The African Giant Burna Boy took his ‘One Night in Space’ tour to New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Thursday, April 28th.
His performance at the 20,789 multi-purpose indoor arena was all sorts of greatness. The Grammy-award-winning Nigerian singer thrilled over 20,000 fans with power-packed music and an electrifying performance.
Afrobeats over the last decade has evolved into a global sound with artistes such as Justin Bieber, Drake, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce integrating the genre into their line of work. The genre continues to reach higher heights as fellow Nigerian artistes Davido and Wizkid sold out The 02 in London, UK earlier this year. Burna Boy’s concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden certifies the Grammy award winner as the first Nigerian artiste to headline a concert at the legendary arena.
The show commenced with a speech by renowned American rapper Busta Rhymes, who later introduced Burna Boy on stage. He spoke about the warm welcome he experienced when he visited Nigeria and spoke highly of the magnificent music African artistes share globally. The show began with his song ‘Level Up’, from the 2020 album “Twice as Tall” and was joined by Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour.
The crowd got intense, shouting the lyrics and singing along to every song. With some female fans throwing their bras to Burna on stage. During the concert, Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu announced his upcoming sixth studio album, ‘Love, Damini’ out on 7th July which is his birthday. The Grammy award winner made sure to tease a few songs off the upcoming album.
While Burna performed, he made sure to speak on the economic and social struggles many Nigerians face. His song “Collateral Damage” speaks on the police unit targeting young Nigerians and immigrants. He performed his final song of the night ‘Ye’ off his breakthrough album “Outside.” Burna Boy put on an outstanding performance during the night and the entire show felt like a party. He thanked the fans for sticking with him throughout the journey and promised them more to come.
