Akon review: Star pulls out all the stops in unforgettable night as fans go wild | Music | Entertainment
Akon ate and left no crumbs with his boundless energy at his sell-out London gig held at the Eventim Apollo on Sunday night. In the second show at the European Superfan tour, the 51-year-old took fans on a rollercoaster of fan-favourite hits from way back to his Trouble album as well as newer songs.
Kicking things off after an impressive set from his DJ, Akon stepped on stage in an eye-grabbing white suit and was immediately met with an uproar of cheers from the excited crowd.
Warming things up, he proceeded to sing a medley of his hits; Out Here Grindin (DJ Khaled cover), Shake Down, Gangsta Bop and Trouble Nobody, which certainly got the audience on their feet.
Now with the crowd in the palm of his hands, Akon belted out more crowd-pleasers including I’m So Paid, I Wanna Love You, Beautiful, Hypnotised and Smack That, delivering every note perfectly.
Ensuring the crowd were kept entertained, Akon went on to freestyle on a pair of bongos, shared some personal tales behind his music and introduced fans to singer Amirror, who is signed to his label.
As he went for a brief break, the performer attempted to please the crowd with her song, although unfortunately didn’t win them over.
With the rapping legend back on the stage, he went on to deliver my personal favourite moment of the night: singing his much-loved hit Belly Dancer.
Seemingly also a favourite with the crowd, the artist could barely be heard over an excitable audience singing at the top of their lungs to the lyrics.
Ahead of moving on to one of his most recognised international songs, the rapper paused his set to get to know his fans and where they’re from.
Shouting from the stage, he said: “Do we have England in the house?”, which was met with a roar of cheers. He then went on to ask: “Do we have Africa in the house?” amongst other countries.
Following the loud responses, Akon told fans that with “the first human being from Africa” it meant that “there will be African DNA in everybody in this house”, which “makes us family”.
He then proceeded to ask: “Are we family?” before going on to belt out his hit Mama Africa.
Sharing more insight into his life behind the music, Akon explained how “I Tried” was focused on him not giving up on doing what he loved despite several knockbacks and urged fans to continue pushing to chase their dreams.
After performing many more of his lower-range hits from Lonely to Sorry, Blame It On Me, Akon lifted things up again, this time by heading into the crowd and taking over fans’ phones.
While struggling a little to multitask, this didn’t stop fans from singing along to his hits Sexy Bitch, Play Hard and Freedom as he ended things on a high.
Akon continues his tour across Europe on the dates below.
- 02 May 2024 — Paris, France — Olympia
- 07 May 2024 — Hamburg, Germany — Edel Optics
- 08 May 2024 — Copenhagen, Denmark — TAP1
- 09 May 2024 — Oslo, Norway — Sentrum Scene
- 10 May 2024 — Stockholm, Sweden — Annexet
- 12 May 2024 — Berlin, Germany — Verti Music Hall
- 13 May 2024 — Cologne, Germany — Palladium
- 14 May 2024 — Zurich, Switzerland — Halle 622
- 16 May 2024 — Prague, Czech Republic — Forum Karlin
- 17 May 2024 — Vienna, Austria — Gasometer
- 18 May 2024 — Offenbach, Germany — Stadthalle Offenbach
- 20 May 2024 — Brussels, Belgium — Ancienne Belgique
- 21 May 2024 — Tilburg, Holland — Poppodium 013
For ticket information, visit: LIVE NATION or TICKETMASTER.
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