Long before the night even began, the question that was in my mind was, “Is tonight’s show going to live up to the previous one?” And the question kept playing and playing and playing.. to the point of making me a little bit mad. See, I had been to the first one and it was absolutely bonkers. Granted, this time’s lineup was also quite star-studded, maybe even more than the first one but I guess my subconscious was trying to pay a little tribute to the ancient adage that says ‘lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice.”
David Macharia, the star and host of the night took to the stage a few minutes past 8 and he didn’t waste time. He dived right into it, with some risqué material that was surprisingly well received by the seemingly ‘woke’ crowd. After engaging a Kenyan-Egyptian (is that even a thing?) audience member who sat right at the front for a few minutes, he introduced the first comedian, Adan Abdi, who had also taken part in the previous edition. This time though, he was a guest performer as opposed to a main one.
Adan held his own against a slightly tough crowd. He started a bit slow but the energy did pick up towards the end. Then came the second guest performer, Ahmed Mire, who just returned from the USA where he was born and raised. Ahmed was arguably the best-received comedian of the night. The crowd seemed to love him, and he brought the energy up to a level that made it easier for the next comedian, who was also the first official performer having been on the poster, Maina Murumba to perform the task at hand. He didn’t disappoint.
The second official performer of the night was the industrious KK, who came on stage ready to ‘not play’ complete with his towering presence and a guitar. He brought on a different kind of energy, blending comedy with music. His crowd engagement and quick thinking were refreshing to see. KK’s set reminded me of Jr De Guzman, an American comedian I have come to really like.
After comedy which ran to around half past nine, came the music segment for which songstress Zowie Kengocha was on the bill, and boy, she has quite the discography. Now, I had listened to a couple of her songs before and I know she has two EPs to her name, but still… it was insane! Also, did I mention that the songs were all bangers?
Following Kengocha’s performance, the night’s business was done and David concluded the show, but not before a last-minute cameo from rapper and comedian Davy K who together with David Macharia performed a song that they did together.
With DJ and music producer Bashthma on the decks, it was all in all a night to remember. The second edition of David Macharia And The People That Agreed To Do This Show definitely lived up to the hype and proved that lightning can indeed strike the same place twice.
