Vodafone unity concert flopped

On the 10th of June inside the National Theatre, the Vodafone Unity Concert took place with top Ghanaian artistes performing to an almost empty auditorium and Vibesin5.com was there to witness it. Top names like VVIP, Stonebwoy, Gasmilla, Afya, SP Kofi Sarpong among others could not attract patrons to fill even half of the lower terrace.

In an election year when you hear everybody singing and preaching about peace, it beats my imagination to have a whole Vodafone event for peace and unity flop this bad.

What could have been the reason for its low attendance? Obviously low publicity. The Vodafone Unity concert was poorly promoted and publicised. I wonder why Vodafone would bill all these top names in our music industry and not pump enough money to publicize the event. Or could it be that their budget for promotion ended up in the wrong hands?

It is not enough to have and rely on just the names. And I don’t think Vodafone Ghana and organizers are not aware of this. No matter the names you have on the bill, publicity is key. It is very embarrassing to have all the football dignitaries among others attend such a high profile event just to meet an almost empty auditorium.

The second element that I think contributed to the low attendance was the rain. It kept raining intermittently through the evening. Though not heavy, it was enough to keep one in his bed and under his sheets. The safety first principle played against the event. Patrons would rather stay put in their homes than risk their lives through the rain to attend the concert coupled with the fact that a lot of patrons of such events do not own their own cars.

One thing I take solace in though is that, none of the artiste billed to perform failed the patrons in terms of delivery. Right from Afya down to Stonebwoy who played to a live band and got every single soul up standing and grooving vigorously to his tune.

Ghanaians sing, talk and preach about peace and unity but when the grand Unity concert was organized for them, they turned their backs on it. But can you blame them?