You can gauge how well a Davido concert is going by how long the audience dances ― along the aisles, in the stairways.
His music demands you stay on your feet. It has fueled his rise as a leading voice in Afrobeats. It’s part of what makes him a global superstar. I learned this very quickly at his Atlanta show Thursday night, which was filled with nonstop rhythms that guided the crowd throughout the concert.
Ahead of the show, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never been to a Davido concert, although he incited my Afrobeats fandom during the summer of 2019 (thanks to his song “If”). So when I arrived at the 8 p.m. start time to see many sections of empty seats, I figured not many people would show up. Boy was I wrong. An hour later, more fans started to enter the arena as the concert officially began. That’s when I knew I was in for a long night.
Across roughly two-and-a-half hours, Davido & Friends became a vibrant celebration of African music that felt like an endless party. After all, the show commemorated major milestones: the 5-year-anniversary of Davido’s sophomore album “A Good Time” (the project that turned him into a superstar) and his 32nd birthday. The Atlanta-born, Lagos, Nigeria-raised artist curated an experience that proved why the sugary sounds of Afrobeats have taken over the world.
Credit: Robb Cohen
Credit: Robb Cohen
It’s fitting, then, that the concert honored the LP that powered such domination. “A Good Time,” which boasts features from Summer Walker, Gunna, Popcaan and Chris Brown, weaved West African beats with contemporary rap R&B while staying true to Davido’s roots. “Fall,” the most popular single from the album, became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history.
Of the album, he previously told the AJC: “I stuck to what I knew without sounding American, and the people loved it. It was a life-changing album for me and solidified that Afrobeats was about to break in America.”
Since its release in 2019, the global popularity Afrobeats and other African music genres has become mountainous — so much that the Grammys and Billboard have created categories to recognize its influence. Showcasing the depths of its impact became the thesis of Thursday’s concert.
The show opened with rising acts like singer Emmerson and rapper Cuhdeejah, who both hail from Sierra Leone. While the former enchanted the crowd with his soulful tunes, the latter stunned with her relentless energy. In a surprising twist, legendary New York rapper Papoose hit the stage to perform an unreleased track with Cuhdeejah. His appearance seemed random. It made me want to learn more about his connection with the rapper and distracted me from listening to the song.
Davido hit the stage around 10:30 p.m., which felt late to me but right on time for others. Most of the audience didn’t start arriving until 10 p.m. I knew I’d made the terrible mistake of arriving early. But Davido wasted no time in getting me on my feet. He performed his early-career fan favorites like “The Money,” “Gobe” and “Skelewu.” The audience erupted for “Aye,” a 2014 love song that, when performed live, shines for Davido drowning in the softness of its rosy lyrics.
Later in the show, he floated in songs from “A Good Time” like “Intro,” “D&G,” “Risky,” “If” and (of course) “Fall. ”When he got to the “Sensational” (the Grammy-nominated Chris Brown track that’s currently dominating radio airwaves) part of the night, the crowd’s energy notably diminishes. But it picked back up when Davido stuck to his own songs like his latest single “Awuke.” Rising reggae star YG Marley, Nigerian rapper Odumodublvck and singer Kcee were among the night’s surprise acts aka the “friends” of the concert.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
The most distracting part of the night was its confusing structure. Davido didn’t perform until two-and-a-half hours after the set start time. There were large gaps in between sets for opening acts and special guests, which often made the show hard to follow. It probably would’ve made more sense to have Davido perform a bit earlier or ensure there were enough acts to fill in the breaks.
But fans didn’t seem to mind. Davido was entertaining enough to not make the uneven start time a huge nuisance. And the band, known as the Compozers, delivered stellar instrumentation that kept the night afloat.
Around a quarter to midnight, Davido closed the show with “Unavailable,” one of his biggest hits. Thursday night became an epic celebration of the West African rhythms that fueled a cultural phenomenon and the fans that sustain it.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
It also captured Davido’s broader effort to uplift African culture in the states — a mission that formally began last year with his inaugural A.W.A.Y. (Are We African Yet?) festival in Atlanta.
Indeed, a good time was had.
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