Asha Imuno: Ready for a Bigger Stage
Asha Imuno performed on the road with BLK ODYSSY for The Fantasy House Tour in Pontiac, Michigan on Saturday, September 14th. As an opener, the goal is to get the crowd's energy up and prepare them for when the headliner takes the stage. Not only did he do just that, he exceeded his goal by getting riling up the crowd too about as loud as a 100 person venue can get. A common challenge for openers is that the audience may or may not know you or your music, but this was quickly proven not to be a problem for Asha Imuno. He took a crowd that more or less didn't know every word of his songs and had them singing along within minutes. He opened by producing the instrumental that he was gong to perform on first; a trick that was a sure winner for the crowd. Nothing about his performance read as someone who was just there to grease the wheels of the audience. He has a grip on the crowd that is rare for an artist on a smaller stage, and he continued to tighten his grip as the set continued. During one of his songs, I looked down to take not of a few photographs, and when I looked up he was no longer on the stage. He had walked into the crowd and had led a group into a frenzy. His energy is so contagious that what started as just 10 or so people jumping around turned into the vast majority of the crowd. This is the great benefit of smaller venues; you allow for a more intimate connection between the artist and the viewers. And maybe that's the stage that is built for Asha Imuno, but I wouldn't bet against him being on a much bigger stage this time next year.
Article and Photo by Evan Smyth
