Crafting a Cultural Moment with Davido 5ive Alive Tour Nigeria
Crafting a cultural moment isn’t about catching lightning in a bottle; it’s about building the container, setting the scene, and then letting the energy flow. When we began conversations with the Plug and DMW team for Davido's 5ive Alive Tour, we knew this wasn’t just another concert: it was a declaration for Afrobeats, a celebration of identity, the journey of a musical icon, and the coming together of music lovers and creative tribes across Enugu, Uyo, Adamawa, and Ibadan. This is the story of how our visual identity and branding work helped shape, amplify, and immortalize that moment.
Setting the Stage for 5ive Alive Tour
From our earliest concept meetings, the 5ive Alive tour was a force of energy. Davido’s return to Nigerian stages for a homecoming tour, with stops filling stadiums in Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Enugu, and Ibadan, was headline news for weeks. From the first sketch on the drawing board, we saw an opportunity: this wasn’t just about standing out at the venue but boosting the collective Afrobeats spirit to a fever pitch.
We approached each design, from tag and staff merchandise designs to the entrance facade and directional signage, with intentional storytelling. Each text, splash of color, and material chosen was curated so attendees would feel the rhythm and pride of Afrobeats before ever hearing a note, and fans are already screaming "30BG for life!" When fans arrived, the experience started at the gate, whether VIP or regular, as our visual language turned anticipation into a sensory encounter, which brought our fave word “E choke!” to life.
Building Brand Stories at Every Turn
Walking into any of the tour's four states, what stood out wasn’t just the volume of the crowd; it was the narrative encoded within the space itself.
The registration areas, water stations, hand fans, and even table place cards weren’t afterthoughts; they were functional touchpoints for signature moments. With each creative, we asked: how do we extend the essence of Davido’s branding while advocating both local and global standards? Our response: bold typefaces, a color palette echoing both Naija vibrance and modern sophistication, fluid iconography, and imagery that showcases Davido’s legacy as Afrobeat royalty.
Backdrops and media walls served as rallying points for fan selfies and press interviews, capturing history in all its unscripted spontaneity, each snapshot a little assurance that everyone present was part of the story.
The Metacraft Team Experience
Presence transforms process. Members of the team being physically present at some of the tour locations meant we absorbed the crowd’s energy and saw firsthand how design choices shaped the experience and excitement.
The adrenaline rush of a sold-out crowd in Uyo’s 30,000-capacity stadium, the faces beaming in Ibadan, and the local vendors turning branded food courts into pop-up celebrations all proved that when branding is done right, it creates not just perception but participation. For us, this project was a masterclass in Afrobeats storytelling by way of branding, a challenge to bridge culture, commerce, and collective emotion.
