The James Ingram Concert Officially Distorts Ticket Pricing In Kenya!

I saw the pictures and i couldn’t believe it!

If you don’t know what i’m talking about then please refer back to the title. Ciku Muiruri managed to get James Ingram to grace Kenya for a performance and V.I.P tickets were sold at a gobsmacking price of 10,000/- Kenya Shillings. That translates to a gurney bag full of Tanzanian and Ugandan shillings!
What shocked me the most is that from my immense experience of gracing V.I.P sections at concerts, i know for a fact that complimentary refreshments are nonexistent! That means that you pay 10,000/- sidi to gyrate and then take a seat, scream yourself hoarse then take a seat.
How do Kenyans agree to pay such jaw dropping prices for tickets yet we have home grown events and concerts that cost a fraction of what these James Ingram tickets cost yet are both well planned and exciting!
I submit to you that Muthoni Ndong’a’s Blankets& Wine is one such event that you should come out for on Sunday. She has managed to get brilliant indeginous acts to perform to crowds that enjoy good music at a fraction of the cost.
But that is just a side note. To be real, James Ingram isn’t a hot item anymore. He last had a hit a couple of years ago and by a couple of years i mean somewhere in the region of twenty years ago.

What would happen if we brought say Rick Ross to Kenya? Rick Ross is and has been the biggest name in HipHop for the past two years. Or what if we brought Rihanna? My colleague Jeff (whom i suspect attended the show) said that the show targeted a specific niche… they could pay for the concert at the going ticket prices but here is where i submitted Jay Z as a counter. Jay Z would be able to attract people well into their 30s say upto 38yrs of age.

Does that mean that a Jay Z concert would offer V.I.P tickets at 30,000/- or a more modest 20,000/-? Well, during the Watch The Throne concert which was headlined by not one but two megastars, nay two galaxies; Kanye and Jay Z, tickets didn’t translate to this obscene ticket pricing at the James Ingram concert in Nairobi. And even if they had, the tickets were to see more than just one performer.
It’s high time Kenyans insist on atleast being given complimentary drinks when they pay premium for V.I.P tickets.