Teddy’s “journey to love” Awassa Concert Full Report

By Tibebeselassie Tigabu

For many fans of Teddy Afro, traveling 277 km to Hawassa (Awassa) was not too much. Rather, it is a distance that they can travel easily to see and support the artist they love.

It is not only from Addis Ababa that the fans of Teddy Afro went to Awassa. Folks from Moyale and Dilla were also at the concert. There are fans who drove their own cars but there are also those who travelled miles by using public transport to hear him live and to see their beloved artist on stage.

On November 3, Awassa was different, bedecked with many posters and fliers of the concert. Especially at the gate of Haile Resort, a humongous poster of Teddy Afro in a white suit was posted. The whole town felt the vibe of the concert.

Since it is the second concert after the release of the album, many were still waiting eagerly to see him live. The concert was held in the stadium and even before reaching the stadium the music welcomed people and attracted passersby. Around the stadium there was a spacious spot that was left vacant for parking.

At a 50-meter distance from the main entrance of the concert, armed federal police officers were lined up.

There were two doors for the concert goers – one for those who have the regular ticket and the other for the VIP ticket holders. Even though there were many people at the main gate, the process was very smooth and the people were queuing up and showing their tickets.

The concert started with the musical selection of DJ Wishs and still the people were waiting eagerly for Teddy. When Teddy came, the people were out of control.

After that dancing, cheering, clapping and shouting filled the air.
At the concert, many believed that Teddy staged a very unique performance where he managed to control the stage. Many admired and appreciated his full control. Running on the stage, dancing, jumping, jamming with the guitar player were some of the moves he did. In some instances, he also got into the music where he closed his eyes and a. The harmony between Teddy and the band was also one of the things people enjoyed.

The audience featured his songs by singing along and cheering him. Some of his songs included Tsebaye Senay, Fiorina, Sile Feker and Abebayehoy.
In the middle of his songs, he made short speeches as a way of interaction that was taken as an entertaining act from the audience’s side. After singing Fiorina, he said that his wife is Eritrean and added how people are people whereever they are from.

The other song, Chemin de fer, narrates a story of a Muslim man who fell in love with a Christian woman. After singing the song he asked if there were Christians in the audience. They answered by raising their hands. He again asked if there were Muslims. The Muslims also responded in the same manner. After that, Teddy said,“Despite the differences we are one.”

The ecstatic Teddy who continued with the song Haile said, “Do you think Haile Gebreselassie will beat me in a race?” and started circling the stadium that brought smiles to the audience.

Apart from that, when he was singing Girmawinetwo he came out wearing a T-shirt that has the picture of the late Emperor Haile-Selassie.

Apart from his old songs, he also sang a new single. One verse in this song was catchy and Teddy repeated this verse together with the audience “Olan Yizo Wode feker Guzo” and the audience also featured him.

Whenever the audience cooled down, he pleaded by saying, “In the name of Mary,” and again tried to maintain the hype. In this concert, he also played Mahmoud Ahmed’s song: Enchi Libe Eko New.’

At the end of the concert the rain started falling down but the audience did not move and Teddy asked the audience if they were scared of the rain and continued his singing. The audience also continued dancing in the rain

Finally, when the rain got heavier, the concert wrapped up with the song, his new album’s title song Tikur Sew, and Teddy left the stage without saying goodbye.

Around 15,000 people attended the concert. Many of the attendants expressed their appreciation on how things went smoothly. There were many drinking booths that avoided the queuing and also the waiting. Different from previous concerts, drinks were sold in plastic cups.

This concert was a great opportunity for Henock Ayele who spends his weekends out of town. Even after the concert he could not let go of the excitement. He felt that was the best concert he attended so far. Especially Teddy’s stage performance swept him away.

“It is amazing how he was able to control the audience’s feeling the whole time. He only took two small breaks and did many songs with the same energy and this shows his ability to perform. The sounds that come out from the stage were also similar with the CD which is very refreshing,” Henok says.

When it comes to the organization of the concert, he was impressed on how they handled the security issues. He did not face any problems when it came to getting his drinks. But he had his own reservation when it cames to the stage; which was not rain proof. He did not also enjoy the sound system.

The organizer of the concert, Belema Entertainment, believes that the concert was a success.

According to the organizers, they had a major pre-planning when it comes to security and service and they believe they were able to fulfill the demand of the customers.

Even though there was an interruption of power, the generator they brought was able to continue the concert. There was also an ambulance and firetruck.

The mobile toilets they ordered did not come on time. So they posted many signs to direct people to the stadium’s toilet so that the audience can use that. In general, they believed they did what they planned.

Source Reporter