Mixed fortunes for Sol Generation at Jamhuri Day festival

For the past few weeks, Sol Generation has prided itself on smooth preparations for what was called the first edition of the Sol Fest.

Held at the Carnivore grounds, the run-up to the event saw advance and VIP tickets sell out in days. With the sound in check and the tickets snapped up, the boys were ready for a night of good vibes.

The ticket invitation said that gates would strictly open at 4pm.

The performance indicated that the Sol boys would be performing from midnight.

Performances kicked off at 5:30pm with Rosa. Right after her, came the rap gengetone queen Maandy, who ruptured the stage.

But perhaps the highlight of the opening night performances was the gengetone boys Wakadinali. With 30 minutes to perform, the group filled the stage with unmatched energy.

“I bought the Sol Fest ticket when I saw that Wakadinali were going to perform. They are my reason for coming,” an over-the-moon Tracy Wangige told Nation.Africa.

With the opening performances well executed, the stage was set for Bensoul and Nviiri, the Sol Generation boys. Fans could not keep calm, chanting Bensoul’s name as the sound party took a 15-minute interlude.

The “Lucy” hitmaker heeded the call, coming up on stage, a guitar strapped on his shoulder. He would later put the cherry on top by bringing his girlfriend on stage to dance with him.

Cheers ruptured the grounds when the couple shared a passionate kiss.

All around, young couples were sharing rather intimate moments. This was a couple’s night.

“I came in single today, but I am leaving with her in my arms,” an excited David, told Nation.Africa as he enjoyed a dance with Rachel, his new girlfriend.

Nikita

When Nviiri took the stage, the crowd roared. The “Niko Sawa” hitmaker would go on to excite fans for a whole hour, before closing his performance with his hit song “Nikita”.

With fans paired up, it was a sight to behold.

With Nviiri and Bensoul’s performances done, there was only one performance left and that perhaps was the highlight of the night.

DJ Exclusive, the MC of the night, hyped up the crowd with his announcement that the night had just begun and that Sauti Sol were about to take the stage. The mood was set, the couples were paired ready to dance and the lyrics well crammed.

It was time to let the guard down and have a good time.

However, when 15 minutes passed without the boys gracing the stage, fans began getting agitated.

Within no time, excited fans started to boo, shouting “mnabore (this is boring)!”

“Sorry guys, we are having a technical issue,” DJ Exclusive tried to calm the fans, but the boos got even louder. With palpable distress on his face, he tried singing for the fans, but they would hear none of it.

There was no calming the situation until the Sol boys took the stage.

Perhaps it was the distress from fans or maybe the growing concern that they were letting the fans down, but as the boos seemed to get louder, the Sauti Sol boys came out and did the job.

The crowds cheered animatedly and danced to the tunes.

The boys treated fans to some classics such as “African Star” and “Lazizi” and back to their latest hits, such as “Rhumba Japani” and “Midnight Train”.

Solo projects

Lastly, the boys performed singles from their solo projects.

Among the performances, Chimano ruptured the crowd with a stunning performance of his latest song “Friday Feeling”.

Even while the group performed, fans chanted his name as if to suggest he take centre stage.

“I am overwhelmed guys,” Chimano said on the stage. “Thank you so much.” The crowd roared.

The night came to a close at around 3am. Sauti Sol’s Bien thanked the fans, reminding them of their responsibility to vote and of attending their upcoming events this December.

“It is because of you that we do what we do, thank you so much for the love. Remember that next year we vote, so vote wisely, because the music industry has come such a long way, let’s not take it back,” the “Bald Man” hitmaker opined from the stage.

Bien is scheduled for a concert on December 23, called the Bald Man Experience.

“This was a worthy experience, it has been a tough year, but this is a well-deserved break to have fun and enjoy. I can’t wait for the next one,” Sonnie Macharia told Nation.Africa at the end of the event.