Ghana: High demand crashes Sarkodie online gig

The BET Award winner was supported by other Ghanaian pop stars including Joey B, Sista Afia, KiDi, Efya, Yaw Sarpong & the Asomafo, Akwaboah Jnr, Amakye Dede, Prince Bright and Shatta Wale.

A few minutes before the start of the show, Ceek announced on Twitter that it was encountering server challenges due to overwhelming traffic. It reported that 1.5 million users were trying to access its website all at once, causing the platform to crash. The company resorted to Facebook and the server issues have since been resolved.

Following the show, Sarkodie apologised to patrons for the technical problem. "A lot had gone into ensuring that we gave the world a glimpse of exceptional artistry from GH with a line-up of some of our very best talents," he said. "Unfortunately, and indeed much to our surprise, the numbers that signed on globally exceeded expectations so much that it overwhelmed the Ceek platform, rendering it unable to operate as designed.

"The glitch made it impossible for many fans to experience the concert as planned, and for this we deeply apologise. For those who were able to catch it on the Ceek Facebook page and other social media platforms that aired it, we are truly grateful and hope you had a great time."

Sarkodie opened the Black Love concert with a performance from atop the Back Star Gate, one of three monuments at Black Star Square in the Ghanaian capital. Dressed in all black, he rendered the verse from 'Brown Paper Bag', his recent collaboration with M.anifest.

Other songs followed in the first of a number of Sarkodie's sets, mostly his earlier hip hop hits. This set saw him invite Joey B for a rendition of 'Legend' off his Alpha mixtape. During subsequent sets, Sarkodie dived into his other pop hits, particularly songs from Black Love, his 2019 album, after which the concert was named. Guest artists took their turn to perform collaborations with the rapper as well as their own songs.

Shatta Wale was the surprise act on the night. The ‘Already’ man joined Sarkodie on ‘Megye Wo Girl’, one of their earlier collaborations. That performance has been listed among the high points of the concert, which closed with a massive fireworks display.

Virtual concerts have become a popular option for Ghanaian artists in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with top local artists like Shatta Wale, Medikal, Wendy Shay and KiDi all hosting concerts online.

Watch the full Black Love concert on Ceek.