It’s safe to say, based on my experience at Rick Ross’s headline concert, that the show should have been called Davido Live, but first, let me give you a brief overview of the entire event.
the lagos weekender
American rapper and motivational speaker, Rick Ross, was scheduled to perform as the headliner of a concert in Lagos over the Easter weekend and despite the initial lacklustre response to the publicity, fun seekers and showgoers were thrilled. The line-up announcement reignited interest in the event with artistes like Tiwa Savage, Buju, Mayourkun and of course, Davido.
A meet and greet hosted by Belaire, the alcoholic champagne brand the rapper represents, served as an opener to the entire Rick Ross in Lagos experience. The event was graced by Lagos influencers including Diiadem, Toolz, Kogbagidi, Pretty Mike, Sunky O, Poco Lee and other media personalities. As guests sipped Belaire champagne at the meet and greet, during which Rick Ross answered questions from the crowd and addressed ‘someone’ as Jollof rice, it was time to get ready for the concert.
The Show
The majestic stage set was well designed and placed right in the middle of the expansive Eko Convention Hall. Revellers were spread around the stage, grooving to the sounds of the DJ as colourful lights flashed around the hall, setting the mood for the concert.
The show kicked off at about 10:00 pm with performances by rising artistes and some other popular ones who came on later- The Cavemen, Wurld, Buju, Lojay while the DJ Simms and hypeman Jimmy kept the energy high. From the looks of things, everyone was having a great time. We could attribute that to the good performances by these folks. They all seem to have brought great vibes, except for Buju (another story for another day).
The performances were quickly followed by the A-list guys, Tiwa Savage, who came with all the sultriness, gave us a small twerk session and even brought 1da Banton for an outstanding performance of the hit song ‘No Wahala’.
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By this time, the energy was through the roof, and it was time for Rick to come on stage. The crowd started chanting his name and the stage went dark, which signalled a dramatic entrance, or so we thought. With only a white t-shirt, some pyrotechnics, and, of course, his orderlies, Rick Ross entered the stage at exactly 1:46 am performing his song with Meek Mill ‘Imma Boss’. It took a minute to realise that nothing else was going to happen on stage after he yelled into the microphone.
You can imagine how disappointed I was when I realised Rick Ross did nothing more than move around the stage while singing along to his hit songs, despite the crowd’s continued expectations for a spectacular performance. After about 30 minutes of the performance, Rick Ross abruptly left; in fact, the audience mistook his departure for a performance element in which he would later make a dramatic comeback. But alas, that was it. I was confused. An underwhelming showcase (It was not all gloom and doom for me, as I had enjoyed a short performance at the meet and greet, but how about the guests that paid to watch him?)
Later, it was discovered that Ross had to hurry to the after-party, which had already begun.
Anyway, we got some respite with Davido’s energetic performance. As usual, OBO came in gun blazing, dishing out hits after hits with his charismatic stage presence. Proper David style. Supporting acts, including Tion Wayne and Rema (who slipped for a split second), joined him also. It was back-to-back vibes for over 30 minutes. A wild and crazy end to a fun event.
Verdict
This event could have easily been titled Davido Live because it looked like he carried the entire show on his back. Do we still need international acts to come to perform in Nigeria if they’re not going to give a hundred percent? When are we going to have a performance as good as Cardi B’s 2019 show? These are the questions.
Production: 4/5
Performance: 3/5
Overall: 7/10
