At TD Garden, an undiluted vision from Burna Boy
Burna Boy doesn’t need a decree from City Council to earn an entry in Boston’s musical lore — he can make history all by himself. Surrounded by a congregation of rapt fans Saturday night at TD Garden, the Nigerian artist became the first African act to sell out the arena in its near 30-year history. City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune stopping by to declare March 2 as “Burna Boy Day” in Boston was a mere bonus accolade.
“Boston is now a part of me, Boston is now my home,” Burna Boy (born Damini Ogulu) said, pausing an earthquake of Afrobeats to accept a plaque recognizing his global influence.
Therein lies the magic of the selfproclaimed “African giant”: He can — and will — carve out a home for his catalog anywhere in the world. As records like 2022 s infectious “Love, Damini” crossed continents, publications have garlanded Ogulu with acclaim for popularizing Afrobeats without watering down its sound for mass appeal.
Saturday night, his vision remained undiluted and without distractions on the “I Told Them...” tour, as Ogulu meted out nearly two hours of vibrations from the tip of the Garden’s catwalk. While gyrating through global hits like “City Boys” and “Last Last,” Ogulu kept his connection with the audience front and center, literally, cozying up to his sea of admirers like family while 5,000 miles from home.
Rarely are arena-packing artists this attached to the catwalk, and by extension, their fans. Instead of running aimless laps around the Garden’s stage, Saturday night proved to be a marathon, not a sprint for Ogulu, whose energy grew more exuberant with every song in his lengthy set. Aside from a few pyrotechnic flourishes, Ogulu expressed attentiveness to his craft through emoed tionally charged details in his delivery: fancy footwork that grew into petite can-cans, saucy grins every time he snaked his pelvis, and sporadic leaps of joy that had the artist practically bouncing about the catwalk.
On the few occasions Ogulu retreatinto his backdrop of fake brick buildings, he enthusiastically passed the spotlight to his instrumentalists, highlighting a booming brass section and a crew of percussionists proudly touting traditional African drums. The breadth of the band’s sound reverberated through the Garden on a poignant rendition of “If I’m Lying,” which saw Ogulu scale a fake fire escape to profess the near-biblical refrain of “And if I’m lyin’/ Let the ocean and seas start dryin’/ Let the birds in the sky stop flyin.’”
Being present for such an epic celebration of Afrobeats no doubt moved last night’s devout Burna Boy fans, who donned T-shirts that read “Nigeria” and thrust keychains in the shape of Africa into the air. But witnessing the feat orchestrated by a Nigerian artist in Boston — home to one of the country’s largest Nigerian populations — was simply an experience no plaque or beefy ticket sales can top.