Asake’s Epic O2 Arena Concert

August 22, 2023

From Breakout to Breakthrough: Asake’s Epic O2 Arena Concert

Despite his achievements since the year started, this was the most significant moment for Asake in 2023: his headline concert at London’s O2 Arena. And boy, did it deliver! That the O2 is perceived to be the pinnacle of music success for many Afrobeats artistes is beside the point; after all, whoever does headline the arena joins an elite group of iconic global stars, including the Spice Girls, Beyonce, Elton John, Rihanna, the Jonas brothers and a host of others. That has to be impressive if anyone, for any reason, feels as though the twenty-thousand-capacity crowd isn’t. But no matter how anybody looks at it, it’s a huge accomplishment.

It becomes even more impressive if one considers the meteoric rise that Asake has experienced in what comparatively is a short time. His breakout single Omo Ope was only in February 2022. In just over a year, he has made a legitimate claim as one of the highest-rated stars from the Afrobeats family in a fraction of the time it takes almost everybody. Success like that of Asake is rare. But his artistry is rare as well, and on Sunday night when he took on London, there was little doubt that the so-called “Big Three” were now “Big Five” – and he’s not number five at this point. I’ll leave you to arrange who comes before who among Asake, Burna Boy, Davido, Rema and Wizkid. As Nigeria’s legendary mogul Obi Asika said a few weeks ago, those five are “arena artistes.”

At Asake Live At The O2 Arena, a sold-out audience nearly dampened things initially. It is instructive to mention that although the concert started ninety minutes after the advertised eight o’clock, the performer was ready to go on stage at half past. There are images shot by Michael Tubes that show the timestamp. However, for many fans, the highlight of the summer seduced them into delaying their entrance into the arena. It’s a curious conundrum: those fans arrived on time and did not proceed into the concert space. Instead, they milled about outside, taking photos for Instagram and Snapchat and generally idling away with friends. Inside, the jumbotrons blared the following message at intervals: “Be part of the show! Put on your LED wristbands NOW!” In this case, it’s a judgement call that the artiste has to make: delay the show and wait for attendees to come in (as Asake chose to do) or start the show and hope they make their way in soon. Despite the unpleasantness of starting the concert late, it appeared that was the better decision. The alternative could have led to a stampede if people had started running in once the singer began to perform.

Speaking of a stampede, the tragic incident the last time Asake was in London came to the fore. The show started with a tribute video to the fatally injured duo of Rebecca Ikumelo and police officer Gabby Hutchinson, who died when ticketless fans broke through doors at the O2 Brixton in December 2022. That show was called off, and Asake started this one by paying tribute to them and echoing the police request for anybody with information to come forward as the case is still under investigation. Ms Ikumelo’s sister has criticized the decision to feature the tribute, saying Asake had not spoken to the family since the tragedy happened and that the tribute was a jarring reminder of their loss. For people who have lost family members, let alone in such a painful manner; it can be hard to take solace in such actions. One wonders indeed if Asake could have reached out to them. Without holding brief for him and the event promoter, it appeared like a regrettable oversight rather than a deliberate intent to trivialize their loss with a video on stage. I hope Asake reaches out to the deceased’s families soon to pay his respects. It is the least he can do.

The promoter of this event, Phoenix Touring, also deserves some kudos. It was clear that no tickets would be sold at the venue to forestall any incident, and they delivered on that count. In collaboration with producers, showrunners, set designers, etc., the performances were precisely that: performances. I have long held the opinion that concerts are not merely for singing. For many entertainers, the concerts are just karaoke sessions where they sing. The most successful performers will engage the audience and give them an experience they’ll remember for a long time. On Sunday night, Asake sang and curated an experience for the London fans and the one million streaming on YouTube. It is hard not to feel a sense of pride in his artistry, which many of us remember – the man just came out last year!

Asake Live at the O2 featured some of Asake’s collaborators, most notably rapper Olamide, who also doubles as his label head at YBNL Records, and Fireboy DML, who is signed to the same label. Tiwa Savage makes a brief appearance, as did Tunde Bayewu, one half of the duo Lighthouse Family whose record Ocean Drive Asake sampled on Sunshine. Bayewu is Nigerian-British, and the song was released in 1995 – the year Asake was born. What a beautiful, full-circle moment.

Perhaps the only drawback for this writer is the leaving out some of his bigger hits like 2:30, Sungba, Yoga or PBUY. One could guess the time constraint came into play at this point. But Asake has nothing to be embarrassed about. This was a solid event and yet another validation of Afrobeats’s dominance in African music. When the world’s biggest stages host sounds from Africa, you can bet that 9.5 times out of 10, it’s a Nigerian on that stage. And what’s more, it will be Asake for a long time.

Lastly, stay updated with all you need about African music at S.O.A. right here.

From Breakout to Breakthrough: Asake’s Epic O2 Arena Concert