50 Cent live a success in Cyprus but drugs high

MEDFEST 2007 was yesterday deemed, “ a great success”, by its organisers.

Appearing at the one-off concert at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia on Saturday night were multi-platinum selling hip-hop superstars 50 Cent and Akon, along with reggae star Julian Marley and Alaine, Mutya and Sniper, featuring Memphis Bleek.

“Everybody really enjoyed it and we hope for a repeat performance next year,” a spokeswoman said, adding that, “we already have a fair idea of which global stars will be coming.”

A concert-goer said the event was worth attending due to the big names on show, but said the experience could definitely have been better. “We arrived at 7pm and there was hardly anybody there,” the 31-year-old said. “A DJ was playing music until the first act came on at about 8.30pm. Akon appeared at 1am and was probably the best performer, jumping into the crowd and really getting into it.” By 1am, he said the beer had run out and that there were a lot of empty seats. “50 Cent didn’t come on stage until 1.45am but I had to leave shortly afterwards in order to drive to Ayia Napa, where an after party was taking place at the Chameleon Club.”

“We were at a table in the VIP area and knew that the stars were going to be sitting next to us when we saw bottles of Dom Perignon champagne and Hennessy cognac laid out. But to our horror, a bouncer informed us that they would not be turning up in the end, so we left and went home.”

Another concert-goer had a better time though. “Despite the extreme heat and the fact that we had to wait for so long to see the main event, I really enjoyed it,” she said. “Akon and 50 Cent are amazing showmen and really played to the crowd, cracking jokes and telling funny stories.”

Responding to the criticism, the Medfest spokeswoman said the concert had overun as so many people had been late to arrive at the stadium. “Due to the lateness of the hour, it was decided that the stars would not be heading to Ayia Napa, despite cars being arranged for them,” she said, adding that they stayed at The Hilton in Nicosia before departing the island on Sunday morning.

Police yesterday announced that four people were arrested at the stadium’s entrance on drug-related charges. The Drugs Squad (YKAN) was conducting searches on the door and discovered pre-rolled hashish joints and a small amount of cocaine. An 18-year-old foreigner, a 26-year-old from Paphos, a 21-year-old from Nicosia and a 30-year-old from Larnaca were all arrested and banned from attending the concert. They are due to appear in court at a later date.