Read the article in French here (page 16).

On October 26th, the Théâtre Beanfield hosted the Egyptian rapper, Wegz, whose real name is Ahmed Ali. The artist behind the songs “El Bakht” and “Keify Keda” was born in 1998 in Alexandria. His career took off when he released “Dorak Gai” on March 11, 2020, which brought him great success since the song had reached 24 million views in only two months.

Although the doors were opened to the public around 7:00 p.m., spectators were not able to return until 8:00 p.m.: arriving at the Théâtre Beanfield, you would have thought that you were witnessing a march because there was a long line of people waiting on Charlevoix Street. Indeed, while waiting in line, a stranger asked me why there were so many people in the area.

Once inside the venue, we were made to wait another hour. Wegz didn’t appear until around 9:30 p.m. There were two opening acts before he started his show. However, once Wegz came out on stage, the crowd reacted like kids at an amusement park! People of all ages were present in the audience and it is safe to say that everyone sang by heart, at the top of their lungs, every single song Wegz played that night.

During the show, I took a few minutes to observe the spectators in the room. The majority of people looked older than the 24-year-old rapper. Nevertheless, these admirers sang each song with great passion, so happy to see their idol in front of them. At that moment, the singer’s, Saint Levant, lyrics struck me: I’m in a position where people that’s older than me look at me as a leader considered a leader. This is exactly what I saw at the venue, especially during Wegz’s speech (mostly in English) about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The latter was in no way afraid to share his political opinions with the public. He knows very well that the words he projects, whether they come from his lyrics or speeches, have a great impact on his followers. He even declared that if anyone disagreed with what he said, they should just leave the room.

The performances of songs such as “El Dunya Eh”, “B3oda Ya Belady”, and “Amira” were the highlights of the show. The audience’s voice made the room vibrate and Wegz constantly interacted with the crowd. It was especially the performance of “Amira” that won the latter’s heart because Wegz had a surprise in store for his Montreal fans (one that the Torontonians unfortunately did not receive): the musician Ash! Yes, Ash appeared on stage to play his saxophone solo. The two artists delivered a magical performance, reflecting the melancholy of the sweet song.

On a few occasions, Wegz interacted with the audience as if they were a long-time friend. He cracked jokes, never forgot to thank everyone, and even invited a young boy to come on stage to take a picture with him. In addition, the rapper showed his pride in being Egyptian: by pointing to his purple jacket, he expressed: “In Egypt too we find beautiful clothes! Maybe you have Canada Goose, but we have Egyptian Goose!”

Towards the end of the show, the audience was shouting “Again!” several times, which encouraged Wegz to sing his last song a second time, a small gift for his devoted fans.

All in all, Wegz delivered a wonderful show. He certainly maintained his self-confidence throughout. His live voice is as strong as in his recordings. Nobody seemed disappointed. As the spectators left the venue, they shared their joy and thoughts and couldn’t stop talking about the show. Even though Wegz’s career began in 2020 (despite having been releasing songs since 2017), it is now at its peak. No matter how big or small the venues he sings at, Wegz is a very influential public figure in spite of his young age. Several questions then arise: Will Wegz remain a leader? Will he always be humble? Will he continue to write inspiring songs? Nothing is guaranteed, but one thing is certain: when we see the rapper on stage, we can only answer these questions with a sure and affirmative “yes”.