NIGERIAN CONCERT PROMOTERS’ APPETITE FOR WASHED-UP AMERICAN ARTISTES.

Almost every other month there's a music concert in Nigeria; most of it headlined by top Naija artistes-the usual suspects Psquare, Wizkid, Davido, Iyanya, Chidinma etc. This is a good development. But once in a while, Nigerian music fans do not mind attending concerts headlined by international (American) artistes.

A few years ago, the people at Thisday Newspapers blazed the trail by inviting top rated A-list American acts for its musical festivals in Nigeria. The likes of Beyonce, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and even a fast rising Rihanna touched down in Nigeria during that era.

As the Nigerian music scene continued growing, one would have expected Nigerian concert promoters to step up and give Nigerian music fans top quality international acts whenever the need arises.

Yes, we’ve had a few international ‘top dawgs’ do gigs in Nigeria in recent times, but very few, once in a while. The trend now is for Nigerian events promoters to go dig up washed up, aging and faded foreign artistes to come headline concerts in Nigeria-with exorbitant gate fees to go with it.

Of late, we've had and ‘still having’ people like Salt ‘n Pepa, Dru-Hill, Naughty by Nature, Billy Ocean, Chaka Khan and the likes coming to headline concerts in Nigeria ***between God and man, I thought Billy Ocean was long dead***

Most of these American artistes are dead broke, down on their luck, OLD or in massive debt in their home country-they would never have set foot in Nigeria during their prime.

Why are Nigerian concert promoters falling our hands? Or do these D-rated American artistes really come that cheap?

Are ‘they’ perhaps trying to tell us that Nigerian concert goers are so dumb that they’ll gladly part with thousands of Naira to watch ANY act that has ‘from the USA’ tagged to him or her?

There's nothing wrong with Nigerian concert promoters looking to cut costs but they should also consider Nigerian music fans that deserve to be entertained, and entertained well.

In South Africa for example, A-list international artistes are constantly trooping into that country for world class concerts.

In Nigeria, our concert/events promoters are probably waiting for such a time when a Nicki Minaj for instance becomes bankrupt, her silicon breasts or butt starts to leak, and she grows a mustache and goatee; only then will our Nigerian concert promoters start to bombard our air waves with, "NICKI MINAJ LIVE IN LAGOS."

I can sense some events promoters coming on to defend this trend by claiming that these concerts in question are for a matured target audience that appreciate the old-Skool and classical entertainment.

Yeah right!

Anyways, so who’s next? MC HAMMER?