Last week, Lagos based Events Company -R28 Events officially announced plans to bring Bobby Brown and his former boy band to Nigeria. With the event just a week away, the question many fans and industry practitioners have been asking is “How did R28 Events get Bobby Brown to come to Nigeria at this time when many American artistes have developed a phobia for the country?”
“We have been in talks with Bobby Brown and BBD’s team since last year, we even went as far as bringing the team to come see what Nigeria has for them, and they sure had a nice time. All we are trying to do is bring the good old times back. We are promising an evening of good music, unbelievable fun and an opportunity to relive the good old times” Gbolahan Balogun spokesperson for R28 told news men in Lagos this week.
And as fans and music lovers gear up for the biggest indoor concert this year, the producers have confirmed the full set of Nigerian artistes who will join New Edition to deliver a world class event. Bonafide Nigerian stars Banky W, eLDee and Omawumi will deliver electrifying sets at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Friday March 9, 2011 while the combo of 2face, Duncan Mighty and Burna Boy will set the Port Harcourt Polo Club on fire on Sunday March 11, 2012.
“I am excited to go to Nigeria and I intend to give them a great performance, we are going to have fun in the motherland.” Bobby Brown says from his base in Boston last week.
Balogun says 39 members of New Edition’s talent, technical and management crew will leave their base in Boston on Tuesday March 6, 2012 to set up in readiness for New Edition’s arrival from LA on Thursday, March 8,. New Edition will arrive Nigeria with an 11 man crew including sound engineers, backup singers, security personnel, publicists and managers. The entire crew of 50 will work together in Lagos and PH to give Nigerians a rare experience of the New Edition classics.
This is the first time New Edition will be performing in Nigeria, a country where they have millions of fans and followers. It is also their first time performing on the African continent. We are told they are beyond excited about this trip; looking forward to connecting with African fans and talents – with a clear promise to give Nigerians ‘the concert of their lives’.
Bobby has been touring the world with his group New Edition since last year. Although he cancelled a performance in honor of Whitney Houston the day she died, the event producers say “Brown considers performing as therapy to get him through a difficult time. He wrote to us last week that he’d like to do this concert in memory of Whitney, and we said fine”.
R28 Events is a Lagos-based events solutions company set up to deliver simple, insightful and creative solutions through events, experimental marketing and corporate hospitality. The company says they are organizing the two-city concert as a way of redefining the quality of events in the country. ‘This promises to be a world-class concert, not like anything you’ve seen here before. Both in terms of production, and the quality of talent…’
The Lagos and Port Harcourt concerts will be dedicated to Bobby’s ex-wife Whitney Houston who passed on February 11. 2012.
Produced by R28 events with support from Play Centre the concerts will hold at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Friday March 9, 2012 and at the Polo Club, Port Harcourt on Sunday March11, 2012.
