sacred as they made fun of everything – politicians, religious leaders, foreigners, attendees, and even themselves.
Other artistes present were Bovi, Okey Bakassi, Empress Njamah, Vector da Viper, Timaya, Funke Akindele, Jimmy Jatt, Korede Bello, Kiss Daniel, Brian Okpara, Osas Ighodaro, Ubi Franklin and Lilian Esoro.
President Goodluck Jonathan also got a standing ovation at a point in the show when AY said that the recent act by Jonathan in conceding defeat in the presidential election to his major rival, General Muhamadu Buhari, is responsible for the current peace the country is witnessing.
“The man look am come say, ‘If I allow my people go the other way, Nigeria go scatter,” AY said in pidgin English. “He say make I just do like Jesus Christ. And today na the resurrection day.”
Among musicians that also performed at the show was Onyeka Onwenu. The Elegant Stallion put an amazing outing, belting out tunes from her collection such as Iyogogo, which got sections of the attendees dancing. She was also sprayed with currency notes in appreciation by her admirers. It did not matter to her fans that spraying of naira notes is frowned against by the Nigerian Constitution. AY also prostrated as a sign of appreciation to the beautiful singer.
As the curtains wind down at about 2:00am and the crowd thronged out of the Convention Centre, there was little doubt that AY-Live, despite not ensuring ‘complete happiness’ it touted, had succeeded in bringing a dose of happiness.
