If you are a live band music lover then the place to be this and every last Friday of the month is the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra, for Citi FM’s popular programme, Highlife Rendezvous.
Highlife Rendezvous is an evening of live band music to promote and preserve the fine culture of highlife, folkloric music and dance in Ghana, as well as to reawaken the art of live band performance.
The event features different highlife exponents at different times. It is sponsored by Club Beer.
Last Friday’s event, which was the third edition, was held in an atmosphere of excitement, fully laced with sweet aroma of barbeques on grill.
Perhaps, one of the best assets of the programme was the audience, most of whom were present at earlier editions of the Highlife Rendezvous. Performance from Nana Tuffour with backing from the Tontonsasan Band was excellent; which sent the audience rushing with exhilaration to the dancing floor.
Smartly dressed in all-white attire, Nana Tuffour mesmerized the audience with most of his hit songs from his earlier and recent albums. Not only did the audience, mainly made up of corporate executives, enjoy the good music, but also had the opportunity to socialize with all the twenty-two finalists of this year’s Miss Ghana Pageant.
The event started at exactly 8pm when the Tontonsasan Band struck the first note, dishing out some classic highlife tunes from highlife greats like Amakye Dede, CK Mann, amongst others. This was followed by a performance from ‘the man of the evening’ Nana Tuffour.
Fans were held spell bound by hit songs like Abeiku and Woyoo Woyoo , whilst they had a lot of Club Beer and grills to keep their mouths busy.
The second part of the show was ushered in by the Miss Ghana ladies who did not want to be left out of the fun as they took to the dance floor, mesmerizing audience with their dexterity.
Most of the patrons who spoke with The Saturday Statesman were full of commendation for Citi FM’s efforts at reviving highlife and live band music in the country. The Highlife Superstar and a proud recipient of the National Grand Medalist Award in 2006, in an interview with this paper after his performance, said “Having been off the scene for sometime I am excited to see my fans come out in their numbers to support the resuscitation of the waning popularity of highlife music”.
According to Nii Amah Dagadu, Events & Communications Manager of Citi FM , by featuring renowned highlife musicians, “we aim not only at reawakening the art of live band performances, but inspiring the younger generation”. He said the Highlife Rendezvous is a perfect hangout for people who want to enjoy great music, dance and meet old and new people.
The next edition of the programme is scheduled for August 29, at the same venue (Coconut Grove Regency Hotel).
