Uganda: Ray G Shuts Up Naysayers With Sold-Out Lugogo Concert

17 May 2024
The Observer (Kampala)
By Nathan Atiluk

Eleven years in the music industry and Ray G proved that he too deserves to be counted among top Ugandan players, despite the fact that he had to ferry many fans in buses all the way from Mbarara to Lugogo Cricket Oval last Friday for his maiden concert.

He also sold his ordinary tickets at a discounted price as the show drew closer, and his gamble worked; for if it was a full cricket oval that Kampalans wanted, then a full oval they got on May 10.

Ray G, who is a big musician in Western Uganda because he sings predominantly in Runyankore, had been challenged by Ugandans on X to try and stage a show at Lugogo, following a spat with Azawi when the latter went to perform in Mbarara recently.

Ray G appeared to interrupt Azawi's set on the Mbarara stage, and the microphone picked up snippets of their argument and near-fight for the microphone. This led to an online war between the two artistes' fans, culminating in Azawi's fans challenging Ray G to dare perform in Kampala.

Last Friday, he called their bluff and now many are comparing Ray G's show to Winnie Nwagi's, saying that he got more numbers than her.

But the shows had different prices; Ray G's entrance fee ranged from Shs 20,000 ordinary to Shs 50,000 for VIP, a table for Shs 1m for gold and Shs 2m for platinum. Winnie Nwagi's show was Shs 20,000 for general access, 100,000 for VIP and Shs 2.5m for a table of eight.

PERFORMANCES

By 3pm, gates were open to party animals and those who came from Mbarara were seen alighting from the buses to come and cheer their homeboy, who was in Kampala's most popular concert venue to disprove his doubters.

Many of them were heard saying that they came to have a good time at the show but the most important thing was to show love and support to Ray G.

There were some revellers from other tribes of Uganda, but mostly it was a Banyakitara reunion of sorts. Local musicians including Levixone, Truth 256, Pallaso, Ziza Bafana, and new kids on the block Warafiki from Fenon kept the fans entertained until 9pm when Ray G came on stage.

Ray G kicked off his big night with his Hi Hi song that made the crowd go wild. Ray G and Spice Diana then performed their ground-breaking song, Omusheshe before he also performed Yoya with Levixone, Mirembe, Yebare, Tayari, and Weena, among others.

One thing I noticed with Ray G that other musicians don't do was he not wasting time going to change clothes. From the time he came on stage till the end, he did not take wardrobe breaks but, rather, kept his crowds entertained all night. Every song that he performed had the crowd singing along.

"I thank the Almighty God for blessing us with life, good weather, and setting our music free," Ray G later shared on X. "May 10th, 2024, marked a pivotal day in my music career and my life. I am forever grateful to my fans for their unwavering love and support."

atiluknathan@gmail.com

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