Oxlade's Headline Show Was an Array of Breathtaking Musical Performance(s)
Oxlade delivered a swooping performance at his headline show. It was an unforgettable night of unparalleled merriment.
One of the best ways to experience an artist is to watch them perform live music. Live music reveals an artist in his or her purest form. And that was exactly what happened with me about two weeks ago when I attended Oxlade’s headline show at Hardrock Cafe. Permit me to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching Oxlade perform live amidst other things. I enjoyed his performance so much that I’ve been itching to write about my experience since then.
It was Oxlade’s first headline show in two years and he (and his team) collaborated with the esteemed Industry Nite outfit. It was tagged ‘Homecoming’ which signified his return to the country after a run in the US that saw him perform in different cities including New York (sometimes alongside fellow contemporary acts like Rema and Omah Lay). The Surulere-bred singer also paid a visit to Paris, linking up with Off-White founder Virgil Abloh at the Off-White store launch where he performed DKT to an excited audience.
Oxlade has had a good year so far. As the year winds up to an end, Nigerian artists are putting together shows for their fans for the first time in a long time, after the Coronavirus pandemic put an abrupt end to live shows, leaving music listeners hungry to see their favourite acts on stage. And as the world adjusts to a new reality, show promoters and event organizers are inventing new ways to organize events while avoiding congestion.
The show took place on a Saturday, October 30, 2021. By 10 pm when I arrived at the venue, a minor crowd had formed at the entrance - where I saw Ojah B, Oxlade’s manager and longtime producer - as people waltzed in and out. Alongside a few friends, we sat at a table upstairs inside Hardrock Cafe. At a corner, the DJ obsessively caressed his jockey, spinning different Afropop songs with undebased vim. I could feel the anticipation from fans in the atmosphere as we all saturated ourselves in loud music spilling from the speakers.
Fortunately for me, I was part of ykb’s squad - ykb was one of the performing acts that night - so we were given some form of preferential treatment. Bizzle (a popular entertainment consultant who works with Oxlade) approached us with a bottle of drink. It didn’t take long before we began drinking and started getting turnt. At some point, we moved backstage which was meant for performing artists and their teams. The hypeman, Manolospanky, fervently introduced different upcoming acts as they went on stage.
The night started getting really exciting when AV came on stage. His performance was noteworthy as he jumped in the middle of the crowd and pulled off his shirt. He performed his nationwide hit single Big Thug Boys and closed his set with his follow-up single, Confession. He successfully roused the audience with his infectious energy. By the end of his set, the crowd had become enlivened.
The truth is that there are a lot of shitty performers in the Nigerian music industry, and it is heartbreaking to leave the comfort of your home, face the horrific traffic, and still not have a quality experience. This is exactly why I’m particular about artists honing that aspect of their craft, because of how much an artist’s career depends on that. And so, it was refreshing to watch AV put the crowd in such a mood.
At the moment that Tosin Akinbo came into the venue I was assured that the star of the night had arrived. A few minutes later, Oxlade walked in superciliously, adorned in a green suit and dark shades, while the crowd cheered gleefully. Leading the entourage was Tosin Akinbo, and behind Oxlade was Buju. It was as if the room suddenly became a magnetic field, with Oxlade and Buju pulling everyone’s attention from every corner. As they moved backstage, I glanced at the band on the stage. The drummer and the guitarist looked like they couldn’t wait to unleash madness.
I guess I was a bit overwhelmed but for some reason, I don’t remember the song that Oxlade started his set with. (This is why documentation is significant. I wish I recorded the whole thing but then that seems like a stretch). But what I do remember vividly is Oxlade performing More. He sang passionately, switching conveniently between his tenor and falsetto voice, holding the audience captive with a medley of melodies.
The night went in another direction when Oxlade brought ykb on stage. When I say another direction, I mean a positively chaotic direction. The two artists share a history as they have been friends before they even decided to chase an individual professional career in music. The euphoria they felt while on that stage diffused into the environment. As DJ Titanium played the potential hit record Alabama, ykb vehemently took his jacket off and the crowd rejoiced in high spirits. It was a moment that would undoubtedly be etched in the memories of onlookers.
And that was just the beginning of the night. Oxlade resumed his set and at some point, while the singer was serenading his fans, I saw some guy in the crowding crying profusely. My normal reaction to that would have been embarrassment (on his behalf), but it was instead fascinating. Duh. Men are allowed to express their emotions. Seeing that guy cry made me see Oxlade in a different light. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Oxlade was born to do this: to give meaning to life with music. He was completely a natural, in the sense that there was never a moment when he struggled either vocally or theatrically.
As Oxlade continued to put on a show, Buju crept up on the stage suddenly, raining down N500 notes on the headliner. I could tell from Buju’s expression that he was thrilled by Oxlade’s performance. The two artists hugged each other before the mic was passed to Buju. It was somewhat obvious that Buju wasn’t planning to perform but immediately the DJ played Kilometer he was left with no choice. This has been the biggest year of his career so far and it was sensational to see him perform the songs dominating airplay charts.
What made the night particularly eventful was the surprise guest acts that came through for Oxlade. I wasn’t expecting to see Reekado Banks perform that night. Both of them featured on a song by Afronation titled Craze two years ago. Music wields a lot of power and that’s exactly why when the two acts performed the song that night, I was immediately catapulted to 2019 (before the pandemic) and there was solace in that. There’s solace in music. It was also intriguing to see Reekado Banks perform his recent hit single Ozumba Mbadiwe after a hiatus. His discography is studded with popular songs which he heartily performed.
You would have normally thought that the night had peaked. After all, Oxlade had taken us all on a joy ride and we were throbbing. That was the feeling the majority of the crowd chased down to the venue: to experience an artist in their unsullied form. And that was precisely what we experienced. But there was more in store for the audience. Ice Prince showed up and it was honestly enthralling. Music is way too spiritual. Way too divine.
I believe myself to be one of the most objective lovers of music (even though I’m pretty biased when it comes to my favourites and it’s all just conflicted). I’m also not Ice Prince’s biggest fan but there’s something I’ve come to accept over time based on its recurrence. Anytime I attend an event and I watch artists perform, I’m transported into another world where nothing else matters. I started to realize that you might not necessarily like an artist but you would definitely be more receptive to their craft when you encounter them physically. And that has been my experience with Ice Prince a couple of times.
It kinda became more vivid to me how Oxlade has positioned himself in the industry, weaving mellow hooks for rappers. Ice Prince had ceased being in the limelight for a while, but with Oxlade’s powerful vocals on Kolo, there was a resurrection. And that’s what helped smoothen Ice Prince’s entry into the stage. Kolo was a successful record and that only meant that the audience would not hesitate to turn up at the sight of the former Chocolate City rapper. No matter when Oleku comes on, you couldn’t ever be caught not unwinding.
After Ice Prince left the stage, it had become glaring that the night was soon to come to an end. There were likely one or two songs left for Oxlade to perform when PocoLee and Rahman Jago hopped on the stage. PocoLee too, like Oxlade, had just returned after a stint of dance performances in the US. He was in a boisterous mood such that he retrieved a wad of cash from his sling bag and threw it in the air.
Another significant aspect of the night for me was how the energy of the crowd never waned until the end of the show. Live shows and events are ultimate forms of entertainment.
Closing note: I’m trying to be more versatile with the newsletters I send so I’m dabbling into writing about music-related events. I’m also using this opportunity to urge you to share any ideas you would like me to work on, I’m open to your ideas. And don’t forget to share this with anyone that loves Afrobeats. That’s how we’ll grow this community.