A Birthday is one of the most celebrated events in the world because everyone has a birth date! It is the anniversary of the birth of a person.
This particular birthday ceremony was unique because it was for a couple that shared a birthday month and decided to host one birthday together.
The icing on the cake was that the husband’s birth date fell on a Kenyan public holiday so it was the perfect day to hold the event.
THE CALL FROM THE CLIENT
The husband, Njenga, had called us a month earlier and set the stage for what was to be a memorable event.
He had searched for a live band online and from the search results, got our contacts.
He asked us exactly how we worked and if we performed at birthday parties. We explained the live band booking process and confirmed that we did perform at Birthdays.
He must have been satisfied with the responses we gave him because shortly thereafter, he introduced us to his wife, Risper and requested her to handle band selection and planning.
CHOOSING A BAND:
We sent Risper videos of the bands that we have on offer and after going through them she was spoilt for choice. She had no idea which band to select because in her own words “They were all so good.”
Luckily she was very open minded. She tasked us to choose a band that can play a variety of genres – western, african and local music alike.
THE EVE OF THE EVENT
On the day before the event, Nairobi got very heavy downpour and it got us concerned. The event was supposed to be outdoors and if it rained it would have proven disastrous for us.
I talked to Risper on the phone regarding the same and she wasn’t worried at all. She believed it wouldn’t rain and even if it did they had an option for an indoor setup.
Phew! Disaster averted.
THE DAY OF THE EVENT
The event was scheduled to start at 4pm. Our sound team and I got to the venue shortly before 3pm and embarked on setting up the band equipment.
Even before we could start, Risper and her team approached us and offered food and drinks. Talk of Kenyan Hospitality! 🙂
We thanked her for the kind gesture and requested to finish setting up first then we’d eat. She obliged. It took about 45 minutes and everything was up and running.
As the sound team was setting up, the band members arrived at the venue and were immediately directed to the food stand by Risper. She was keen to have the band eat before performing. Bless Kenyan hospitality! 🙂
At 4pm sharp the band was on stage belting tunes. It is at this point that the technical/sound team went to have a bite.
CAKE CUTTING
After an hour or so, the big beautiful cake was revealed and Risper and Njenga cut the cake while their birthday song was being played by the band. The guests converged next to them and sang while dancing along to the music.
Cake was distributed generously to everyone on the grounds and guests continued dancing to the tunes of the band. Clearly, the floor was now open to dance!
SONG REQUESTS & A DRIZZLE
The band took multiple requests from the guests and performed them to the joy of many. At around 7pm some light drizzle started pouring and we started bracing ourselves to move indoors. Luckily the drizzle subsided and the band was able to continue entertaining without interruption.
At 7:30 pm the drizzle was back and it got heavier with time. We tried covering the sensitive equipment but by 7:45pm we were were forced to abandon ship and salvage the equipment. Water and electronics are not good friends unfortunately!
In the end, it was a beautiful event where guests made merry, danced to the music of the live band, ate plenty of food, drank lots of liquor and celebrated the gift of life.
Happy Birthday Risper and Njenga!
May your kind hearts and hospitable nature rub off on everyone you encounter!
Cheers! 🙂
THE BAND IN ACTION AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
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