With top artists from all genre headlining their own events and the traditional concerts like the Rhythm Unplugged Festival, GidiFest, NativeLand all featuring new editions, 2018 was a year that witnessed a variety of concerts all through the year.
ALSO READ: Here are the real winners of Detty December
Here is a round up of the five standout concerts that we witnessed in 2018
Gidifest 2018
Caught in the December wave, many may have forgotten this top drawer concert which lit up Lagos in the early part of the year.
The fifth edition of the annual music Festival organized by Eclipse Live,was held during the Easter season on March 30, 2018 at the Hard Rock Café in Lagos.
The 2018 edition which was headlined by Wizkid also featured performances from 2Baba, Tiwa Savage, Adekunle Gold, Brymo, Mayorkun, SDC and created a special stage for the ‘Next Generation’ Acts led by the likes of Odunsi The Engine, Lady Donli, Terry Apala and more.
With every year, the organizers of the awards have stretched the imagination of what a proper festival should look like in terms of stage design, production, and ambience providing attractions like photo booths, well set-up vendor stands and game spots all situated at the rear bringing to life the experience of an incredible festival gathering.
Gidifest set the standards this year becoming the perfect place for fun seekers to gather in a month that is not December.
Odunsi [rare. Live concert]
The New age of Nigerian artists, largely referred to as the ‘Alte’ generation have something going for them and that is their unbridled ability to do things on their own terms and make you pay attention.
From making music that goes against popular sounds to choosing not to wait for concert Organizers to put them on and going ahead to headline their own concerts. 2018 was like Prom night for these artists and they all arrived delivering the music in their best outfits.
One of the standout names from the genre is Odunsi The Engine, the talented singer/songwriter and producer who released his debut studio album, ‘’rare.’’ during the course of the year and to cap off a really good 2018, he put together the ‘rare Live' concert to cater for his very young and vibrant fans.
It was exciting to see Odunsi step out before a packed out crowd at the Hard Rock Café. His initial nerves were evident as he welcomed the crowd to the event, but with every performance, his confidence grew largely helped by the energetic crowd who surprisingly sang along to the lyrics of his songs.
Allowing himself to make mistakes attimes, pausing in moments to get things right, Odunsi’s set featured glittering outfits, live music by a small backing band providing an intimate night that makes it obvious to see why his fans have fallen in love with not just his music but what he stands for.
OLIC 5
Held on the same day as Wizkid’s 'Made in Lagos' concert taking place a few metres away from his own and with the controversy that trailed his music days before the concert, there were concerns from certain quarters to the success of Olamide’s annual headline concert which was in its fifth edition.
And I remember sitting down close to the main stage where it was all about to go down with barely minutes to midnight and looking around, the hall was barely half filled and the couple sitting behind me were suggesting if Olamide would have to postpone the event as the turn-out was looking poor for his standards.
But I knew the fans would come, it is just the 'African Time' madness that has struck not only event organizers, but also the audience, and just as midnight struck, there was a large wave of people pouring in to fill up the arena.
The initial hurdles done with, once the concert officially took off, it never for once dipped as it delivered one of the best nights I witnessed in December 2018.
Through singing and rapping, Olamide provided an energetic spectacle. Every song had a special dance presentation led by Kaffy and her dancers. Every performance had a theme.
Olamide performed with presence and determination, aware that he is not just any other artist, this was the fifth edition and he put on an incredible show that involved bringing a throne on stage when he performed ‘Sitting On The Throne’, multiple wardrobe changes, sharp choreography, expansive lights onstage, explosive chemistry with his hypeman Do2dtun and DJ Enimoney, effective use of the live band and the moment towards the end when he was joined by Wizkid to the sounds of 'Kana' provided another major highlight of the night as he ended the show with the fans singing ‘Poverty Die’ in one spent yet thoroughly fulfilled voice.
Wizkid - 'Made In Lagos'
In December, Wizkid gave his fans two concerts, one exclusively held within the Convention centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites and the other at the Eko Atlantic City but it was the latter that struck a chord.
Tagged, the 'Made in Lagos' concert and reportedly witnessed by a crowd of over 25,000 people on Sunday, December 23, 2018, Wizkid delivered the perfect way to bring the year to a close.
Supported by acts like Skales, Duncan Mighty, Maleek Berry, Skepta, Mayorkun and more, Wizkid's set which ran for close to two hours featuring his old and recent jams was near flawless.
The energy and fan love on the night was one that was exciting to watch as Wizkid made the stage his own and the moment he asked the male fans to wave their shirts in the air provided one of the most iconic images on the night.
Burna Boy
After a cancelled concert in 2017, Burna Boy finally debuted his headline show, 'Burna Live in Concert' in Lagos and having owned the music scene in 2018, this was one of the most anticipated events of the year.
The event which went down at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Boxing day, December 26, 2018 was sold out and minutes before the show kicked off, tickets were sold in the 'black market' outside the venue at inflated prices while people were seen standing inside just so they could get a glimpse of the standout artist of the year.
Despite the lengthy delay in the show's kick-off which initially cast a few grumbles from the crowd and a botched entrance video, Burna Boy succeeded in salvaging the night with a breath-taking and electrifying set that left indelible memories in the minds of all who were at the event.
Performing with a live band all through and with support from heavy hitters like Timaya, Patoranking, Wizkid and Davido, Burna's show was a celebration, one that was highlighted by an astoundingly impressive demonstration of his vocals and stage skills.
The night also witnessed one of the year's best performances when D'banj, Larry Gaaga and 2baba joined him on stage to perform 'Baba Nla'.
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
