Nigeria Content Online

Organisers have announced the postponement of the ‘One Nite Stand’ concert that was to feature Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade.

In a statement
released to the press, Taiwo Obe of Grand Faaji Entertainment,
promoters of the once-in-a-lifetime gig between the two Juju music
greats, cited “unexpected circumstances” as the reason behind the
postponement. The no-show will come as a huge disappointment for many,
as Obey and KSA were due to take the stage at the Expo Hall of Eko
Hotels and Suites in Lagos tonight.

Widely believed in
their heyday to have been bitter rivals, Obey and Sunny’s abortive
joint concert would have been a welcome show of brotherhood for their
teeming fans across generations. Billed as a celebration of Nigeria at
50, the show had among its sponsors the Federal Ministry of Information
and Culture, the Ogun and Ondo State governments, as well as many
corporate organisations.

At a Lagos press
conference on October 19, the two musicians had spoken of their
preparedness for the concert, dismissing talk of past rivalry. Apart
from the prospect of seeing them perform together with one band, ‘One
Nite Stand’ also offered the rare opportunity of seeing Obey, now an
evangelist, sing his old hits, many of them classics of Yoruba music.

Anticipation had
built to fever pitch for the concert in the past few weeks. A NEXT
editorial, published November 5, praised the musical duo, who were set
to make history together: “Thanks to Obey and Sunny, Juju music has
survived the onslaught of other genres like Fuji and Hip-Hop to remain
relevant in a changing world.”

Organisers have promised that a new date will be announced in due
course, but Obey and Sunny’s fans will now be wondering if the ‘concert
of dreams’ will ever hold.