Over an hour long, and polarizing, Mr Eazi stepped on stage at his “Life Is Eazi” Lagos concert with the world at his feet. But he made life difficult for many.
If you are looking for performers to hold a show via artistry and unparalleled stagecraft, then you need to go through the list of top performers that we compiled this year. Mr Eazi does not make that list and the reason was on full display at his concert.
Over an hour long, and polarizing, Mr Eazi stepped on stage at his “Life Is Eazi” Lagos concert with the world at his feet. He has had a phenomenal year in the country. One which has seen all of his songs become hits, teenagers and young adults stretch their hands and money his way to show appreciation for his craft.
It is these blessings and more that have come together to create the ultimate desire for the singer to hold a personal concert. He has the fan base, the season is right, and the music has piled up. Mr Eazi isn’t selfiesh with his vocals, from Ajegunle to Upper Iweka, he has sung out on various records, with a very healthy percentage going forward to become hits.
Fans expected many of these to come alive as Mr Eazi appeared on stage. And for the most part they got Mr Eazi in person, performing to their favorite songs, but something was amiss.
Mr Eazi spent more time talking than he did perform. A glaring lack of stage presence is a constant with him, and his team refused to get him a hype man. Instead, they made life harder for him by employing a live band named ‘Afro-Harmony’. Eazi’s music has grown in more ways than one, but his performance is yet to catch up with it.
Performing with a live band takes more out of the artiste, and requires a certain level of skill that Mr Eazi is in the process of building. There were glimpses of greatness on stage, but it was overshadowed by long, sometimes incoherent lectures which was both frustrating to many fans.
Eazi dragged his performance and spent more time than he should have due to latecoming by his co-performers. Phyno, Mayorkun, Reminisce, Lil Kesh and IllBliss were a tad late. But Efya’s energy and aura on ‘Skin tight’ made the world go round. Eugy was delayed by Arik Air, and so failed to bring on his bit on ‘Dance For Me’. Maleek Berry, was amazing too, and so was Ladipoe. Music for the night came from DJ MicSmith, DJ Cuppy, DJ Spinall, and DJ Neptune.
A lot of fans did exit the venue, dissatisfied with the level of entertainment from the headlining artiste. Mr Eazi did talk a lot, hailing everyone, and also prompting us to give shout-outs. We gave shoutouts to the band, the organizers, the sponsors, Mr Eazi, the collaborators, myself, and just about everything.
At some point, he required us to all scream ‘Julz baby’ in unison, in honor of his producer and dear friend.
But all of this aside, love pulled him through. People love Mr Eazi genuinely, and gave him the best of their hearts. Through all the drag and talk, many fans payed attention, milled around the stage and reacted obediently and happily to everything. They screamed, stretched out their hands to touch him, and carried him along with their energy sustaining the night. If ever there was an award for the MVP of the night, it will be shared between Mr Eazi, and those fans who were unreserved in their adoration and support.
Mr Eazi’s influence is still on the rise, and he continues to grow. Next year is already mapped out, with an EP scheduled for February 2017. He has singlehandedly caused a sonic shift in Nigerian pop music. But to fully enjoy the benefits of having hit songs, and transcending from a singer to an all-round artiste, work has to be done in the performance department.
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