Anyone who missed out on the most recent editions of the multi-day Afro Nation festival in Miami and Portimão, Portugal — the premiere global event for West African-inspired Afrobeats music that attracts up to 40,000 people — could have experienced a neatly condensed version Friday night at Houston’s Toyota Center.
The main draw was Nigerian American singer Davido, fresh from his headlining date at Portugal’s Afro Nation and one of the key pioneers of a seductive style that has seeped into mainstream pop thanks to the likes of Drake and Ed Sheeran. He capped a four-hour night that included a parade of singers and DJs before him as well as a terrific, 15-minute set from his backing band, The Compozers, that begged for more. He even turned over part of his time to Mayorkun, an up-and-coming singer with whom he’s working.
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The result was a concert experience that took awhile to get going — he might have been better off giving The Compozers a full set and foregoing everyone else — but the fractured, improvised sensibility also gave it the feel of both a reunion of old friends and a group celebration of Afrobeats’ success. Even the city of Houston got into the act with Councilman Edward Pollard coming on stage to award Davido a proclamation.
Afrobeats band The Compozers
Afrobeats band The Compozers
Cary Darling
Once Davido finally hit the stage, his 90-minute set underscored both Afrobeats’ promise and growing pains. At their best, Davido’s songs, such as “Feel,” “Electricity” and “Fall,” have a sweet and soulful lilt that is introducing Western pop ears to an African melodic groove that is absolutely captivating. But those qualities sometimes got lost in the great expanse of a sports arena like the Toyota Center. On top of that, his five-piece band — supplemented by two singers, a squad of dancers, and a hype man sprawled across a sleekly modernist set design — toughened up his songs, making them more suitable for an arena but robbing them of some of their subtlety.
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Still, the raucous energy of both Davido and the enthusiastic crowd — singing and dancing along to such tracks as “Risky” and “For the Road” — ultimately proved infectious. And by the time they ended with a sweaty, funky “Unavailable,” just about everyone was cruising on an Afrobeats high.
It was almost enough to make you want to book a ticket to the next Afro Nation festival Aug. 19-20 in Detroit where Davido is headlining the second night.
