Tems – Born In the Wild South Africa

My first introduction to Tems was in 2020 through Wizkid’s song Essence, the first time I heard that song I obssessed over it for years. Still in 2025, that song is one of the best songs ever. After that I followed this golden girls beautiful voice. Fast forward to 2025, Tems is a Grammy Award winner and she opened her “Born in the Wild” tour in South Africa.

Setting the Scene

The 20th March finally came, perfectly positioned the day before a public holiday. This was the first concert I attended at The Dome in Nasrec. This Dome looked nothing like a dome or The Dome we know in the West of Johannesburg. This one looked like a structure that can be removed. I wonder what was the reason for naming it The Dome. Anyway.

The scene was definitely for a young crowd, there was no chair in sight. Even the beer garden had no seats, we spotted a few people who sat outside the “tent” in between sets. The food stalls were also very small, it gave a sense that they didn’t anticipate a crowd this big. I liked the open airiness of it when you were outside. The structure on the inside was also quite big, with screens that accommodated those who opted to watched from outside.

Elaine – The Shining Star

The plan was to get there earlier but that didn’t happen. The first treat we got performance wise, was from Elaine, a fave that is so underrated. She set the tone beautifully with her beautiful vocals and heartfelt lyrics. She gave us an array of songs from her debut album, Elements and her latest offering, Stone Cold Heart. Her presence on stage was captivating, and she effortlessly charmed the audience with her voice and her outfit. She wore a beautiful gold, bedazzling dress that accentuated her every move. Her set went from R’n B, to amapiano so swiftly, it was a lovely treat. Elaine was the perfect opening act for Tems, preparing the crowd for the magic that was to follow.

Do I wish there were more opening acts? Yes. Elaine only performed for 30 minutes, I wish there was at least two hours of performances before the main act.

Oh Tems Baby

And the moment we were all waiting for… Tems in what looked like a subtle dress at first but when the lights came on there was a beautiful silhouette adorned in a black two piece that shimmered, and had a tale that flowed. Her voice? Sexy, rich and emotive. Her dance moves? Subtle, yet provocative. Tems knows she’s sexy. I loved how her presence was enough to fill up the stage, the band and the back up singers were hardly visible, except for moments when they showed them on screen. All eyes were on Tems, rightfully so.

The highlights of the night was when she performed Essence, I lost my morals for a second and also cried at the same time. It was an unexpected surprise. Obviously Love Me Jeje was the creme de la creme that brought down the house. There was not a single person who didn’t sing along to that song. Free Mind and You & Me were other crowd pleasers. Another heartwarming moment was when she went to the crowd and had them singing a line of the song that was on. I saw a video of one of the fans who was lucky enough to be chosen to sing along, he hugged her and she hugged him back. For a while. It was a lovely moment to witness.

While the evening was largely a success, there were a few shortcomings. The sound. It did not travel well to the middle section and the back of the venue, leaving some struggling to fully experience the magic unfolding on stage. What mostly kept us going was the very loud singing. It was rather odd for a concert of this magnitude that the sound wasn’t prioritized.

Also, rather than keeping the momentum alive with a live DJ, the organizers opted for a playlist between the performances. Literally one random song, after the other—this diminished the energy of the evening.

Other than that, it was a lovely evening. I am so happy I got to see it with my bestie and my sister. Now they understand why I love AfroBeats, and Tems so much. I’m writing this two nights after, with a little bit of a cold from this night and you know what? I would do it again. Tems Baby, you’ll forever be famous!

*Images Supplied by Big Concerts