It was the last but second leg of the annual pan Nigeria road concert tagged Star Music Trek, and as the Nigerian Breweries sponsored show made a stop in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, fans were overwhelmed by the lineup of top artistes scheduled for their domain.
It was a tale of would-be-stars going toe-to-toe with the top billed artistes at Trans Amusement Park, Samonda, Ibadan as names like Chidinma, Wizkid, Pasuma, Wande Coal, Sound Sultan and May D were more than matched by Pepenazi, Sunkanmi, Young Grey C, Base One and Presh as they all delivered ground-thumping performances at the event last Saturday.
The show was not all about the singers, as DJ Nana, DJ Xclusive and the Master of Ceremony, Gbenga Adeyinka, were more than crowd-pleasers, by adding verve to the show.
Adeyinka who introduced a number of upcoming acts from Ibadan whom Star gave the rare opportunity to perform on the Star Music Trek stage, took total control of the event, even as he rendered hilarious jokes at intervals.
The upcoming acts include Sunkanmi who started off the party in earnest with her irresistible single “For Body” which she performed to the delight of the crowd. Sunkanmi’s performance was quickly followed by that of Base One who dropped his popular single “Weyrey Re O”. Pepenazi was up next with his smash hit “Illegal”. He created a scene at the event as he threw his wristwatch, jewellery and face towel into the excited crowd while DJ Xclusive came onstage to record the entire scene and take selfies with his phone.
Young Grey C then stepped out for a performance of her breakout hit ”Chukwuma” which was received well by the crowd, and Gbenga Adeyinka soon had a job on his hands trying to sustain the tempo after her energetic performance.
The show also had one-time Star Quest co-winner, Presh, who delivered a 15-minute set to the delight of the nostalgic crowd.
Chidinma was then introduced to the stage and the noise level went up several notches as Miss Kedike rocked the crowd with her hits including “Kedike,” “Run Their Mouth,” “Oh Baby,” and “I’m In Love” before she signed out with the ever-popular “Emi Ni Baller”.
“It was a great feeling stepping out on the stage here in Ibadan and feeling a wall of noise from these fans. I can’t wait to come back to Ibadan and I am grateful to Star for providing this platform for all of us to come here and have fun,” said Chidinma.
Mr. May D came up next, singing”Ale Yi A Bad,” “So Many Tinz,” “Jeka Jo,” “Ibadi,” and “Get Down”. Sound Sultan then took the stage for one of the night’s most popular performances, and for 40 minutes, he performed to the delight of the crowd, playing songs like “Kokose,” “Natural Something,” “Orobo” and “Mathematics”.
When it was Wande Coal’s turn, the party mood moved up several gears as several years’ worth of hits came out in forty minutes. He sang ‘Taboo,” “Been Long You Saw Me,” “Who Born The Maga,” and “Ashimapeyin.”
With Wizkid, a great frenzy followed. For 40 minutes, he kept the crowd electrified with his impressive catalogue of smash hits, including “Ojuelegba”, “Jaiye Jaiye”, and “Samba” among others.
“I have just come back from overseas,” Wizkid said after the show, “ and I have interacted with lots of my fans around the world but the kind of reception I got here, I have never experienced it anywhere else. It blew my mind. I am just happy I got the opportunity to be here and of course credit to Star for making tonight possible. I love you guys!”
Speaking afterward, Corporate Affairs Adviser, NB PLC Kufre Ekanem said, “You saw the reaction of the crowd when Wizkid was introduced after the documentary. This is what The Trek is really about, over and above music and entertainment – inspiring youths through music to realise how much they can achieve if they believe in their dreams and work hard. The message more than 10,000 Ibadan youths have taken home tonight is that from Ojuelegba, this young guy with a vision made it to the big stage around the world and he still remembers home.”
The show moves to Lagos this weekend with the hashtag, #LagosRocks.
