There were times Serena was reserved for only international acts or sophisticated artistes such as Isaiah Katumwa, Joel Ssebunjo and the like. PHOTOS/ANDREW KAGGWA
In 2022, Sheebah Karungi did the unthinkable, organised twin concerts at Kampala Serena’s Victoria Conference Hall. It was an ambitious move that could still show how much local music has come; for instance, there was a time when the biggest Ugandan concerts took place at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds.
Some still had shows flop at the venue; Irene Namubiru and Bebe Cool usually struggled to fill the venue, while Chameleone once failed to fill it with the help of Davido.
At that time, concerts at the Cricket Oval usually featured American, Jamaican, and a few Nigerian artistes; in fact, by 2014, only P-Square from Nigeria had been on a show at the oval, but others were Americans such as Ne-Yo, Kirk Franklin, Wyclef Jean, or Jamaicans such as Konshens, Busy Signal, Alaine, Elephant Man, and Demarco, among others.
Much as a few Ugandans had concerts at Lugogo Cricket Oval, those were really few; in fact, it is believed that the first Ugandan concert at the venue was Blu*3’s launch of their debut album, Hitaji in 2004.
The beginning
After the Blu*3 debut in 2004, a lot happened with the industry; more music was dropped, recording improved, and so did the way artistes performed. Over the years, Cricket Oval had become a home for international artistes, while their local counterparts too had their shine at Kyandondo Rugby Grounds, Hotel Africana Parking, Lugogo Grounds, Kati Kati Restaurant, and Freedom City, among others.
However, Uganda's concert scene extends beyond the Cricket Oval; it also includes the Victoria Conference Hall at Kampala Serena. Formerly known as the International Conference Centre Kampala, it was built in 1971-73 to facilitate the 12th Heads of State Summit conference of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) by architects from Yugoslavia.
The venue was subsequently used by the Idi Amin regime for the president's personal activities and, according to some sources, for the torture of Amin's opponents and enemies.
The Conference Centre Kampala, located at the Nile Hotel, has always been part of Uganda’s entertainment fibre, but not a major player but right into the mix. At the time, artistes such as gospel outfit Limit X had shows there; others were corporate shows of organisations such as Rotary International.
Enter Serena
In the early 2000s, the place went under renovation and was later renamed Kampala Serena Hotel; it became an extension of government, hosting presidential addresses and the budget.
It also became the place for high-end concerts of mainly jazz and soul; if it was a concert such as Jazz Safari, which later became All Music Safari, you were sure the venue was Serena. From Isaiah Katumwa, Qwela Band, Suzan Kerunen, Joel Ssebunjo, Myko Ouma, Maurice Kirya, Judy Boucher, Joe Thomas to Billy Ocean, and many more, Serena Hotel had to be the place.
The concerts at Serena attracted a sophisticated audience that not only kept time but was also willing to spend a significant amount of money to attend a performance lasting two to three hours. A concert at Serena by 2008 was priced at Shs50,000 for ordinary tickets, while tables went for about Shs1m to Shs3m. What differentiated uptown and downtown music lovers was where they went for a concert.
Thus, there was an audience that went to Kyadondo and Hotel Africana’s parking lot or poolside, and another that went to Serena.
New interest
However, over the years, both Kampala Serena and Lugogo Cricket Oval have drastically changed. For instance, since Bobi Wine had his first concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval in 2013, his Akalimu concert became the first Ugandan concert that was free of charge; revellers had carried nothing but items to give to the victims who had been affected by the Bududa landslides.
At Cricket Oval, the production was better than that at smaller venues, the marketing was intense, and of course, this came with more stunts on and off stage.
More artistes went on to dare the venue.
First it was Jose Chameleone in 2016, David Lutalo started organising annual shows at the beginning of the year; soon Gravity Omutujju abandoned his favourite ground, Freedom City, for Cricket Oval.
In the run-up to Chameleone’s concert, there were issues when management of the oval noticed Uganda had a game to play a day before the concert. Management called Chameleone a show off, and some asked the artiste to shift to another venue, Lugogo Grounds.
“I cannot go back to Lugogo; I have since grown musically and upgraded to Cricket Oval. I will hold my concert at Cricket Oval,” he said.
The Ugandan music industry is one that does not stop to give; the more music it presents, the more drama it comes with; when Cindy Sanyu staged a successful concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval in 2020, she became the first woman to do it.
Similar to Chameleone, for Cindy, the event was more than just a concert for her fans; it served as a statement to sceptics, sponsors, and industry peers who believed she had lost her momentum following a failed concert at Imperial Royale Hotel.
“People have disrespected me for a very long time, but they should understand that Cindy is a name that deserves some respect,” she told her audience.
In fact, even when she was announcing that particular concert, in a video, she noted that, as a king, she deserves something big for a king.
Since then, organising a concert at Cricket Oval has become a box to tick, a ritual, or a rite of passage of some sort. Artistes, both established and little-known somehow believe that once they successfully hold a concert at Cricket Oval, they have earned the respect of both peers, the audience, and stakeholders.
Better standards
The same applies to Serena Hotel’s Victoria Conference Hall; since Bebe Cool dared the venue in 2014, artistes have started using it as a yardstick to measure growth in one way or another.
Bebe Cool worked twice for his first concert at Kampala Serena; the preparations were not even just around the rehearsal; he changed his sound by releasing his most exported song to date, Love You Everyday.
Unlike the previous concert, where he collaborated with the Gagamel Band for backline support, at Serena, he enlisted the services of session musicians such as Myko Ouma and Emmanuel Dragu. He also kept his playlist short but neat; where he would perform more than 50 songs at Kyadondo, he performed about 25 songs at Serena.
“Serena or any top-end hotel venue is the new trend, and musicians will have to stop looking at the masses and focus on quality if they want to be taken seriously. The fans will demand it, so the industry should focus on such closeted performances that emphasise quality because that is now the distinguishing factor,” said Bebe Cool.
Like that, the standard was set; one always organises a concert at Cricket Oval to send a message to those doubting their mass appeal. These days, it even has nothing to do with proximity; top artistes in the north, west, or east want to have shows there.
Meanwhile, those in Kampala, after impressing at the Cricket Oval, elevate the stakes with what they describe as a sophisticated event at Kampala Serena.
The shows at Serena, outside the consistent drama, have improved how many artistes approach performances; they rehearse more and have pushed themselves more.
On the other hand, Cricket Oval has made artistes aim for something bigger than Kati Kati Grounds and Hotel Africana, but is this all the industry can aim for?
Maybe that is a story for another day.
