Burna Boy's I Told Them Tour.
Burna Boy brings Afro-fusion and good vibes to Wintrust Arena.
“Can I tell you a secret tonight, Chicago?” Burna Boy asked the crowd at Wintrust Arena as the live band’s outro for his song “Secret” faded out. “Can I tell you a secret? Don't tell no one. I’m not supposed to drink before I perform, but you know, I broke that rule today…you understand me? I’m gonna turn the fuck up and you better turn the fuck up too…!” For the rest of the night, Burna Boy delivered on his promise with an electric performance. The crowd, too, held up their end of the bargain, belting out lyrics in a mix of Yoruba, Igbo, and English while enthusiastically following along as he engaged the audience.
Burna Boy, born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, is a pioneer of the Afro-fusion sound and a Nigerian global superstar responsible for such hits as “Last Last” and “Ye.” Rooted in Afro-beats, his music incorporates hip-hop, dancehall, reggae, and R&B influences, making for a broadly appealing catalog that remains faithful to his early inspirations like Nigerian musician and the consensus King of Afrobeats Fela Kuti.
While his “I Told Them Tour” followed the release of his sixth studio album I Told Them… in August 2023, Burna did not limit himself to performing music from his most recent effort. He incorporated quite a few songs from his 2019 album African Giant and his 2022 project Love, Damini into the setlist. Notably, tracks from 2020’s Twice as Tall, which won a Grammy for Best Global Music Album, were sparse. I (along with the rest of the crowd) was happy that he performed “Location”, the hit from Dave’s PSYCHODRAMA on which Burna provides the hook and a melodic verse.
From upbeat party anthems with thumping drums to romantically-lit ballads (“Where all my ladies at? This one’s strictly for you,” he called before singing “Tested, Approved, and Trusted”), Burna Boy paced his set deliberately, ensuring the crowd got a taste of every mood his music has to offer. Halfway through the set, he let the crowd know that he was just getting started before launching into an equally exciting second half. Throughout the concert, I was compelled by his endearing stage presence. I couldn’t help but dance and jump along with him, encouraged by the irresistible energy with which he performed. However, there were times when his low-toned vocals and gravelly intonations were overpowered by the music, failing to fill up the arena. These songs didn’t work as well live as they did in the studio.
The performance was complimented perfectly by the background dancers, vocalists, and live band, all stationed among the shop facades on stage. The set featured Giza Grocery on one side and City Boys Cutz on the other, both of which made an appearance on the concert merch. Burna emerged from the barber shop at the beginning of the show, and, throughout the performance, dancers cycled through the barber’s chair. The band made the music come alive. Burna’s saxophonist, Bishop, whom he praised as the best in the game, stunned with several solos. He stole the spotlight with his solo during Burna’s performance of “Alone”, his track from the Kendrick Lamar-curated soundtrack for Black Panther, which was one of the most memorable moments of the evening. Everyone in the crowd loved it—perhaps none more than Burna himself.
Burna Boy brought everything I love about listening to his music to the stage. His performance, complete with energetic dancing, smoke cannons, and pyrotechnics, electrified the crowd, myself included. It was lively. It was exciting. And while I am sure everyone has their favorite deep cuts they wish they could have heard live (mine was “Miss You Bad” with Mr. Eazi) the setlist did justice to the breadth of his discography. He closed with the upbeat trifecta of “It’s Plenty”, “Ye” and, fittingly, “Last Last”, bringing the crowd together one final time to celebrate our roots, good times, and, of course, igbo and shayo.
edited by Alex Oder.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.