The short answer is that we still don’t have a full explanation from Chester House representatives, despite repeated attempts by UP’s Directors to get to the bottom of the debacle.
Here’s what we do know.
In what appeared as an apparent lapse of internal communication, the Director of Chester House, Mrs Tabitha Kangwana, decided to shut down ‘The Upstairs’ event (that had been advertised for at least four weeks prior to the date) twenty minutes before the gates were to open at 7:00 PM.
With a room full of talented musicians, a fully decked-out concert space and a signed contract in hand; there was a feeling of disbelief amongst everyone involved (including several sponsors who had come on board in support of the event).
Though there were several attempts to rescue the situation through negotiation with various onsite managers and offsite principals, Chester House staff and security personnel had begun forcibly dismantling The Upstairs stage and décor by 7:00 PM. UP was obliged to take the story viral: Breaking News: #TheUpstairs has been postponed till further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience. Owner of Chester House has shut it down.
Several negative outcomes stemmed from the shut down, including vendors and suppliers going unpaid. Because of this, UP is perusing a legal recourse to recover damages.
Obviously, we would like to apologize to everyone again, especially to the wonderful people who came early and made a trip to CBD in vein.
Still, Mrs Kangwana has given no consistent explanation, and though we have been in contact with her, she has refused to give out any official statements on the matter. Having had a fruitful dialogue and collaboration with other members of the Chester House management team for weeks, the cancellation caught us completely by surprise. We will probably never know her real reasons, but if she decides to give them, we will be happy to publish them.
We are of course disappointed, but life in the big city goes on. The awesome line-up still stands, and together with Penya Africa and Mdundo, we are now taking Fena, KIU and Vereso to the parking garage area outside the Aqua Blu Lounge on 16April. Stay tuned for more info.
Much love to Sam Muchemi from Sheebeen Bar who graciously hosted the unofficial and very spontaneous Shut Down Afterparty, where DJ Bodacious rocked the decks to the early morning.
By UP Management-http://www.upnairobi.com/dt_portfolio/what-happened-to-the-upstairs-concert-on-wednesday-19-march/
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