“SEATS?! When Davido’s on stage?
That’s impossible.
Not one person’s going to be in their seat when I’m performing.”
And he was right.
The seats placed in neat rows were only temporary placeholders at Damrosch Park before the packed house gathered in front the stage to experience a unique fusion of two impactful pillars of African music on a Friday night in July.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors partnered with Okayafrica for 'Afrobeat X Afrobeats'—featuring Davido and Antibalas—where a live, energetic exchange occurred. Hosted by Sahr, the two teamed up to pay homage to Fela Kuti’s 1970s Afrobeat sounds, where Antibalas also rocked the stage with their originals accompanied by sick moves from The Fela Queens (from Chop & Quench).
“I’m expecting a lot of the younger Nigerian audience that might come to the show and really be impressed with this collaboration because they will truly be experiencing the fusion of hip hop, and traditional Nigerian music, under the palate of Afrobeat,” Antibalas lead singer Amayo says during their rehearsal.
Davido vibed with the diverse crowd in attendance with his tunes, and he then closed off the night with Antibalas’ Afrobeat renditions of his hits including "Skelewu," "Aye" and "Gobe."
“The world has come of age right now and everybody’s looking to Africa and afrobeats has taken the center stage,” Laolu Senbanjo says as he does a pre-show Sacred Art of the Ori painting on Davido. “I mean, when you look at Davido doing a show at Lincoln Center with Antibalas—it’s beautiful and it’s big. It’s huge.”
Okayafrica would like to express much gratitude and thanks to Jill Sternheimer, director of public programming for Lincoln Center, Davido and Antibalas for an awesome night the city will never forget.
Check out the full scoop of the show in the video above, along with images below brought to you by Oluwaseye Olusa and Johnette Reed.
