Okechukwu Uwaezuoke, Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Demola Ojo
5 July 2009
Lagos — The 2009 edition of the THISDAY Music Festival continues today with the big names in Nigerian music joining star artiste, R.Kelly in the Abuja leg holding inside the THISDAY Dome.
Nigerian stars billed to perform today are D'banj, Wande Cole and MI. Lagos fans of American R&B superstar, Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as R. Kelly, had two unforgettable shows Friday and yesterday. The command performance at the Federal Palace Hotel Friday night, the first in the series of his two-legged concerts in Nigeria, was apparently targeted at the crème de la crème of the Lagos society. R.Kelly kept the throng of revellers dancing till the wee hours of the morning.
For the American crooner usually referred to as the "King of R&B", it was a hugely successful performance. Yesterday's gig at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos which continued till early this morning, was the second in the series of concert organised by THISDAY and presented by its Arise Magazine. His third holds later today at the THISDAY Dome in Abuja.
The show at Tafawa Balewa Square brought the American R&B act closer to his Nigerian fans and he could not hide his emotion. So moved was he that he promised to sing all the songs in his repertoire. Beginning with some foot-stomping hip-hop genre, he moved swiftly but surely through a string of songs that his fans re-echoed with familiarity.
An impressed R. Kelly expressed surprise that he had so many fans in Africa and particularly in Nigeria. He apologised for not visiting the continent earlier, but said the important thing was that he had made it to the motherland at last.
His ability to create songs spontaneously further thrilled the throng of revellers who screamed for more.
He devoted a five-minute segment to the memory of Michael Jackson. R. Kelly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a black T-Shirt with the fallen King of Pop's image and sang two of Michael's songs which included "I'll Be There".
The THISDAY Arise concerts are R. Kelly's first appearance in Africa. This series of performance cancels his much-publicised phobia for flying. Thus, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for residents of Abuja and its environs to see the R&B legend live.
Today's event would be a culmination of a medley of African performances which commenced at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg for the Arise Fashion Week, moved to the Superbowl in Sun City and the Grandwest Casino in Cape Town, before coming to Nigeria.
If the previous performances of Kelly are used as a yardstick, residents of the Nigerian capital city are in for a treat as the songster, with a full complement of live instruments, usually crams as many of his numerous songs as possible into a single night's performance. With this in mind, those privileged to be present at the THISDAY Dome this evening should expect to hear a full repertoire of songs including "Happy People", "Fiesta", "Bump and Grind", "Slow Wind", "I Wish", "Gigolo", "Zoo", "Ignition" and many more.
Apart from his own personal songs, R.Kelly is also expected to pay tribute to the recently departed Michael Jackson by rendering some of Jackson's songs. Kelly, who describes Jackson as his "friend and mentor" wrote and collaborated on some tracks with the "Pop King" and performed "You are not Alone" to the delight of his Lagos audience.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
