THE A PASS CONCERT

A PASS can be as stubborn as a mule. He also talks too much. But, he’s very clever and knows what he wants.

A couple of days before his concert, he told me his traditional name (I only knew Bagonza), which belongs to the Ndiga clan. Oba yabadde annimba?

It kinda makes sense coz when E Ndiga makes up its mind, it can face a bus or a truck in a ‘head batting contest’, head on! And yet, when it’s about to be slaughtered, E Ndiga doesn’t resist, it barely makes a sound. It lays down, tilts its head and literally requests the “hangman” to get on with it. Such a peculiar animal.

That animal defines A Pass. He brags, he talks too much and yet he’s quite humble, respectful and sensible. Very importantly, he backs his talk with his Art and his work ethic (he’s prolific).

I arrived at the venue five hours before the show started in order to use the back door (which was locked), but I’ve been a citizen of Serena before it was Serena, it all worked out eventually.

Nah, I was avoiding all the smartly dressed fashionistas (ku mbaga tekubulako musiwuufu ).

That stubborn boy was busy making jokes on phone when I let him know that I’d arrived, to honor his invitation (invitation yali yabigambo, bouncers bandinsudde ebweeru).

THE CONCERT

Artistes must learn this mantra; “Dirt in, dirt out. Clean in, clean out”. Preparation, Precision!

A Pass started prepping for his concert in May 2024. He even took voice lessons for months, which later included harmony lessons for his Background Vocalists. These drills were handled by Tonya Michelle Ahenda.

His friend flew in from the UK I believe, and started programming the show in advance, song by song. The Vocalists and Instrumentalists then had to go through the set with precision/on the clock meaning there was little or no room for errors nor adlibs.

I like the fact that he took on this performance by himself (only three features); he performed THIRTY FOUR songs! The audience knew all the songs and sang along. It was great to see.

As far as Ugandan Artistes are concerned, especially his peers, I’m trying very hard to find one who managed to tick more boxes (parameters for live concerts as a whole), like A Pass ticked on Friday. I’m talking about the Music and delivery, not the hyperbole that usually surrounds concerts here.

A Pass invested in his Art, big time! He funded his concert, with some support from sponsors who came in late. He’s one of very few Artistes of his generation and the preceding one for that matter, who sacrifices and invests heavily in his Art.

Incidentally, two others who are as heavily invested in their Art like him, were standing next to each other in the audience (mwemanyi ).

He performed well, talked with his audience, he paid tribute to those who supported his career, his dancers were well-drilled.

In my opinion, the songs he sang (not the Raps/Ragga) at the concert were the best. I could sense the audience were kinda taken aback, couldn’t believe how good he sounded live.

A Pass really needs to sing more, he’s got melodic songs with catchy lyrics and clever wordplay in plenty. He also has what we call a ‘Vocal ID’, he sounds like himself, which isn’t an easy thing to achieve.

Seeing the look on the faces of his parents was a sight to behold; they were proud of their son.

For his performance and efforts, he scored 10/10

THE BAND

Guitarist Inyanga John was the MD and he marshalled his troops well. Roy Malinga was on Bass, Mujuni was on Keyboards and I didn’t quite get the name of the Drummer (he also plays with the band called Thee Unnamed). They had rehearsed the set for some time.

Omusajja Inyanga ayagala okwambala white bannange, oh!  We had quite a discussion backstage, about production, rehearsals etc.

PS: Naye ggwe A Pass, remind me to enlighten you about the backstage area for Musicians. Tewabaddeyo wadde Moet, Hennessy, Sparkling water, chocolate, nuts, caviar, prawn sandwiches, assorted herbal teas etc. Tujja kwogera

Great job by the band; 8/10 (the two marks are deducted for Inyanga’s dress sense and you Musos not asking the boss for the backstage requirements listed above ).

PRODUCTION  (STAGE, SCREENS AND LIGHTING)

Fenon has an advantage when it comes to concert aesthetics; that advantage is Steve Jean.

He is a Musician AND, he’s also a Fine Artist; most importantly, doing these concerts is more than just a business; it’s not just a means to an end. Steve is from the ‘Okuswaala waakiri nfa” University

That set up was very impressive; absolutely gorgeous.  Fenon will now have to outdo itself next time; oba kati bagenda kuzzaako ki? I wouldn’t bet on it, them out doing themselves yet again.

The filming for the live feed was very good too.

They scored 10+/10 (for Stage, Screens, Lights and camera work) .

SOUND

Part of the concert/some of the sets were semi-live (backing tracks + live instrumentation by the band). You need a lot of time to get this to sound right and in so many concerts around the world, it’s hit-and-miss.

The Monitor Engineer and the FOH Engineer mixed quite well, and did a good job . The only issue I noticed was the mix of the kick drum within the general mix. The rest of the instruments sounded good.

I think it was difficult to nail that low frequency well because of how the rig was set up. In Victoria Hall due to the high ceiling, I think it’s prudent to fly the rig (the highs/mids speakers) instead of stacking it. That way, you don’t have to push the rig hard for people at the back and in the balcony to hear well.

All in all, it was good. For sound they scored a respectable 8/10.

WHAT NEXT?

If only this show could be exported as it was on Friday. Artistes like these deserve a chance to tour, complete with their teams like other Artistes do. A Pass has more than enough material that can be fine tuned like he did on Friday.

There are two Artistes in the “Urban Music” arena, that I get a distinct feeling, can crossover due to the strength of their songs and songwriting abilities; A Pass and Elijah Kitaka. With the right teams, networks and the right support, they have the material to tour and give a decent representation of their Music on the big stage.

After the concert, many people remained seated, they didn’t want to leave. One of the Managers at Serena was astonished, he told me that usually after the last song, people rush out of the hall nga bebagoba

The concert was great value for money for the fans, sponsors and partners. He did set a good precedent for we/all of us Ugandan Artistes to learn from and get better.

There is hope after all, I hope this wasn’t a one off and the standards will be maintained or even taken a notch higher by every Artiste.

☥☥

#GoodMusicUnitesHumanity

#KeepingLiveMusicAlive