The energy from this Sunday’s SummerStage was thriving. Afrobeat filled the airwaves and moved the people in Central Park. Femi Kuti & The Positive Force put on quite the show: the dancers entranced us, the band rocked those jazzy tunes, and Femi Kuti was born to entertain. Femi Kuti sang with his soul transparent, feeling every word he sang to his very core. His stage presence was possessing. You could not keep your eyes off of him, even with his dancers shaking their booties. He would take pauses between songs to preach about oppression, evil people, greed, and other ugly truths of the world we live in. The messages strong and demanding your attention, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force are a must watch live and if you get the chance, catch them on their US tour One People One World Tour 2018. Femi Kuti played the synth and saxophone during their performance in between singing. When you thought the song was over, Femi Kuti would sing another encore! And when you thought that was over, there was yet another encore! This is exactly why Femi Kuti is an entertainer. He keeps you on your toes and fulfills your want for more!
Although the show was spectacular, there was some drama from behind the scenes that the crowd didn’t know about. Femi Kuti’s bassist absconded right before their show began. Femi Kuti later went on Instagram to call him out, saying “My bassist Aghedo Andrew nearly ruined my concert yesterday in New York @SummerStage. He disappeared ( absconded) 20mins before show time. I want to thank the rest of the band for standing strong and giving one of the best shows of the tour”. He went on to say that his bassist fled for fear of being deported and wanting to stay in America. Regardless of being short a band member, Femi said the show was fantastic and one of the best of the tour so far.
Femi Kuti was born in London in the early 60s, and his father was an afrobeat pioneer, known as Fela Kuti. Femi Kuti started his musical career at the young age of 15 in his father’s band, Egypt 80. Femi Kuti started The Positive Force in the late 80s and has since been making music and touring with them. His sisters, Yeni and Sola are his lead dancers. Although he started his own band in order to become independent from his father, they share the same strong commitment to social and political causes, especially from their homeland of Nigeria.
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Laila Abuelhawa 