Erykah Badu rocking to her beat at the Tusker Lite Experience concert
Clad in orange tights, a matching hat, a blue top, jungle jacket and a striped red and white scarf, Erykah Badu stepped on to the stage at the Carnivore Restaurant a midst wild screams from her many fans who had thronged the Nairobi entertainment spot for a glimpse of the eccentric Ms. Badu.
Ever since Tusker Lite through their twitter handle broke news of her coming over a month ago, Kenyans took to social media to not only express their pleasant shock and disbelief which later turned to sheer excitement as the hours drew near.
Although fans had been warned that no tickets would be sold at the gates, many turned up and simply could not believe it when they were turned away at the sold out concert.
“Can I get a Window Seat”
Erykah’s love for Hip Hop marked the start of her concert shortly after 9 pm with the song ‘The Healer’ from her album New Amerykah Part One (The 4th World War). She started off with her less known songs slowly building up to Bag Lady, Window Seat and finally Tyrone.
For almost 2 hours, she sang Love of my life, Next lifetime, Danger, Didn’t Cha Know, On and On, Kiss on my neck, Soldier and Love finishing off with songs from her Baduizm album which had everyone on their feet.
In a carefully choreographed concert, Erykah and her band weaved from one song onto another with little talk except when she paused to wish Kenyans happy Independence day.
As she had cautioned during a press conference held a day earlier at the Sankara Hotel, many tried not to have expectations although one could not help but wish that their favourite song would be heard booming from the speakers donning the stage.
The sound was quite good with no instances of feedback despite the numerous equipment with the decor setting the standard for how a VIP event should look and feel.
Erykah Badu was the last artist to perform this year as part of the lineup in the Tusker Lite Experience which was marking its first anniversary on 11th December. They have previously brought Donnell Jones, Johnny Gill and Joe Thomas.
Tusker Lite Experience is a tasteful, easy going experience that reflects the brand’s positioning which is; easy going. The entertainment should always carry an easy sound and must be relevant to the audience.
Kenyan Neo-soul fans can therefore look forward to future Tusker Lite events as the lineup of artist who have expressed interest is quite impressive.
Many who attended the Jamhuri day eve concert could not mask their joy with many making loud wishes on social media.
So perhaps Jill Scott or John Legend might pay homage next year.
Perhaps!
PS. I own copyrights to all the images herein. If interested in using any, contact me njeriwangari(at)kenyanpoet(dot)com