On the 23rd of April, 2023, Nigerian superstar, Davido made history at His Timeless Concert at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos. Performing at the 50,000 capacity venue, Davido became the first afrobeats artiste to sell out a show at the iconic arena. The concert is the last of three shows the artiste announced to promote his highly-anticipated fourth album, ‘Timeless’. He had previously performed at the Irvine Plaza, New York and Koko, London. The Lagos concert was his first concert in the city after a six-month break from the music scene.
‘Timeless’ Concert is unarguably one of the biggest concerts ever in Nigeria. The stage, a replica of the National theatre, is reportedly the second largest stage in Africa. The show was promoted by Toro Entertainment Company founded by Adetoro Suleiman. Popular content creators, Mr. Macaroni & Kie Kie were the hosts of the night. Below are some of the highlights of the show;
- Ticketing & Entrance Hitch: Despite the heavy downpour in Lagos on the concert day, fans trooped down to the venue in their numbers, with some arriving as early as 2pm. Their enthusiasm quickly turned to disappointment due to the ridiculously rigorous admission process. It seemed for a minute that the organizers didn’t prepare for the swarm of attendees. At some point, impatient fans forced their way through the barriers, amidst threats from security agents to shoot. Press passes also got jacked off from the necks of some of their wearers by desperate show goers who had friends that were stranded outside.
- A diverse crop of guest acts: Artistes like Iyanya, Terri, Tion Wayne, Tariq Khaid, and popular dancer/Tiktoker, Soft performed as opening acts of the night. During his set, Davido brought out a couple other artistes especially those featured on ‘Timeless’ album like Asake, Fave & The Cavemen. He also shared the stage with DMW alumni
- A Night Of Firsts: ‘Timeless Concert’ is the first Afrobeats concert to be held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, making Davido the first artistes to headline a concert at the iconic venue. The concert was also the first time Afrobeats most trusted band, The Compozers performed in Nigeria. DMW’s latest additions, Logos Olori and Moravvey also had their first moments on the big stage when they joined Davido to perform ‘Picasso’ and ‘In The Garden’ off the Timeless album.
- A timeless time: With his set about two hours long, Davido gave a breathtaking but concise performance that had simultaneously left showgoers sated and wanting for more. Kicking off his set with ‘LCND’, he performed 16 of the 17 songs on ‘Timeless’ (U(Juju) being the exception, with impressive vocal assistance from The Compozers band. He also thrilled attendees with rendition of classics like, ‘Dami Duro’, ‘Skelewu’, ‘The Best’ and more.
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