6 unforgettable performances by Davido that put Afrobeats on the map

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“Different quality”, “Impetuous energy”, and “Incredible talent” are some of the words dazzled fans have often used for more than a decade when describing the experience of witnessing Davido perform live.

His near-celestial ability to elevate the music beyond the mark and still score a great and memorable show is a unique selling proposition only he and a handful of others have in their repertoire.

Being one of Africa’s biggest stars who has pulled incredulous crowds on the continent and now thirsts only to solidify global dominance with his ‘Timeless Tour’, fans think they have an idea of what O.B.O is about. Meanwhile, we have undertaken the daunting task of ranking in no particular order a list of live performances that exemplify his stellar journey.

1) Afronation, Portugal 2023

Davido took his tidal momentum of fascinating performances to Afronation’s latest stop in Portugal, where fans were teased to a prequel on what to expect from his tour which began on 1 July, 2023. Africa’s 001 took fans on a stimulating journey, where he set the vibe with classics like ‘Dami Duro’ and ‘Skelewu’ all the way to his record shattering hit ‘Unavailable’ off the Timeless album.

Twitter has particularly been buzzing with endless reactions to his exceptional performance, as some have dubbed him ‘the GOAT’, Others were particularly blown away by his vocal prowess as seen in this beautiful rendition of another classic ‘Aye’ as seen in another twitter post. See clips from his performance here

2) Selling Out O2 Arena, Uk

In 2019, the D.M.W. Boss packed out the 20,000-capacity O2 arena for a concert that showcased his many hits and cemented his top spot on Afrobeats' global stage.

The iconic show began with one of Hollywood's Idris Elba charging the crowd with a very colourful introduction for Davido. O.B.O. entered by soaring above the audience on a suspended platform to perform one of his classics, "Aye."

The Nigerian superstar, backed by the Compozers, ran through his many hits from across the years throughout the night—"Fall," "If," "F.I.A.," "Dami Duro," and many more. Click here to watch.

3) Wireless festival

Being a debutant, and the only African on the line-up of artiste at the 2018 Wireless festival in London, only meant the 50,000 fans in attendance were in for a thrill. The ecstatic crowd who were visibly enjoying the show, immediately expressed vociferous dissent when the show’s organisers unprecedentedly attempted to cut davido’s performance short.

As soon as the Nigerian superstar was allowed to hop back on stage, one could hardly tell if there was ever a pause, as the preexisting frenzy was immediately reignited. The greatness being witnessed on stage on that very day, also had legends like Dider Drogba going on twitter to express gratitude to Davido. See tweet here

4) BET Awards 2023

On 26 June, Davido adorned the main BET stage, performing viral hits from the ‘Timeless’ album. One of the highlights of the performance was seeing rapper Lil boosie dance in ways that didn't correspond with the melodies the songs offered.

Davido took to his Instagram page to share his excitement after his performance, saying, "5 years ago I graced this same page with a speech exporting culture."

See a clip of the performance here.

5) Juneteenth 2023

Davido upped the ante at the Juneteenth 2023 celebration as the singer delivered an interesting performance in the presence of the US Vice President, Kamala Harris. The international sensation opened his performance with his serial hit single, IF, then performed songs off the 'Timeless' album.

Juneteenth 2023 was a star-studded event with top acts such as Miguel, Jodeci, Coi Leray, and many more taking the stage at Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on 19 June 2023. See clip of Davido’s performance here.

6) 30 Billion concert and Tour

The UK leg of Davido’s 30BG Tour came to an end on 19 February 2018 at the University of Hertfordshire after an incredible six-stop haul of sold-out venues in Leicester, Birmingham, Dublin, Manchester and London – where he marked his achievement of filling the O2 Arena.

Opened by performances from Wizkid, Mr Eazi and Not3s, his label mates DJ E Cool and Mayorkun also assisted to the crowd's delight, holding it down for Davido’s final performance in the country. Perhaps his most well-marketed series of performances, the 30 Billion Concert and Tour, saw the release of a 30-minute documentary commissioned to commemorate the event. Watch performance here.

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