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Abysmal, embarrassing and reprehensible. These words perfectly describe Burna Boy’s fiasco of a show at his ‘Lagos Loves Damini’ Concert held at Wonderland Lagos, Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, on January 1, 2023.
Fans and followers, who perhaps spent the eve of the new year within the confines of the church as jubilant sounds wafted from choir stands, had been poised to take it up a notch the next day with Burna Boy’s electrifying performance of his chart-topping tracks on what would be an unforgettable night. And an unforgettable night it was indeed, as the show, scheduled to kick off by 8 pm on January 1, did not begin until 3 am the next day.
Livid, tired yet hopeful, fans lurked around the venue and passed time with sporadic sound checks, murmurous camaraderie and disinterested tunes from the DJ’s playlist. Time flew by – seven hours to underestimate, but Burna held his cards; waiting, testing and stretching the very boundaries of the love of Lagos – or rather, his love for Lagos.
Nigerian concertgoers are as accustomed to no-shows and late arrivals as much as the artistes. It has become a trend. Before Asake’s late arrival to a concert he was billed to perform in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, which was well met with boos on December 3, 2022, Wizkid, like many others, had set a similar example in December 2021 at an Abuja concert. “An act of evil and wickedness”, a distraught reveller said about the disappointing Abuja outing.
But nothing has changed. Fans still accept embarrassing performances and treatments from their faves even when they dig deep into their pockets to fetch ticket fees that could sort out myriads of things in a desperate economy. What must we do? Must we pull your ears? Your faves need you to survive more than you need them. They make money off your streams and rack in profits from your ticket fees while they offer the worst possible show and you accept it in the name of being a stan. How depressing.
Conversations have come up about the Nigerian entertainment industry going global. Still, our venture into the mainstream might dissolve as quickly as it appears if we stick to stan cultures that don’t defy sentiments and, more importantly, structures put in place for artistes to get away with dastard performances. There is a chain reaction: fans don’t demand more. So, show promoters don’t demand more from artistes – a vicious cycle that breeds poor performances and a mediocre industry. I assure you, Burna Boy won’t test the limits as he has if this was a European tour. But a postmodern world comes with post-proverbs where charity begins away from home.
It’s 12 pm and Burna Boy’s ‘Lagos Loves Damini’ concert, scheduled to start at 7 pm, is yet to kick off.
“It is very disappointing. I’m still expecting a great performance from Burna Boy, but the delay is disappointing”, a disgruntled fan told Netng. #Burna pic.twitter.com/Bi3gFXnNkI
— Netng (@theNETng) January 1, 2023
Still outside at Wonderland, ‘Outsiders’ summoned their last stream of strengths and had begun throwing bottles on the stage when the DJ stopped playing the music before the African Giant stopped his ‘African time’ to emerge from the shadows.
Brazen and unapologetic, instead of making it up to his fans who had been spending themselves in the humid, piercing stab of the midnight air, Burna Boy donned the air of indifference. “I dey here with una. After una don talk say I kill person for Cubana. After una don talk say my mama dance for Fela. I still love you, na why I dey here so. If you no love me, na God go punish you”, the Grammy-award winner slurred.
Burna has always worn his ego like a badge, but the gaslighting is new. Making such remarks to fans who have waited for him for over six hours is uncalled for and preposterous. It shows that Lagos loves and cares for Damini while he takes them with a grain of salt in return. But you can’t blame the man. The fans take themselves with just as much pinch; their lack of a sense of self-valuation gives artistes a pathway to get away with poor performances time and time again. And it became obvious as Odogwu soon charmed the dazed fans, as a snake charmer would, working himself into routine energetic jumps, exciting ‘Afromoonwalks’ and undoubtedly good music.
As the climatic night where we got answers to how much Damini loves Lagos climaxed, Eko Atlantic City began to empty out. The break of dawn dawning on the minds of revellers that they have less than 24 hours to exploit the holiday before getting back to their tiny cubicles and catching their yellow buses in the bustle. Before they get to prowling on which artiste they want to buy his ticket with their hard-earned money only to offer an escape route to yet another wicked treatment from the artiste.
It is necessary for artistes to treat their fans better, especially back home. They must be reminded that before becoming sensations on the global stage, their local fans first offered them a springboard through their followership and listenership. ‘Staning’ a homemade star must, and should, never be a crime.
The post ‘Lagos Loves Damini’ But Does Damini Love Lagos? We Got The Answers At Burna Boy’s New Year Concert appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
