“Chicago, are you ready?” was the question that echoed in the Aragon Ballroom from Davido’s hypeman, Special Spesh before the Afrobeats star emerged from the entrance of an African-themed hut. When he started singing his first song, “Fia,” Davido paused and smiled as he realized throngs of fans were singing louder than he was.
But the vibe had been building before his spectacular entrance that Thursday night as African artists like Nigeria’s own Pheelz took the crowd back to the motherland with his chart-topping song, “Finesse.”
Up-and-coming Chicago-based Nigerian artist, Oba’Po, who has been active on the music scene for 15 years, was ecstatic to rock the stage as an opening act for a major artist.
“This is definitely my first time being an opening act for someone [who is] top tier,” he said during a brief interview. “I appreciate him for sure. The vibe was great, buzzing. It’s lit in here.”
Oba’Po also had a fanbase of supporters that attended the concert to witness his live performance.
“I actually came out here to see Oba’Po,” said Jah, “He’s an emerging artist from Chicago right now. I came out here to see him and show support with the homies. Also, to see Davido.”
Davido’s performance was the icing on the cake. The 29-year old’s energy never waned during his two-hour set, delivering over 30, upbeat, danceable, tracks including, “Assurance,” Dami Duro,” ‘Fall,” “If,” “Fem,” and his newest hit “Stand Strong.”
“It feels like I’m in a club,” a concertgoer yelled while dancing to the music.
By 10 p.m. the crowd was clamoring for more, and then Chicago artist, Chance The Rapper, made a surprise entrance and performed “The Highs and Lows.” After his exit, Davido continued to rock the stage, sprinkling water on excited fans and mingling with the crowd.
The concertgoers were primarily millennials and Gen-Z supporters from African and Caribbean descent. With the growing popularity of Afrobeats, Davido has seemingly captured an audience that has been often overlooked in mainstream music culture.
“I’m just a fan that’s growing in knowledge and understanding [of] Afrobeats and everything that is the culture that’s coming over here,” said Jah, “I’m just falling into it and I really love it.”
