It is the end of 2019 on the music calendar. 2019 has been an eventful year in the music industry. From concerts that featured major artistes both internationally and locally to musical festivals that celebrated the entertainment culture in Nigeria. In case you missed it, this is a compilation of musical concerts that made 2019 eventful.
Davido’s 02 Arena Concert
The DMW Boss kicked started the year in January with a sold-out show at the iconic 02 Arena in London. Davido who appeared on a suspended platform before the audience was announced by special guest and famous American actor, Idris Elba. OBO and his DMW crew gave his 20,000 audience a lifetime experience as he performed several of his hit songs back-to-back. Other artistes who performed at the included Jamaican Reggae/Dancehall artiste, Popcaan, Victor AD, DJ Tim Westwood and DJ Ecool, Mayorkun, Yonda, Perruzi, Dremo, Zlatan, and Idowest.
Starboy Fest, London
After a sold-out show at the 02 Arena in 2018, Wizkid returned to the arena for this year’s Starboy Fest (London edition) making him arguably the only African to have ever sold out the coveted venue twice. Joining him for the event was a long list of current hit makers: Afro B, Skepta, Tiwa Savage, Runtown, Naira Marley, Olamide, Fireboy DML, Maleek Berry, Terri, Reekado Banks, Oxlade and a host of others. The highlight of the concert was Burna Boys’s entry to the sultry piano of “Ye”.
African Giant Concert, Wembley
Burna Boy did see an extraordinary mix of generally great and marginally infamous shows in 2019 but the November London concert, which he tagged “The Biggest One Yet”, proved a night to remember for him and his teeming fan base. As expected, Burna also sold out the SSE Arena, Wembley – a 12,500 capacity arena in London. He was joined by his Nigerian compatriots, Davido and Wizkid, who0 performed their hit songs to the delight of the audience. Burna Boy thrilled his fans with hits like ‘Ye,’ ‘On the Low,’ ‘Different,’ ‘Gbona’ among others.
The Experience 2019
‘The Experience’ is an annual free gospel music concert that every church-going Lagosian looks out for every year. This year’s is the 14th edition of the concert that brings several gospel artistes from Nigeria and abroad together at the famous Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. The till-day-break event featured artistes such as Travis Greene, Sinach, Nathaniel Bassey, Tope Alabi, Sammie Okposo, Chioma Jesus, Donnie McClurkin and many more.
Livespot X Festival with Cardi B
A metropolitan music festival in Nigeria, the Livespot X Festival brought Grammy Award-winning American rapper and social media sensation Cardi B to Africa (Nigeria and Ghana) for the first time. The festival was a blend of the best music performances from top acts like Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Darey, Fireboy DML, Reekado Banks and a host of others. It was one of those concerts that made Lagos buzzed, the type that delivered every promise and lived up to the hype and buzz that presaged it.
20 Years a King Concert
The Eko Convention centre, on December 28, witnessed music like never before as music icon Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba staged the grand finale of his 20years a king concert tagged ‘2Baba Live’. The music legend took his fans down memory lane as he performing songs ranging from oldies to his latest hits. The concert chronicles 2Baba’s foray into the music industry and how he has been evolving with the many trends that the music industry has witnessed over the years.
Flytime Music Festival
A five-day music fest, it had five concerts in all – Pepsi Rhythm Unplugged, Boyz II Men, Megan Thee Stallion, Everything Savage and Burna Boy Concert. In its second edition, the fest is a spin-off of the Rhythm Unplugged concert which is now a part of the music fiesta. The Concert had a blend of the 90s music as Boyz II Men thrilled the audience with the 90s R&B classics while Tiwa and Burna’s performances balanced the void between the 90s and the present age.
Seyi Sodimu’s Sexy & Grown Concert
The concert celebrated adult contemporary music and brought together artistes who have been influential in the music industry in Africa and beyond. It featured American R&B singer Joe, Paul Play Dairo, Styl Plus, Daddy Showkey, Brymo and others.
Starboy Fest, Lagos
Wizkid is no doubt one of the biggest artistes in the continent. Rumours has it that the 2019 Headies was shunned for his Starboy London show because they held on the same day. However, Eko Atlantic played host to the Lagos edition of his show which was well attended by fans and celebrities alike.
A Good Time with Davido
Davido’s commitment to growth over the years is highly remarkable. The singer keeps pushing boundaries and blazing the trail. The multi-talented artiste was able to pool a star-studded list of performers who brought their hay-games to his December Lagos sold-out concert. He performed alongside Kizz Daniel, Mayorkun, Zlatan, Speed Darlington and so forth.
Future Live in Lagos
Certainly, one of the music industry’s highlights of 2019 is the visit of Grammy award-winning rapper, Future, who headlined a live show in Lagos on December 29. The concert was Future’s first ever live concert in Africa and he brought it to the commercial hub of West Africa.
Marlian Fest
The controversial artiste whose year run has been really eventful considering his travails with the anti-graft agency, EFCC and also amassing massive followership across his social media handles. His concert is one of the most anticipated shows in Lagos in 2019 as regular and standing tickets were sold out weeks before the show. Tiwa Savage, Zlatan, Lil Frosh, Zinoleesky, Mohbad, Cblack, Fabian, among others performed to the Marlians’ delight.