Kojo Antwi in control It was one of the beautiful December 24th nights where you hang this notion on your neck: ?Outing or suicide?. And as usual, for the past 11 years good outing on December 24 has been re-defined in our entertainment dictionary as ?The Mr. Musicman?s Bash?

Tickets selling like fuel during the day before a price-hike was expected. ?350, 000 ($40) or ?450,000 ($50) to see Ghana?s, undoubedtly most succesful musician stage one of his December 24 Bash.

But unknowing to all in the auditorium, Kojo Antwi had secretly decided to present his 11-year old annual event, now christened African Music Festival to us as an X?mas present on December 25, instead. So he came on stage at 1:05 am, not as in last year?s gig when he came riding on the back of a horse, this time around, Kojo descended from the top of the lighting-rich stage, sitting on a structure carved like the quarter moon.

The entire audience went gay, close to mad, especially the ladies, screaming as though they were in a different world. And why not, they had waited for far too long seeing other acts displaying what they are made of. Hip-life?s hottest thing, Sidney had already performed three tracks including his ever-hot latest ?Scenti No?. Okomfour Kwadee had already done three: last year?s ?Kwadee?, this year?s ?Ahwedie Abena? (Mete Wo Te) and ?Adwoa?. And one of the game?s big Ol? boys, Rex Omar had done four of his very best including extra traditional cut ?Maba? and the very popular ?Abiba?. As if that was not enough fun, King David had a chance to do ?Aaye Fe Notse?, his best cut so far. To add more international flava to the gig, the Gateway Ambassadors, an international performing arts group made enough sense of the dangers of HIV/AIDs.

And when the music maestro himself was introduced by event host, London-based Kwesi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), arguably one of the finest MCees on the continent, time went still, passions went uttermostly high, and screams were all one could hear in the hall.

Kojo Antwi opened his performaance with ?Me Nye Den? (album: Akuaba, 2000), and then went back six years to bring ?Me Nya Ntaban? (To Mother Africa, 1995), followed it up with ?Afofanto? (Superman, 1998), and ?Akonoba? (To Mother Africa, 1995).

By this time Kojo was warming up to hit us with his 2000 album?s forerunner Medofa Pa (Akuaba, 2000). This is the first of the two tracks that commanded the most standing ovation and cheers. It brought more life to the auditorium and the much matured audience never seemed to mind the numerous TV cameras heavily panning faces everywhere. They danced as if they were in a disco.

Kojo made sure the audience didn?t sit but danced to the hilt, as he recalls and hit us back to back with some of his old hits, ?Odofopa Ho Ye Na? (Groovy, 1994) and ?My Shining Star? (Don?t Stop The Music, 1995). When he got to ?I?m Coming Home (Groovy, 1994), the audience almost took over the show. Kojo did no singing here. ?Pour Some Sugar? (Afrafra, 1999) and another longtime chart-topper, ?Mmrika? (Densu, 2002) simply added more screams to the already active hall.

The song that literaly made no single seat suffered a single weight, ?Tom & Jerry Aware? (Akuaba, 2000) brought just about everyone to their feet. No doubt this tune, released in 2000, got Kojo his longest stay on any music chart so far. 29 weeks on Joy FM?s Mega Hits chart, ?Tom & Jerry Aware? and the Akuaba album picked the most awards in a single year for Kojo Antwi - six in 2001. On the next act, energetic Kojo?s shoelaces would come off and he would get someone close to the stage to fix it for him. Then, probably, Kojo by now realises that he had to sort of cool it down. He asked the audience if they wanted more of his low tempo tunes. Your guess, as correct as everyone?s: ?As soft as you ever can, honey?, one very touched lady close to me was caught off-guard screaming to the clear hearing of everyone.

Performing the soft ?Kakyere Me?, he pulled a white lady from the audience, got her a comfortable seat on the stage; and though the lady wasn?t at all co-operative, the audience participation made it very lively. The last tune that Kojo played to end what he called Round One was ?Mfa Me Nko Ho? (Densu, 2002). His band started this track with the instrumental version of Missy Elliotte?s ?Get Your Freaky On?. And after about three minutes into this song, a jazzy-style of this track was played as Kojo is seen picking a bottle of mineral water and varnishing to the backstage, while talented Keyboard player and Kojo?s longtime partner-in-studios, Kwame Yeboah led the band, made up of three soothing background vocalists, Yvonne Ohene-Gyan (aka She), Eva Appiah-Kubi and Dan. Guitar by Simon Katz, Bass was by Dan Grahl, Drums by Frank and percussion by Ayitey.

It was a very impressive team showing such that one wouldn?t easily realize that Kojo had been off the stage for the past 3 or 4 minutes. The next thing we saw, Kojo was been carried on the stage-riser, beautifully designed like the boxing ring with two other persons. One, very popular on drivetime radio, Joy FM?s Bola Ray holding a large bell and the other person one could not easily identify. Then, as the stage-riser levelled with the stage, a lady is seen carrying a placard with a message reading ?Round Two?. Kojo is in a different costume made of the colours of the Ghanaian Flag. His very special guest is in the colours of the Ivorian National Flag. Then you know what time is it. Freddy Meiway?s time. Their costumes were dropped by a snappy act and another cloth spotted, made of same designs. Kojo and Meiway did give-and-take lines of one of Meiway?s songs. It was a very good introduction indeed and the crowd cheered even stronger.

Kojo unnoticeably left the stage for Meiway?s act. Then the impressions, the pretty lady dancers; the butt-wriggling contest and the resulting excitement were out-of-this-very-world.

Meiway performed four tracks: Labadi Beach, Miss Lolo, Apolo ?95, and Zoblazo 200%, those he later told Ghana Music.Com backstage that were the most popular among Ghanaians. Asked what motivated him to put off all his personal shows and to back Kojo on his 5-concert tour of Ghana, Meiway says ?It has never been the habit of African artists to put fellow artists on their bills, so I?m very touched and grateful to Kojo?.

Kojo came back later to do about three of his tracks to close the well-organised Family Spirit in-house production.

This good nite of quality entertainment however has its minus too. For instance, we were not at all impressed with the quality (design, print, style and size) of the event brochure and the very little information it contained about the supporting artists (especially if a media persons wanted more info from it). Plus, we thought it would have been appropriate if the ticket fee included a bottle (of something) to drink during the rather unneccesarily prolonged intermission.

?It?s a very good suggestion and we will take note of that in our subsequent events?, Mr. Michael Foli (aka Captain), Kojo?s Manager told Ghana Music.Com after the show. According to him, a special website apart from Kojo Antwi?s (www.kojoantwi.com) will be created and launched right about when next year?s event is been launched.

In all, we are advising all Kojo Antwi fans who could not make it to AMF ?03 to start saving for next year?s event. Cuz, I hear it will take two days plus some of the biggest names, in music, all over the continent will be touching base. The question to ask: Is another Panafest in the offing?

Click here to view pictures courtesy Ghana Music.Com.