I went to the Wizkid Concert in Abuja on Friday the 17th, and it was disappointing, embarrassing. As a dramatic Nigerian, I will go as far as calling it an act of evil and wickedness. Here are my reasons why:
1. Wizkid: As we all know, Wizkid did not perform until 3 in the morning. He apologised briefly, I might add, and proceeded to blame the airport for his tardiness. I am sorry, but this is of no concern to us.
You could have been in Abuja the night before or come earlier in the morning. If your undoubtedly busy schedule could not handle the quick trip, then your team should never have booked this event for you.
Poco Lee was on stage attempting to hype up the crowd, and it was the saddest thing I had ever seen. It was 2:30ish at this point, and people were literally EXHAUSTED.
“Energy! Give me energy!” Poco Lee demanded from us. I am sorry, but we had nothing to give at that point.
Actions have consequences, and here are the consequences of your actions, Wizkid. The upcoming artistes that were probably so excited to get the chance to perform at a Wizkid show were met with an angry ad irritated crowd.
I love music, and I would have loved to enjoy the music of these new artistes. But how can I do so when I see that you are just boarding a plane to an event in which you are the headliner. I cannot concentrate because I am worried I have wasted my time & money.
Sir, Mr Wizkid, you would NOT do this at the O2. Let us be the change we want to see in Nigeria, and it starts with you and me. If this is not acceptable to white people, how can you do this to the people that have uplifted you? It is WRONG.
“Don’t mind Wizkid. This is how he always is”, were the phrases uttered throughout the night. Are you not upset that you have a reputation for being unreliable? Does your brand mean nothing to you? Or is this some cool sh*t artistes do?
You complained that the sound was not up to your standards. I may not be in the music industry, but I am familiar with the term ‘sound check’. Maybe if you had come earlier or a member of your team had checked this, the sound would have been ready to go. Just a thought sha.
People of Nigeria, we need to start treating artistes’ performances like products. We should not support people that do not respect our time and hard-earned money. We need to take our power back. Imagine if he came at 3 am, and no one was there. It would have shocked him.
Yes, I am angry. I paid N35,000 for that ticket. I could have used it for a myriad of things. Nigeria is very hard to live in right now. I cannot be burning money like this. Yes, I made a choice to use my funds to see you. BUT I did not make a choice to be insulted.
I am literally begging all artistes in Nigeria. Please, for the love of whatever god you worship, be conscious of your fans’ time. Please.
I don’t want your money. I don’t even want to take a picture with you sef. I just want to have a great time, meet dope people and go home.
2. Play Network Africa: This is the first I have ever heard of your corporation. I must admit to being filled with immense irritation at the work that your team put together. How dare you collect that amount of money from Nigerians and put together that mediocre nonsense.
I heard you’re also behind Davido’s show. You don’t care, but I am not coming. What is worth doing is worth doing well. What are the principles of your company?
Nah, Nigeria now, you don’t care as long as you made your money.
At a concert Wizkid is headlining, I expect a dope combination of amateur, upcoming and established artistes to show up for Wizkid. Instead, the crowd knew almost none of your performers. You set these artistes up for failure. Your team is wicked.
At this point, I’d LOVE to shout out to the DJ’s and the hype men because they did an amazing job of trying to keep the crowd engaged. I enjoyed myself immensely up until 1:30 am. But by 3 am, Yaba Buluku could not get anybody moving.
“Small yansh dey shake ohhh” can raise my soul from the dead, but I was so exhausted, hungry, tired, cold, and quite frankly in a state of disbelief. The difference between regular and VIP was so insulting that you should have just asked them to stand outside the Hilton gate. How dare you take 20k from me and do this?
Naaahhh, Nigerians no get pride, lol. The pride na for stupid things
Please, the next time you are putting on a show, strive to put on the best show possible. If the management of Play Network Africa is not paying their employees to do a good job, they should increase their salaries. You have made enough money.
In conclusion, I would like:
1. A genuine heartfelt apology from Wizkid to his fans and a PROMISE to be better to Nigerians. You said you were going to come back and perform. Please give us a date, this December. We are waiting.
2. Play Network Africa should also issue an apology for this gross incompetence. The executives and directors that okayed this should be held accountable for their poor leadership.
Rant over. Thank you so much for listening to me. Please be the change you want to see in Nigeria today.
- Mietei Ikoli ‘Scary Mercury’, a Nigerian writer who attended the ‘Wizkid Live in Concert’ in Abuja on Friday, December 17, 2021, wrote the review titled – ‘Wizkid Live in Abuja: A critic of the entertainment industry and how artistes insist on disrespecting their fans without changing behaviours’.
