It?s another cold night at the Accra International Conference Centre but that does little to deter the dominated red-coloured audience who are present to watch the American R&B group Boyz II Men who are being expected on stage tonight for the Spacefon Areeba Valentine concert.
It?s a Valentine night, as smartly dressed people from all across Ghana?s broad range of tribes represent righteously. Kojo Bonsu (CEO of Agoo Magazine) poses for a picture.
Cameras and reporters from major media outlets scramble for position at the backstage, where today?s guests of honour are expected to come from.
At exactly 9:20pm, the MC?s for the night by names Nat Kwabena Adisi popularly known as Bola Ray and Mr. Black all of Joy FM commence the show in a grand style.
Soul Black?s early set warmed the crowd up for the Project Fame contestant by name Tumi of South Africa as he did ?Cry Me a River?, a song by Justin Timberlake.
By the time Woezepe of Togo took the stage, the floor had nearly filled to capacity. Woezepe punished the sweaty, ecstatic crowd with their uplifting tunes.
Nana Fynn from Ghana then came on stage after he was introduced by Mr. Black and thrilled the audience with tracks like ?Odo Handkerchief? and ?Menkoaa?.Next on the bill was R&B artiste Jay Bryan from Ghana who warmed the crowd with tremendous tracks.
When Boyz II Men, now made up of Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nate Morris finally arrives at 11:20pm after a long delay, the audience go berserk.
They come unto the stage flanked by their omnipresent and massive bodyguards to apologise to the audience for the delay and then introduce themselves by performing one of their hit tracks titled ?Boyz II Men?.
Boyz II Men wisely played to the audience especially to the ladies when they performed ?On Bended Knees?. Wanya, Shawn and Nate run over to slap hands with the line of fans waiting to take a glimpse of them as well as touch them.
They were obviously thrilled to have such fans and thus went on to perform R&B classics of the 70?s and 80?s. As I walked along the stage, I realized the audience had been moved into frantic ecstasy and couldn?t control themselves but scream.
It?s a little over halfway through the show when the theatre is suddenly overwhelmed by the screams of pubescent girls. I turn my attention to the stage, trying to discern what all the commotion is about.
Nothing has happened except ? wait, there it is. When I wasn?t looking, Wanya Morris removed his shirt and threw it to the titillating delight of the crowd.
There were rhythmic movements amidst the dressed-up and excited crowd which went ape when they performed ?I?ll Make Love to You?, ?The Colour of Love?, ?A Song For Mama? and ?End of The Road?.
Their dynamism on stage really hyped the frenzy on the dance floors. Accra Conference Centre evolved into much more than a concert since almost all the guys and ladies were up on their feet dancing to their tunes.
Boyz II Men has spearheaded the renaissance of the R&B vocal group, in the process revitalizing Motown Records (the band has become Motown's best-selling act, and its second album, Boyz II Men II, is the label's best-selling album of all time).
The Boyz who have sold over thirty million albums worldwide as of the first half of 1997 have managed to capture many awards-not to mention many hearts-along the way.
Their version of 'Let It Snow' cracked the Top 40 for one week, entering in at No. 32, and the album itself hit the Top 20. By the time the Boyz released Boyz II Men II in September 1994, they had become the poster boys for a new era of R&B music.
All that remains to be seen is what records the Boyz will break this time around.
Kudos to Spacefon Areeba, Charter House and Joy FM. You really did a great job.
