A Matter Of Timely Celebration.

For Protoje, a Grammy nomination, was only a matter of time. A sentiment that has been demonstrated in consistent execution throughout his auspicious career, rather than said. In fact, much of Diggy’s legacy, when viewed at a distance, a view which I think he himself enjoys more often than not, is a blueprint. One that can only be the produced by the mind of an artful tactician. Yes, this is perhaps the element most people miss about his meteoric rise; the level of calculation that goes into his movements. Every move has a kind of double meaning or aim which is often only apparent in hindsight. The cleverness in this approach is not for the sake of itself, but it provides a richer and more lasting legacy and experiences that his audience can enjoy two fold. A sold out show Saturday night at Hope Gardens, is one of those moments. It was such an intensely upful vibes, most people will miss the tactical value of it, or even the historical value. This show sold out three times, and a change of venue was FORCED, by the fans. When compared to previous years, the growth of the audience in such a short time is exponential. There were over 2,500 people in attendance. Take a minute to digest that.

In the meantime, there is much to commend about the event itself, it was a big production and those of us who have experience in production know that the bigger they are, the harder they are to execute. So some commendation is in order, the night was pretty smooth and had no real hitches to note. The ladies were out in droves as always. Protoje’s live shows are never scarce of women, and for that we give thanks. The performances of course were the highlights of the night. I have to say that the set was extremely well orchestrated, but what else to expect from a tactician of an artiste. The manner in which the tracks were strung together is not likened to that of typical set list. In fact the songs were set thematically in an effort that organized all the guest appearances. From his vocoder stylings with Paris, to his gritty yet smooth tracks with Mortimer, Zuggu, his very own artiste Lila Ike, Jesse Royal, Tarrus Riley, Chronixx and even the unexpected appearance by Agent Sasco. It was all designed to continuously lift the energy of the space. This set was crafted in the spirit of collaboration, it is a thing of art. Two hours of straight vibes, very concise, very potent. The presence was phenomenal. We live in a time where stage presence isn’t just good control of breath, space, and vocals, it is also a testament to an artiste’s ability to curate an experience, a vibration for his fans. This comes from knowledge of the audience, which again speaks to Oje’s keen attention to detail. A Matter Of Time live, supplied a timely lesson in that subject.

Perhaps the only issue was traffic getting out of the venue, and that in itself is not a bad thing. In fact I doubt there is much to be done about that, it was a whopping 2,500 people present. Everyone got out safely, you just had to wait patiently, I mean it would only be a matter of time.