Asake's Madison Square Garden debut Connects the Corners of the Earth

From Lagos, Nigeria in New York, in New York, the corner is the corner. There's a line between neighborhoods around the world where the money may be low but the vibes are high, and as Asake recreated the gritty streets of Lagos in which he performed for his first Madison Square Garden show, he used the budding his discography to bridge worlds. “Let me speak to my people,” he told the crowd early on. “I like this energy. I love New York.”

His current tour is named for his latest album, Lungu boywhich translates to “Ghetto Boy” and highlights the enclaves of creativity and community that poor, black areas can be. When a dark curtain dropped from the ceiling and pulled away from the workers as his concert began, it revealed a stage strategically filled with stacks of tires, shipping drums, piles of old TVs emblazoned with Asake's face, and bright, shiny graffiti.

This artwork, its dancers in jean shorts and crisp Timberland boots, and the skillful scratching from one of its DJs that enhanced the set resembled the New York street culture that went on to make hip-hop a mainstream music movement. worldwide and institution of the type of Afrobeats Asake has made his domain. “It was hip-hop, but it was local to us,” said Nigerian music critic Ayomide Tayo Okay player about the influence of rap on the evolution of Afrobeats. “It had a lot of slang and a lot of regional languages ​​together, and the instrumentation wasn't just pure hip-hop, but they were bringing together native Nigerian records.”

Asake has been an astute arbiter of that very essence, with his fusions of indigenous Nigerian music such as Fuji and South African Amapiano with the energy and frenzy of hip-hop. His sound, rich and complexly organic on wax, soared live.

Each member of his band stood dignified on their own stands, the backdrop behind them lined with the kind of rusted sheet metal that might be used to build houses in West African slums. There were many signs set up all over the stage with Lagos landmarks on them such as Adeniji Adelewhere recent reports indicate that the government had moved to destroy shanty houses where they claimed criminals and drug pushers were hiding. While Asake took the stage to “Start” from Lungu boyholding a metallic red baseball bat, the prop that seemed like a nod to chaos and violence actually served more as an orchestra baton.

While creating an occasional street corner on stage certainly seemed intentional, the show also contained a bit of randomness that felt overwhelming at times. His dancers were lively but often a little out of place, as if they were told to follow their routine but do their own thing. Although Asake had electrifying moments, like when he took them for some dynamic moves on “Fuji Vibes” from his new album, he was too often playing from the DJ decks in the right corner, like they were hanging out.

Sometimes the conversational elements of the show were charming, like when he ad-libbed under Friday's performance of “Blessings” with his special guest, or when he and Sarz sang their hit “Happiness” to each other. But it sometimes lulled the enthusiasm, as did the excessively long list of about thirty tracks. He and his DJs seemed to sense it, demanding more from fans throughout the night – more singing, more tension, more energy.

In turn, the concert often felt more like a spectacle than an experience. It was certainly a sight to behold, from the fog and fireworks that popped and popped for 'Ligali' and 'Organize' to the array of flares that lit up the arena during songs like 'Amapiano' and 'Skating', making theirs. dancing as the fire blew in percussive patterns. “Skating” had one of the more elaborate looks, with real skaters and trick bikes rolling around the concert-merchandise stage as the dancers gracefully mime doing a plank themselves.

During “Basquiat,” Asake wielded a smoke cannon like a Gotham villain, and before a live performance of “MMS” he growled at audience flashlights. “Need lighthe whispered. “I'm hungry for it!” When it came time for his latest single 'Active', featuring Travis Scott, Asake did two laps around the Garden floor as security and camera people seemed to struggle to keep up. One fan happily jumped back into her seat after she managed to touch him on his run. However, his MO wasn't so much audience interaction as embracing his own relationship with his music. Asake sang with power and clarity, often seeming blissfully lost in his own sound.

What really carried the show, however, were the intense, impressive and completely new arrangements performed by him and his band. There was only one drummer banging and slapping for life, and three men on keyboards, one also worked on bass, but the music was orchestral. It was exciting, from their innovation of a 1990s R&B groove to their reimagining of “Muse” from his album. Mr. Money With the Vibein the ER they played “Basquiat”, making it sound like superhero theme music.

Asake's biggest hits – “Joha”, “Terminator”, “Organize”, “Sungba” and “Peace Be Unto You” – were saved for the end of the show (and with the packed setlist, it felt like a very long wait). Still, everyone on stage gave it their all in a fiery whirlwind of organized chaos, the kind of display of power and grandeur you'd expect from an Afrobeats show at the Garden, especially since Burna Boy christened the venue for the genre in 2022. However. , instead, Asake leaned on the unique power of his homegrown sound and his own love for it to bring Lungu in New York.