A repeated pattern of lateness by the sonic artist dug a noticeable hole in the heart of the event, which was arguably his biggest headline concert to date.
Brymo at the 2022 ‘order’ concert. Photo by Benny Hosea
It was another blessed first of October, and if you are familiar with one of the finest musicians in Africa and beyond, Brymo, it is paramount to know that his concerts are usually held on that day; Nigeria’s independence day.
Previously tagged “organized chaos,” Brymo decided to go with a new name for the concert this year, which he called “Order,” a beautiful and clever pick that creates a balance between “chaos” and “peace.” The Brymo brand has witnessed rapid growth over the years, and 2022 was no exception. Many non-believers converted to the “sigma” family this year. Also, Brymo had more shows this year, taking his ministration to his cult-following in places like Abeokuta, Ibadan, Abuja, and the United Kingdom.
The concert was held at Landmark Beach on Saturday, October 1st, 2022. It is an annual musical concert that sees the alternative king thrill his fans with soul-stirring performances of his very rich catalog, but as beautiful as it was, it left some bitter tastes in the mouths of many fans. Here is a review of the event, highlighting the best and worst moments.
Branding and Partnership
The event saw the result and essence of proper branding as well as partnering with major brands. Previous headline concerts by Brymo have largely been self-organized, but October 1st 2022 was an exception. Having more people on board must have influenced the decision to have a bigger stage with adequate lighting, visual display etc. PR, advertising, brand promotion, and related components before and during the event were obviously doubled as well.
Participation
As it has been earlier said, Brymo possibly garnered his largest number of new followers in 2022, and that was reflected at the event. Previously, there was a specific niche of fans who attended the artist’s events, mostly “conservative” people, but this year, in addition to the large turnout, there was a dynamic shift in attendees, ranging from liberals to highly expressive personalities, Gen Zs, and others, making the event a big pot of concoction. Brymo’s outdoor concerts have always sold plain or regular tickets, but things changed at the 2022 event, and VIPs and tables were introduced. For someone who paid as low as two thousand naira during the days of Freedom Park, nothing brings more joy than seeing an artist you strongly believe in sell out the VIP section that cost thirty-thousand naira.
Performances
Because of how solo-minded Brymo has always been, his choice of co-performers is always detailed and thorough. Most of the time, the performer might not be familiar with the audience, but they end up giving spectacular performances that will thrill the soul. Incredible artistes that I have discovered courtesy of Brymo include Cill Soul, Dotti the Deity, Bumi Thomas, and a slew of others. The concert wasn’t an exception to having great performances as the stage was graced by the award-winning Chike, Cill Soul, Idol Nigeria season runner-up Zadok, and a bunch of other talented acts.
Thanks for the love last night at the Order Concert… E dey hard to find 💎
Much love to @BrymOlawale for having me. pic.twitter.com/PnWMfQgCzy
— Chiké (@Officialchike) October 2, 2022
Of course, the main man of the night, Brymo, never gives a bad performance. For the same reason, he never announces when he wants to leave the stage; the fans will always scream for “more music.” All the performances at the event were impressive, enjoyable, soothing, and thrilling, and yet again, Brymo himself was the highlight of the night- the undisputable grand performer!
Having highlighted the positive side of the event, unfortunately, “Order,” the concert, was plagued with woe that was too much damage to be ignored. Here are some areas we’d love to see an improvement in subsequent editions:
Punctuality
As much as this might have been the only major lapse of the event, it was enough of an issue that it tampered with the outcome of Brymo’s Order, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the attendees. First off, we know the brand Brymo for its promptness. The man starts his show at the agreed time and ends on time for you to go back home, reveling in whatever magical experience he has delivered. For an event that was scheduled to start by 8 pm on October 1st, 2022, it is very outrageous for the headline act to be climbing the stage well past midnight on October 2nd, 2022. Unlike other “unserious” Nigerian acts who have made it a habit of leaving their fans stranded for hours on end, the Sigmas are not used to this. Therefore, some fans had gotten to the event as early as 6 pm that day, only to see Brymo over six hours later (or not even at all, as there were several instances of people who could not wait and had to leave the event).
To make this known, the annual blasphemy, which had its 2022 edition on June 25 at the iconic Terra Kulture, also experienced this unnecessary lateness by Brymo, which one would have expected would not have repeated itself at his subsequent headline concert. To make matters worse, the crowd did not get a proper apology (which he later tendered) when Brymo showed up. Instead, in his egoistic yet jovial self, Brymo waved off the complaints of the crowd with a “f*ck you all, no apologies.”
Brymo really came very late to his own show and said “fuck you all, no apologies”
If no be say you be my guy, I suppose throw you sand from my angle.
— IFATunmibi🌈 (@thismotun) October 2, 2022
Brymo:” we started late , fuck you no apologies”
Me: yeesssss zaddyyy— KayatuLlah (@Literaldiva) October 1, 2022
As much as that might be described as “bants” or “jokes”, it threw a section of the fans off balance, especially the first-timers, who must have heard that Brymo is not in the league of most Nigerian acts that operate with the concept of “African Time”.
Because of the lateness, Brymo did not get to enjoy the proper post-performance ovation he deserved and usually gets. Typically, when this maestro performs, even when he performs for two hours (averagely performing about twenty songs), the fans are never satisfied as they always want “more music”. However, because of the over-lateness at the 2022 order concert, fans who, due to fatigue, time-consciousness, or some other reason, were practically leaving the event while the maestro was still performing, which rarely happens. After he took a break and allowed a songstress named Cill Soul to perform, a large chunk of the crowd left, and his concluding performance didn’t get the deserved ovation it was supposed to get for a night that saw possibly the largest turnout for a headline concert in his career.
Sound Glitches
Although these glitches did not occur frequently that night, they are gradually becoming a thing for Brymo Shows, and given that the iconic performer performs with little to no playback, every sound glitch is noticeable and interferes with the performance in some way.
Conclusion
No doubt, Brymo always gives his fans’ worth of their money; he is so much of a performer that those on board with him are somehow in a “toxic relationship”, as his music does a lot for the soul, so much that even though everyone was pissed about his late coming, as soon as he stepped on stage, the lateness didn’t matter at that moment. However, having set some standards over the years that his followers have embraced, his failure to meet those standards will surely have negative consequences. The 2022 Brymo ‘Order’ concert was an unforgettable night that was filled with a magical blend of rhythm, melodies, and joyful chants, but the lateness did a lot of harm, making it a sweet-sour experience.
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