Waiting for Davido to deliver

23 Aug, 2015 - 00:08 0 Views
Waiting for Davido to deliver

The Sunday Mail

NIGERIAN music superstar Davido says he will create waves that will break the anchors of revellers and send them into a tailspin when he descends on Belgravia Sports Club in Harare this Saturday.

2008-2-1-DAVIDO POSTERHis performance on August 29 comes exactly three years after his fellow countrymen, Peter and Paul Okoye of the duo P-Square held a sold-out gig in the capital.

Official statistics from the co-ordinators of the 2012 edition of the annual Lion Larger Summer Beer Festival put ticket sales at over 20 000. Glamis Arena in the Exhibition Park, where the show was held, was indeed packed on that night, and the Nigerian twins did not disappoint.

The P-Square show was the last time a foreign act attracted such a colossal crowd. All subsequent shows have registered average to below average crowds. And fans have often complained that the artistes are not performing at their best.

Now people wait to see what multiple award-winning musician Davido, born David Adedeji Adeleke, will deliver.

After all, he is said by some to be the most sought-after artiste in Africa at the moment.

Some his live performances have been condemned and regarded as below par, but the 22-year-old is also known for pulling surprises.

In 2011, Davido had to hustle his way to The Headies, Nigeria’s foremost awards ceremony, to watch. With no name back then, it is reported that he sat on the floor and watched Wizkid win the Next Rated Artiste Award.

The following year he won that award – and many more.

When P-Square was busy setting the Glamis Arena ablaze, Davido was an upstart yearning for recognition.

Armed with hits like “Temptation”, “Story”, “Give Me That” and “I Love You”, the Okoye twins were talk of the continent, Zimbabwe included. Indeed they conquered when they visited.

Now Davido is on top.

His hits include “Dami Duro”, “Skelewu”, “Aye”, “Back When” and “Gobe”, and Zimbabweans hope to hear these and others from the Nigerian and his six-member band. Davido has his work cut out.

His compatriot D’banj (Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo) came oozing with confidence in 2013 but left with his firmly neatly tucked between his legs. His show had no climax, no talking point. And locals started calling him D’junk. This is the kind of demanding audience Davido will have to face.

In an interview with this writer last week, Davido said he would prove why he is rated so highly. He said a big plus for him was that Zimbabweans already knew many of his songs.

“It will be a Davido first, so no doubt we are all looking forward to it and hopefully people will come and witness what we have in store for them. They should come and see a crazy performance from the one and only OBO Baddest,” he said.

“OBO (Or Best Offer) Baddest” is the proposed title for Davido’s forthcoming album.

The odds seem to favour him, if enquiries about tickets are anything to go by.

Davido will be supported by Trevor Dongo, Roki, wheel-spinners DJ Stavo, Gary B, Nivek and Ash Styles.

“Zimbabwe is on our priority list because we know we have a solid Davido fan base. When promoters came to us with a show proposal we did not hesitate to take it. Also we are going to make sure the show lives up to its billing,” said Davido.

“We have been getting calls from our fans in Zimbabwe and since we want to play in every place that we have followers, this is us responding to the calls. With the demand, it would only make sense for us to deliver a top of the range act.”

Zimbabwe is not any easy place to perform. Veteran dancehall artiste Mr Vegas had to summon every trick in his book and still his act received a lukewarm response. Jamaican singer Kalado also failed to impress, getting to witness for himself what Popcaan did when he found himself essentially a curtain-raiser for Winky D at his own gig.

Davido will have to shrug-off stiff competition from counter-attractions on August 29, which will be one of Zimbabwe’s busiest weekends for revellers.

Zim dancehall artistes, both seasoned and upcoming, will gather for the annual Harare Cup Clash at its traditional home of City Sports Centre. The event always attracts a full house regardless of who performs.

In addition, man of the moment Jah Prayzah will perform at Long Cheng Plaza that same day.

Organiser of the Davido and Harare Cup Clash gigs Partson “Chipaz” Chimbodza said the numbers on the closing day of the Harare Agriculture Show justified the need to have numerous events on day.

“We have more than 100 000 potential revellers in search of after-hour’s fun after the Agric Show. It is only logical for promoters to create various forms of entertainment to cater for this crowd otherwise the results can be catastrophic,” he said.

“The gigs may appear to be in direct competition but they are in actual fact not. They cater for different tastes and they are well spaced at the same time. This is what should happen every year so that we don’t end up having chaos at gig venues.”

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