Ne-Yo and Akon take over New Jersey
While much of the world had its eyes on the World Cup final, two artists packed a venue just miles away from FIFA’s epicenter in New Jersey.
Two Grammy-winning artists, NE-YO and Akon, hit the road together for a 57-city tour, taking New Jersey for a ride on July 20 through the greatest hits that once dominated radio stations around the world and have since become permanently engraved in memories.
Fans considering attending one of their 57 tour stops should be prepared to party well past their bedtime because this is the ultimate buy-one-get-one-free deal featuring both headliners who are worth the price of admission on their own. “Nights Like This” delivers two full concerts that keep the audience on its feet from the very opening song to the final encore. This is the kind of show you attend expecting to know a handful of hits, but the artists Smack That expectation out of the way almost immediately as one familiar chorus follows another one and you find yourself singing along to nearly every song, finally comprehending how deeply Akon’s and Ne-Yo’s music has shaped the music industry for the last two decades.
Every song you came hoping to hear was there: from “Smack That,” “Dangerous” and “Right Now” to “One in a Million,” “Beautiful Monster,” and a seemingly endless parade of their hits. Two hit-making powerhouses performing their biggest songs should be more than enough for a successful concerted, but the duo took it a step further and had another ace up their sleeves, peeling back the curtain on their songwriting catalogs and showcasing their footprints beyond the songs they recorded themselves. When Akon showcases his songwriting muscles and walks the audience through the breadth of his songwriting catalog that includes hits such as Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Beyoncé’s “Be with You,” it takes someone equally accomplished to stand beside him on stage. NE-YO rises to the occasion effortlessly, with confidence, answering with songwriting credits of his own, including Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” and Rihanna’s “Take a Bow.”
Yet the most fitting bow of the evening belongs to the artist whose influence quietly threads the entire performance and these two chart-toppers together: Michael Jackson. From Akon’s tribute to “Dangerous” to NE-YO’s signature dance moves and unmistakable fedora, both artists wear their inspiration proudly. They tastefully honor the legacy of the artist who broke MTV’s racial barrier, opening doors for generations of Black artists and helping shape who they are as songwriters and performers today. Learning from the master and becoming masters of their own, Ne-Yo and Akon prove themselves worthy heirs of the King of Pop school of showmanship.
Written by Isabel Grigorì.