Major highlights of a “Spiced” 2024 Bhimfest

Giant screens, busy stands and the energy of the team on stage design and set up greeted me when I got to La Palm Royal Beach Hotel for this year’s Bhimfest, Beach Edition headlined by reigning TGMA Artiste of the Year.

My mission was simple; to get my press tags for coverage later in the evening and with what I saw on the grounds, my expectations for a good how went wild. It’s going to be fire for fire. Was it?

Beginning

The publicised time for this year’s event was 9:00 pm and the organisers did well to be on time and not to keep patrons waiting.

For close to two hours, the growing crowd had to endure the “time wasters” of up and coming artistes who couldn’t even make use of a huge platform like Bhimfest. But for a few, many of these artistes just “passed through” and probably wasted their talents on the night. They added nothing to the show.

Established acts

Well gradually, some known acts including Epixode and Efya came on stage after 11:00pm giving hope to the crowd that Stonebwoy, the reason for their presence will be with them soon.

And soonest was it when Stonebwoy’s hype man announced that he was ready for his fans who had come from far and near to see their idol serve them with scintillating performances.

The thunderous cheers, stomping of feet and loud screams of Bhim echoed the beach space of La Palm Royal Beach when Stonebwoy mounted the stage.

It was a great spectacle with Stonebwoy holding a torch fire, perhaps to signify that he was a pacesetter in his field of endeavour.

That was the curtain raiser for an unforgettable night. At12:15 am, he kicked off the “Reggae Revival” segment with soulful renditions of “Suit & Tie,” “Nonstop,” “Mama,” “Strength & Hope,” and more.

For the first time, Reggae music took center stage, and the audience was entranced, singing along to every word.

The “Reggae Revival” segment was a masterpiece, with the LIVE Band and professional backup singers seamlessly supporting Stonebwoy’s crisp, studio-quality vocals.

His outfit was a nod to the traditional attire of reggae legends, amplifying the genre’s revolutionary message.

The ‘Spicy’ affair

Stonebwoy meant real business and was ready to get the crowd wild and excited and he certainly achieved that with his “spicy affair” with Jamaican Dancehall artiste, Spice on stage.

As if possessed by a flirty spirit, Spice got into mood, and undiluted action it was when she started shaking vigorously what her mama gave her.

Come on! It was proper “groping” on stage, giving the charged audience something to feast on for about 10 minutes. The act took the event to a new whole level experience. Thanks to Stonebwoy and Spice’s “erotic” session.

Fast apology

Everybody get his master and Stonebwoy’s wife, Dr Louisa is surely a master over the Bhim god. “Where’s Dr Louisa, where’s Dr Louisa? His voice echoed from the microphone.

“Dr Louisa, you know say this be just entertainment”, Stonebwoy apologised to the wife amidst laughter from the same crowd who earlier cheered his moves with Spice.

Stonebwoy and Davido duo

Introducing Nigeria’s Davido as a brother from another mother, the duo performed their hit song, Activate before Stonebwoy left Davido to do his thing on stage.

As a crowd puller, Davido knew just how to engage them and he gave back to back of his old and new hit songs including Assurance, Unavailable, Feel, Fall, Damiduro among others.

There were also performances by Reggie Rockstone, Rocky Dawuni, Guru, Fameye, BlackHero, Kwaw Kese, Praye Tietia a,ong others.

Actress Nana Ama McBrown came to support.

Porous security

The evening began with a strong security presence, but as the night wore on, the sheer number of enthusiastic fans proved too much for the security measures in place.

Just before Stonebwoy’s highly anticipated performance at midnight, the gates were inundated with a surge of revelers who forcibly pushed their way into the venue, bypassing proper security checks.

The sudden influx of people created a chaotic scene, as the security personnel struggled to maintain control and ensure the safety of the attendees. Despite the initial tight security, the overwhelming crowd ultimately breached the barriers, adding an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to the already electric atmosphere.

Wrong venue

Even though the La Palm Royal Beach had a beautiful ambience, unfolding events on the night showed that the space was not the best choice for Bhimfest that pulled crowd.

To accommodate the massive following, future events should consider a larger, more suitable venue to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees.

Conclusion

But for a few technical hitches with the sound and the unnecessary dragging of the performances of some artistes that delayed the show, this year’s Bhimfest went down well.

In the words of Stonebwoy “Bhimfest is the biggest concert in Ghana”. Is the statement debatable? Yes or No?