Wande Coal Takes Lagos by Storm at TraceLive

Iyke Bede

With a packed audience at Terra Kulture that left little room for guests to navigate freely, afropop act Wande Coal commanded the stage with pulsating beat and his sweet falsettos at the recent edition of the TraceLive concert series, leaving the crowd captivated.

Matching black Tees with jean trousers, a blue jean jacket, and black shades, the singer kicked off the show with the Fela-esque ‘Nobody Holy’, a mellow tune that helped the crowd settle in before he proceeded to perform ‘Ololufe’, a timeless RnB number from his days at Mo’Hits.

With over a 20-song setlist, Coal made the stage his home, exhibiting different personas. While performing ‘Who Born the Maga’, he seamlessly switched to breakdancing and moonwalking, much to the crowd’s awe. When he wasn’t dancing or singing, he interacted with them. At one point, he teased, saying, “Thank you for having me. I’m going home now.” This, of course, elicited a reaction of shock.

Another way he kept them on their feet was by cleverly cuing the songs in a method that they couldn’t guess the upcoming track. Changing course from the upbeat arrangement of ‘Booty Call’, he rendered the song a cappella. And when he didn’t deploy such tact, he interpolated popular songs of other artists, as he did with Sade Adu’s ‘Sweetest Taboo’ on ‘Jabo’.

Throughout the evening, Wande Coal’s A-game was on full display, perfectly matching the electric energy radiating from the crowd. As the concert came to a close, Terra Kulture reverberated with thunderous applause, a testament to his undeniable talent and the indelible mark he left on the hearts of all those fortunate enough to witness him perform that cool, cloudy evening.