One week on and we are still hooked on the performance, the energy, and the experience from Burna Boy’s epic Space Drift show in Harare last Friday. The Grammy award winning African Giant, born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu in Port Harcourt, Nigeria backed by his band The Outsiders, delivered one of the most memorable concerts at Harare’s Belgravia Sports Club in Zimbabwe.
By Fadzai Mathabire
Burna Boy silently slipped into Zimbabwe Friday morning aboard a private Jet coming from Lagos managing to evade the eye of the media and staying off radar until his performance time. People had no clue where stayed until he had left.
Zimbabweans braced the cold weather to watch the international star perform”
The show kicked off a couple of hours later than scheduled with South African Dj Kyotic’s set that took the crowd through a multi-genre musical drift to warm up the cold winter’s night. He definitely made sure all were ready for the Zimbabwean giant Jah Prayzah and his Third Generation Band who gave an engaging and spirited show. As per his tradition, Jah Prayzah always affords his band and dancers a chance to express and captivate on stage.
The supporting acts lived up to the billing as they lit up the night with creatively choreographed performances setting the mood for the giant act.
Jah Prayzah delivered a top drawer performance and added a surprise by inviting Tamy Moyo for their duet Kuteera which came out impressively and sealed the show with Goto which sent people into a trance of fun.
The headline act Burna Boy emerged on stage close to midnight showing no signs of jet lag. Despite having been on a whirlwind with the Space Drift Tour across the globe, the African Giant flawlessly drifted from jam to jam as he gave the audience an experience of his meritoriously distinct baritone blend Yoruba, pidgin, English and a twist of Zulu.
The African Giant rocked a simple outfit that landed on social media with a price list estimated around USD$350 000. If that list is true then someone went home with a $365 black shirt which he threw to the audience.
Engagement with the audience definitely came with good rewards as he got a share of bras from the ladies and that got people both present and at home excited. But Burna Boy is getting used to it, his recent shows were well decorated with bras and love from the sisters.
The concert was eventful and sent the Zimbabwean social media in overdrive as people discussed the show. One of the moments was when the technical team cleaned the stage before Burna Boy’s performance, a rare moment in Zimbabwe which saw the event’s technical director, Tatenda Rushwaya responding.
This was on the artist’s tech rider. This is something that the local artists need to learn”, he said. It takes confidence to make demands and Damini definitely knows his worth. He believes in his performances. He was quoted by Billboard this year saying; “It’s like I’m better at [performing] than making music. And that says a lot because I’m really good at making music.”
This was an epic concert and kudos to the event promoters Hidden Culture and the events technical partner Events Evolution who literally set a new bar. As we await Burna Boy’s next album on the 2nd of July keep your ears on the ground.
earground 