Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti and Mádé Kuti played their saxophones together for over an hour as the seven-day festival closed.
Music artistes Kcee and Sean Tizzle were among about 45 performers at the grand finale of Felabration on Sunday night. The concert was held at the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja, Lagos, and began at about 8.30 p.m. The festival started on October 12 and celebrates the life, music and legacy of the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. This year's theme was Who Are You?
Femi Kuti gave an electric performance of Afrobeat sounds and hit songs, showing off his signature saxophone skills. The night's peak came when Femi, Seun Kuti and Mádé Kuti shared the stage and played their saxophones at the same time. That joint performance ran for over an hour.
Kcee raised the tempo with songs from his catalogue, including Limpopo and Ojapiano, while the audience sang along. He also brought out four masquerades who danced as he sang. The masqueraders came from the eastern part of Nigeria, and his set was widely regarded as one of the most amazing individual highlights of the night.
Sean Tizzle's arrival on stage drew the crowd, and fans sang the lyrics of his hit songs. LAX, Barry Jhay, Danny S and Shoday also performed, and together they brought the seven-day event to a close.
Acts in the line-up were each allotted three minutes on stage, and an electronic time board in the crowd kept track. Only a few went over and got a warning from the timekeeper. There were more male performers than female, but the women made up for it with more dramatic presentations.
The venue was almost full by sunset, and long queues of fans filed through the entrances. Food, snack and drink vendors moved through the audience during the shows.
Charles Amoebi, one of the fans at the Shrine, said what Femi's set meant to him:
"Watching Femi perform was special because he continues to carry his father's Afrobeat legacy forward."
Folabi Adeoye said Kcee's songs got people singing and dancing, and Ayodele Badejo called Sean Tizzle's set another highlight of the evening.
The concert ended in the early hours of Monday, after the artistes had entertained the crowd.
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