Despite the scorching sun that spread over Lagos on Sunday, I made my way to Bud Fest, live at La Madisson Place, a Budweiser-sponsored party that marked the end of the 2022/2023 English Premier League (EPL) season. It was a unique experience; I watched football and partied hard. I can’t remember the last time I lost my voice due to a rave. Here’s how it went down.
Immediately the show started, the host Toby Shang introduced himself, the lovely DJ DayZee whose set didn’t fail us, and the opening act Byno. All the couples in the building were awwwning, acting all cute and holding hands during his beautiful performance. I wasn’t jealous sha, I just held onto the cold can of Budweiser that welcomed me at the entrance.
Afterwards, another artiste known as Lenny D also performed. Then Toby Shang, the self-acclaimed King of Vibes came to ginger us for the final EPL’s last matches of the season.
After watching the Man City vs Brentford match for a while, we switched to Chelsea vs Newcastle United, then finally, Arsenal’s match against Wolverhampton. Though most of the viewers already knew who topped and won the League, there was good-natured banter about Arsenal’s old chance of winning and Chelsea’s fight for pride. The matches were intense but entertaining.
Manchester City won the finals, and when the match ended, all the Man City fans in the building were called on to celebrate their feat as champions of the League; they even had a mock stage and EPL Cup. I was hating from my seat because my club didn’t even make it to the semi finals. But it didn’t last long, because a lip sync competition followed and people came on stage to perform their favourite artiste’s songs. The way most of them were chopping their mouths had me laughing at the ridiculousness.
After the lip sync battle, the main PARTY started!
Khaiid got on stage and performed his hit track, “Carry Me Go” featuring Mavin artiste Boy Spyce who was next on stage. He also performed “Carry Me Go” followed by his latest single, “Relationship”. Labelmates Magixx and Crayon followed to give us fantastic solo performances before their collective performance of their label hit song, “Won Da Mo”. I sang along at the top of my voice.
While we were still recovering from the Mavin’s performance; is when OdumoduBlvck, a fast-rising artiste, got on stage next. The charismatic artiste accepted his mum’s video-call when he was on stage and shared the spectacular moment with the audience.
Reekado Banks performed last, ending the Fest with a series of hit singles that made us scatter the dancefloor. His energetic performance reminded us he is still HIM.
The party was an epic way to end the epic football season. The experience at Bud Fest proved it’s the number one go-to for anything that intersects football, music and fun. Budweiser showed solid support for the football community. The Fest encourages the fans to come together to enjoy the great game, vibe to good music and have a fantastic time.
