Burna Boy at the London O2 Arena

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

A Burna Boy concert at the prestigious 02 Arena London expectedly, was definitely going to be a big bang, even without his newly earned status as Grammy-winning superstar. His first performance as a support act at the venue in 2019 was ecstatic, as the crowd went wild seeing him mount the stage. Then the Afrofusion star, raving on his acclaimed ‘African Giant’ posture, appeared again the second time at the 02 Arena alongside British superstar Stormzy for the BRIT Awards performance in 2020.

Burna Boy returned for his first-ever headline show on Friday, August 27, 2021, with this concert at the O2 Arena as part of his Space Drift Arena Tour.

The O2 Arena, the second largest indoor venue in the United Kingdom, and tagged the world’s busiest music arena, had its concert hall packed to the brim with an overtly excited crowd. This is coming after the release of Burna’s latest hit single “Question”, featuring producer, Don Jazzy, which has recorded massive airplay. A highlight from the show that left the crowd in tenterhook of the ‘Twice as Tall’ crooner was his entrance and exit. The Grammy-winner arrived at the concert on a giant spaceship, and he gave fans an unforgettable experience.

‘Oluwa Burna’, as fondly called, hit the stage with thousands of rave audience in attendance to see his electrifying performance. In a video that was shared on social media, the spaceship could be seen descending and “vomiting” Burna Boy after heralding his arrival with some form of effect. Literarily the venue went agog and was greeted with rapturous applause. The concert, which is themed the ‘Space Drift’, featured exhilarating performances from the ‘Way to Big’ crooner and his team as he dazzled the audience with hit tracks from his several discography.

Some of his hit songs performed to the delight of music lovers includes ‘Kilometre’, ‘Location’, ‘African Giant’, ‘Pull Up’, ‘Way Too Big’, and ‘Another Story’. He was later joined on stage by Marvin’s Ruger and Rema, King Promise of Ghana, and Omah Lay. The ‘African Giant’ singer was the third artiste enlisted by the organisers (Cokobar in association with Spaceship Entertainment) for the O2 Arena’s ‘Welcome Back Show’ series lined up for music lovers returning to the facility months after it was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fully packed arena, captured by Michael Tubes Creation, revealed the artiste, known for his mercurial performances, reinventing the cataclysmic sounds that make up his unique music.

That a Burna Boy concert at the prestigious 02 Arena London was going to be a big bang was foretold and had been expected long ago to replicate the feats of Wizkid and Davido, twice at the same venue. Following the concert, Burna Boy is billed for more performances in Los Angeles in the US; Paris in France; and Amsterdam in the Netherlands on October 8, November 10, and November 15, respectively.

The trips are part of his four-country tour for ‘Twice As Tall’, his Grammy-winning studio album. Wizkid, another Nigerian music star, is also scheduled to perform at the 02 Arena on November 28 as part of his ‘Made in Lagos’ album tour. Tickets are already sold-out.