WHAT TO EXPECT: Burna Boy – I Told Them Tour

If you’re new to the blog, you should know I love music from different genres and countries. That being said, I also like consuming music every day via streaming, vinyl records, and of course, concerts! That being said, I have been listening to this artist since 2018 and it’s incredible to see his rise in popularity these past few years explode, to the point where he’s headlining arenas all over the world. This artist is Burna Boy and I had the privilege of attending his first show in Toronto on his “I Told Them” tour. In this blog post, I will be sharing details including photos, info, and more of what you can expect if you see him live in the future! I try to post about the concerts I go to on the blog so it helps you if you plan on attending a future show of the artist, however, I want to note that I always post clips from the show on social media (TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook) so follow there to not miss out on more concert content!

For a visual teaser/point of view, please see below.

@chiplifestyle

One of the best performers I have seen recently! Finally have the blog up! #burnaboy #burnaboyofficial #burnaboytiktok #burnaboyconcert #itoldthemtour #torontoconcert #concerttok #afrobeats #torontotiktok

♬ original sound – Tagan aka CHIP Lifestyle

About

Burna Boy is a global superstar from Nigeria and briefly lived in the UK. His career has taken off these past few years with singles such as “Last Last” and “City Boys” but frankly, I’ve been a fan since “Pull Up” and “Dagonte”. His collaborations have also helped him as he’s collaborated with Ed Sheeran, J Hus, Wu-Tang members, and more. Burna Boy is arguably the biggest name to popularize his music that combines Yoruba, lgbo, and English while incorporating African instruments and style. Today, we refer to this music as Afrobeats and Afrofusion, and I will admit, a coworker told me to review the genre for the blog back in 2018 because she felt that I would love it (which I do) but also because it might be a big thing (which it did).

Tickets & Venue

The Toronto show is hosted at Scotiabank Arena which is probably the second-biggest venue for concerts. Personally, this is my favorite venue for concerts because I like the seating, ease of getting in and out, and the power banks available. I got these tickets five months ago as part of early access because I didn’t want to miss out and pay resale prices. The standard tickets for my section, 106, row 5, were about $150 each. I know they may seem pricey, but given the arena and Burna Boy’s popularity currently, I was ok with this as I have seen some artists that charge much higher for worse seats in a smaller venue. I The seats were a few rows from the floor and frankly, I enjoyed my seats. I had a great view with the option to zoom in or out for videos. I will say that sometimes the audio did seem a bit off, but overall great seats to view this show.

Merch

These were the prices for the merch. Personally, I didn’t buy anything because the line was really long and the merch didn’t really stand out for me but the price does seem like the standard prices for merch. Nonetheless, some items were cool such as the bandana and tote bag. I also thought it was strange there wasn’t much promotion from Real Sports or the arena about this merch.

Performance & Recommendations

There were some highs and lows for this concert. So firstly, doors opened at 7:00 p.m. but I didn’t expect to start until maybe 8:30 p.m., however, Burna Boy didn’t come on until 9:45/9:50. He did have three opening acts (DJ Lambo, Nessi, and Spaceship Billy – who is Burna Boy’s official DJ). Frankly, it was a little too late and although the opening acts did their thing, I think they should have started at 7:30 latest. Nonetheless, when Burna Boy did come on, it was incredible. I believe he went on past 11:30 p.m. which is probably the latest I have stayed at this arena. I was blown away by his energy and performance as he was performing practically full songs back to back.

What I also loved about his show was that yes, he did have an interesting set but what complimented him was his talented crew of dancers, musicians, and backup singers. All these people also put their best performance while on stage and it contributed to a great overall performance. I also love how Burna Boy fully embraces his culture even while on a massive tour because his band had traditional African instruments and just the overall vibe was great. I also liked the different graphics being played for songs as well as the Wu-Tang interludes. One thing I will say is that it was disappointing that he didn’t have the jumbotron working because the arena was packed to the top so not sure how much the people up top can really see.

Overall

All in all, I 100% would recommend you see Burna Boy live in concert and would love to see him again one day. I hope next time he does come out a bit early and has more screens available for the people who are sitting higher up but man, I hope he continues to have the same ensemble of dancers, musicians, and singers that match his contagious and superstar stage presence. If you have been to a show of his or planning to go, let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on social media by giving a follow on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook!