With tears and cheers, Rabat’s Grand Concert opening blazes the scenes

The grand concert of Rabat kicked off on Thursday night in OLM Souissi, with a large audience and an unforgettable lineup, and many surprises.

The musical event organized by ‘Rabat capital of African culture’ (RCAC) is the largest Moroccan concert to have attracted crowd of 150,000 music lovers since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kaoutar Sadik, a DJ known for her song Sala Ala Nabina opened the concert with unique mixes in a display of antiquity and modernity.

Known for hosting one of Morocco’s most famous morning talk shows, Mohamed Bousfiha ‘Momo’ was the concert’s host, presenting among others Snor, the anonymous Moroccan rapper who refuses to reveal his identity.

Taking over the stage, Snor performed his most popular songs such as Lgana, Hkaya, and Lalala. In the crowd, crowds sang along to his lyrics.

In a press conference the morning prior to the event, Snor teased his fans by saying that he will be sharing the stage with a big star.

Loyal to his words, Snor called in Madd, one of the most popular rappers in the Moroccan scene. The two performed an unreleased song right after Madd performed his famous song ‘Karma’.

Madd has been off the scene for a while. Fans were so taken aback by his unexpected presence.

Following fans’ demands and joyful reactions, Snor ended up performing his single ‘Dawk Lia’ twice.

The stage changed colors and figures with every song, showing pictures of Snor with different colored masks, keeping his hidden identity intact.

It was his first performance in front of an audience this big.

Before Manal Benchlikha took over, a group of dancers appeared on stage and began moving to the rhythm of her songs.

Manal showed up wearing Moroccan brands from head to toe, which is something she does frequently to support local designers.

From a fully silver outfit with a Selham displaying a traditional touch to a Caftan-like dress, she matched her song vibes to her outfits.

She began her performance with songs from her recent album 360. The album showed her diversity as an artist and did well internationally.

Among the songs she performed were Call me, Niya, Taj, and Slay, to which the audience knows the lyrics by heart.

As someone who is always supporting women and advocating for their rights, Manal sang ‘3ari’, a song she wrote and dedicated to the victims of domestic violence, in an attempt to raise awareness on the matter.

Just like Snor, Manal had a big surprise for her fans.

She called the famous rapper Tagne on stage to perform their song Maak which took fans by surprise.

The song released seven months ago is still a hit. Manal said that it’s a song about love. The two performed it with captivating charisma.

The crowd got too excited when Tagne took over the stage and performed his most famous song, Nadi Canadi, which has over 46 million views on YouTube.

Manal later on performed ‘Comme Toi’, a song that she wrote to honor her deceased father. 

The singer broke down in tears before the end of the song which got the fans rooting for her and praying for her father’s soul.

With a genuine smile, she carried on her performance and thanked the crowd.

The Moroccan artist then chose the joyful song Slay to change her mood as well as the audience’.

Fans urged her to sing Niya, a song that became a viral hit after its release for depicting Moroccan society through traditions and the reality of relationships.

She dedicated “Sans toi” song to her husband and manager Moncef Guessouss, as pictures of the couple played on the large screen. 

Once done, Manal called in her crew and thanked everyone for making her night memorable.

At the press conference preceding the event, when asked how it feels like being managed by her husband Moncef and her friend Anissa, Manal told Hespress English that the added value of being managed by these two is very special.

“I’m very lucky to be managed by my husband, especially as a Moroccan woman in a harsh industry,” she explained that since her husband knows her best, he roots for her wellbeing and makes sure that she is always comfortable and focusing on her art.

On being managed by Anissa Jallab, who also manages Toto and Damso, Manal said that Anissa, despite living in Belgium, is a Moroccan woman who loves and cherishes her country and prioritizes it.

”I work with people who understand me and want my best,” said Manal.

Present on stage with both Manal and Snor was Zakaria Zernine known as Zaklow, who mixed their songs for the concert and created bridges to serve as smooth transitions from one song to another.

To end the night, RCAC placed Cheb Khaled last on the lineup which allowed him to perform his songs.

The Algerian international superstar came with a live band, true to his habit, and gave the Moroccan crowd a concert of a lifetime.

From Didi to C’est la vie, he performed songs that fans knew by heart, and allowed them to chant endlessly as he admired them with a genuine smile.

After a couple of minutes, he asked his band to play ‘De9a Merakchia’ which everyone clapped to.

Khaled danced to his songs and performed with unmatched energy proving once again that he is a unique star with a style of his own.

The night ended with ‘C’est la vie’, a song Moroccans know by heart and have been listening to for years.

Khaled’s live band elevated the experience and played melodies that filled up the streets of Rabat.

The singer excelled at his performance and gave Moroccans a prestigious concert made of a mixture of his oldest and most recent songs.

The crowd got happier with every star that got on stage and chanted almost ‘religiously’ to every song that was performed.

Kids, elders, teenagers and adults lined up before the scene to see their favorite artists, recalling pre-covid festival life.

Fans are looking forward to the next concert featuring Toto, Dadju, and Ayra Starr.

The minister of culture Mehdi Bensaid was present at the event to show support to all the artists.