By Emmanuel Peters
And so we drove on October 6th 2018, through winding roads and busy traffic to Alarco hotels, OPIC Estate, Agbara, Lagos, venue of the SSB concert. An unusual venue for a concert, if one was thinking only about the bottom line. The Agbara crowd was not obviously as affluent as such as would converge on Lagos Island at one of the cozy sea side affairs. They were more or less the rugged street types more accustomed to a night at the hot airy clubs, drinking, and dicing away all that on offer.
That is the peculiar thing about the CHURCHOUTSIDE initiative led by the fast emerging and popular gospel artiste and music maker, CDO. Always pushing the boundaries of staid conventions and ever exploring novel terrain, this time the project was an excursion out of traditional church settings. It was also an incursion into the night life of the city with its many colorful characters. Agbara with its fast growing population of youths on the fast and dangerous lane was targeted and chosen.
The night was colorful indeed, see pictures enclosed, and the music was rich, combining components of Afro pop, reggae, and jazz with popular gospel tunes.
The cast of performers was formidable; we had veterans like Buchi, Efe Nathan, and Mike Abdul who were sensational on stage. CDO was also on stage, fresh as ever and other performers included Lilian Nneji, Okiki Jesus, Sammy Voice, Nehe, Mecoyo, Funny Mouth etc.
One highlight amongst many in the concert was the nascent Agbara Community Choir, a 50 member group commissioned specifically for the SSB concert. These were part of the people whose lives would take a unique turn for good afterwards.
The legendary producer, I.D Cabasa put up a guest appearance, no doubt on the lookout for the next talented musical rave.
The SSB concert was convened by CDO under the brand CHURCHOUTSIDE and in collabotation with X2D TV. But it more than just entertainment, there was an altar call with 200 decisions made for Christ, and in more immediate terms, the sharing of SSB relief packages (food items, etc) to over 400 widows and the less privileged in Agbara community.