A Blast Of Music, As Castle Lite Unlocksj Cole In Lagos
Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Others On Parade
The Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, was the place to be last weekend, as fun-loving Lagosians thronged the upscale venue for the Castle Lite Unlock concert, with America’s J Cole as headliners. With the level of publicity and media hype deployed by the organisers, it was obvious that the gig would be a blast.
Aside the multi-platinum selling American rapper, J Cole, the concert also featured the likes of Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and other notable stars, who took their slots on the big stage to thrill the excited crowd. It was indeed a night of glitz, glamour and great music, combined with ice-cold Castle Lite beer.
As is tradition with the brand, it seeks new and better ways of availing its customers new experiences in the leisure of beer drinking, an experience which it had done severally since 2011 with international music heavy weights like Kanye West, Drake, Timbaland, Travis Scott, Chance the rapper, Bryson Tiller, Whiz Khalifa and Nas, who shared the same platform with other African artistes.
An explosion of colourful lights and the sound of heavy equipment from the award-winning DJ Obi on the wheels of steel ushered in this year’s edition of the unlocked stage. The excitement in the air was palpable, as fans rushed towards the stage dancing to the tunes coming out from the massive speakers hanging from the ceiling and in strategic places around the hall. In keeping with standards the brand is known for, the entire hall was transformed into a stage worthy of any world-class act. The theme of the night, icecold, was replicated in the décor and aesthetics of the stage and the entire hall giving the feeling of being in a gigantic freezer.
To set the tone for the evening, a 10 minutes battle of the DJS between the famous duo of DJ Neptune and DJ Jimmy Jatt took off in earnest, with wild appreciation from the crowd. They intermittently halted the music to allow the crowd mime along to the delight of every one. Following closely was the ‘battle’ between DJ Obi and DJ Xclusive. They began on a high note, sending the crowd into a wild frenzy.
The concert was eventually unlocked with MI being the first act on stage. He sent the crowd screaming widely, as they sang and rapped along with him. Even MI could not believe the love that was coming from the crowd; he ended his act with his famous duet with Flavour Numberone.
Ycee was next on stage and he thrilled the crowd with his popular hits, Jagaban and Toomuchsource. In between performances, Pearl and Do2tu entertained the crowd with their own version of the shakushaku dance steps and a number of costume changes.
Falz the Bahd guy took the unlocked platform to next and his back up dancers dressed in black with red berets, displayed some earth-shattering dance moves that got fans screaming from the top of their lungs. Tiwa Savages performance was no less exciting, as her sexy female dancers got a lot of people hot under the collars. The hit jam Malo got the crowd screaming and asking for more.
One of the biggest acts of the night came on after the stage was ‘warmed’ by DJ Jimmy Jatt, who dished out a number of club-bangers setting the tone for the next round of performances. With sound mix by DJ Spinhall, Wizkid took the stage and got his fans screaming with delight and singing alongside his band. His brand of music, which infuses afrobeat, appeals to both the young and the old. Davido, who stormed the stage with his DMW crew, got the crowd dancing; his grand entrance will leave a lasting memory as it sent the crowd screaming and asking for more.
Star of the show J Cole finally took the stage in the early hours of the morning. After Davido’s performance, the chant ‘Jcole’ rendered the air, as they could not longer wait for him to take the stage. The multi-platinum artist was himself surprised at the crowd frenzy, especially as his songs were being sung and rapped fluidly. He performed for about an hour and sang most of the songs on his current album KOD, which was release bare three weeks ago.