Selling out two back-to-back nights in Toronto, Burna Boy only brought heat to Scotiabank Arena during the I Told Them Tour. Starting the night with a dramatic curtain drop revealing the well-crafted street-style stage design, it was clear from the get-go that there was a significant amount of thought behind this entire tour. With heavy uses of pyro, smoke and confetti, Burna Boy brought energy and a big stage presence, leaving fans singing and dancing the entire night.

Utilizing his many dancers and live band throughout the night, Scotiabank Arena was filled with smiles and good vibes. While the show was delayed an hour from the initially scheduled set times, the crowd did not seem fazed as Burna Boy lit up the stage with hits such as “City Boys”, “Last Last” and “Cheat On Me”.

Burna Boy may be in the big leagues now, with 10-time Grammy-nominated and Grammy winner taking the music industry by storm over the last few years. However, his humility was evident, performing with an ear-to-ear grin while looking at the sold-out crowd of 20,000 fans throughout his outstanding set. This is a respectively high-budget tour and there are huge props to be given to Burna Boy and his creative team. It’s not common to see a powerhouse group of dancers and instrumentalists all being included in the same set. With artists often only including one drummer, and maybe two guitarists, it was a nice change to see the inclusion of multiple percussionists, guitarists and the addition of woodwind and brass players, as demonstrated during the saxophone solo during “If I’m Lying”. It was also great to see a media team comprised of four creatives, three of which were women.

Bringing Afrofusion to Toronto in a fashionable manner, it was really special seeing fans sing their hearts out from the first curtain drop through to the end of the set, wrapping up this magical night with “Last Last”, fittingly ending the night with a massive confetti drop. With Afrobeats rising in popularity over the last couple of years, it is artists like Burna Boy who hold so much potential for what the live music scene will look like in the future.

See the full gallery below, photographed by Kianna Sumitani.