GLO SLIDE & BOUNCE CONCERT IN PORT HARCOURT: ENTERTAINMENT UNLIMITED

From the rising to the setting of the sun, the Port Harcourt weather looked temperate and friendly throughout that Saturday.  A few showers of blessings here and there but nothing strong enough to truncate the fun.

In spite of the rising political situation in the Garden City, Port Harcourt was totally calm that glorious day.  Freedom, excitement, conviviality and passion walked the streets as the people went in pursuit of their daily chores. The expectation of the people was also high in anticipation of the musical explosion billed for that evening, the Glo Slide & Bounce concert. 

Yes, the Glo Slide & Bounce concert was the balm the people needed to relieve tension.  It was timely as it was soothing to the human minds.  Globacom, leading telecoms provider, in its usual manner of spreading fun and entertainment across Nigeria’s landscape, hit the city in a grand style with an array of celebrated performing artistes who are mainly its ambassadors. 

The artistes’ line-up is unique: the dancing duo, Psquare; the mask man, Lagbaja; the home boy Burma Boy; African rapper number one, MI; the lady with velvetyvoice, Waje.  Others include Omawunmi, Lynxxx, Bez and Chee the Voice.

Held at the beautiful Aztech Arcum event centre, Stadium Road, Port Harcourt, many believed that the event could not have come at a more auspicious time.

Port Harcourt residents and those from its environs trooped out in their thousands to savour the show. From 6.00pm that Saturday when the gate of the venue of the show was flung open till 4.47am the following morning when the duo of Peter and Paul Okoye of the P-Square fame left the stage, the enthusiastic audience were practically on their feet, rocking the fun that could only have been made possible by Globacom.

It was a 10-hour night of fun and entertainment and Globacom demonstrated that when it comes to giving joy and happiness to the people, no company does it better. It was indeed entertainment unlimited, an evening that will remainindelible in the minds of the people.

One noticeable factor that distinguished the Port Harcourt edition of the Glo Slide & Bounce Concert from other shows that had held in the city was the flawless fusion of music, dance and comedy with a very participatory audience. It was a compact event and the organizers did not spare any effort at ensuring that the audience had value for their time.

From the energetic Omawumi, the Waffi girl and chief proponent of “Adebisi Konga” that opened the show, to the beautiful Chee the Voice,  the gangling Lynxx, the Maser guitarist, Bez, the home boy, Burna Boy, the imposing Waje, the Nigerian gift to Folk music, Lagbaja, and the sensational P-Square, the show in all ramifications stretched the city beyond it’s showbiz limits.

Flavour, the Enugu State – Born crooner of ‘Adanma” who made his debut appearance in Port Harcourt at the ongoing Glo Slide & Bounce Concert that has covered four cities so far, was at his entertainment best. He engaged the audience all through with his superlative performance.

The over 2,500 audience were held spell-bound by the legendary saxophonist, Lagbaja, who thrilled the audience to different African folklore music and the handsome twin brothers, P-Square, who "dealt" with the crowd “Personally”,making it known to all that “E  no Easy” for someone to sing and for the crowd to dance.

The fifth in the series of nine shows organized by Globacom to celebrate and introduce the newly appointed Glo Ambassadors to the people, the Glo Slide & Bounce Concert in the past five weeks has carved a niche for itself as a thriller that is a must – watch for all and sundry.

Little wonder then that as the news of the show which started in Abuja over a month ago and which has berthed in cities such as Benin, Ibadan and Enugu, spreads, the number of attendees grew in leaps  and bounds.

The combination of the best of Nigeria's home grown musical talents and comedy merchants, Okey Bakassi and Basketmouth at the show, has given the concert an edge over any other show in the city. The two most celebrated  comedians set Port Harcourt “on fire” with their spontaneous and hilarious jokes. The audience could not have gotten a better deal. “It was a hit,” one of the attendees said.

Globacom also went the extra mile by giving fantastic prizes to the members ofthe audience just as it rewarded the duo of Enukorah Nma, a graduate of Theatre and Cinema from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Inam Bassey Ekat, a final year student of Economics, University of Abuja, who won the Glo Slide & Bounce with Artistes Singing Competition on You Tube with Samsung Galaxy Grand Dual SIM Phones.

The most dramatic performance of the night of fun was by the African Rapper Number One, MI, who, in an emotive manner, identified a damsel, Stella Onota of the Department of Dentistry, University of Port Harcourt, sang love tunes to her delight and passionately adorned her neck with a gold necklace.

The crowd cheered endlessly. It was MI at his most sensational best. What a lover-boy the Taraba State-born singer turned out to be that night.

Welcoming the audience, among whom were the Rivers State Commissioner for Youths, Sir Owone Wonodi, Mr. Dickson Umunakwe, Commissioner for special Duties and Hon. George Tolofari, Commissioner for Transport, Globacom’s Divisional Director South – South, Mr. Sam Edoho, said the concert “is an avenue to let the young folks realize that they have unlimited benefits by keeping faith with Globacom, the network that cares for the people."

And in demonstration of that, Edoho unveiled to the audience the dance Wiz Kid, Jay Kolo, who was recently appointed as Glo Youth Ambassador, a feat he achieved by developing an imaginative dance steps which Globacom gave him a chance to perform with Psquare.

By the time the curtain was drawn on the concert at exactly 4.47am, the crowd gave a loud ovation to Globacom for calming the frayed nerves of the residents of the Garden City with a mesmerizing world class show.

In the next three weeks, Calabar, Uyo, Lagos and Abuja are on the queue to experience the unlimited fun and entertainment of the Glo Slide & Bounce Concert.