Back Page For One Night Only!: Tunde Adebimpe curates his dream gig

I think that would be cool. You could clear all the tourists out; I think the insurance would probably be quite a bit, but if there’s no budget, no limits, we would totally do it.

I feel weird having these people warm up, but it’d just be because I’d want to see them: I’d like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins there; if Lightning Bolt could make it, that’d be cool; the band Love circa 1967 would be great. You know some bands, you stumble upon them in a certain era - let’s say the late ‘60s or early ‘70s - then you hear them in the ‘80s and think ‘I never would have listened to this band if this was my introduction’. So that’s why I wanna put the brackets on Love right there, because that’s what I know.

I would never in a million years dream of asking Nina Simone to open, for anybody. And Nina Simone at the Parthenon would be pretty rad; no phones, no nothing, you get patted down at the door. We might actually wipe your memory as you’re leaving - all you get is that moment.

It’s not very interesting, but my mom. She likes a good party, so I’d head out with her. I’m trying to think of who my mom might wanna bring along… actually, I think going with my mom and Little Richard would be great. I feel like they’d get along… too well.

There would be mountains of delicious Nigerian food; Little Richard would be there enjoying jollof rice and fighting with people about whether Ghanaian jollof rice is better than Nigerian jollof rice… I’m not neutral, but I like my life the way it is, so I’m not gonna say [which I prefer]. I know who would win though.

I think pre-gig, there would be meditation. Everyone could get in the zone; everyone could talk about what they’re grateful for, and what evil thing they would like to see destroyed. You take it to zero before you go for it!

Again, I’m going to go back to the ‘60s - King Sunny Adé would be playing the afterparty. And if there was somehow a roller skating rink that could hold this afterparty, I think it’d be great. I was gonna say maybe roller rinks need a comeback… I don’t know if they ever went away, but I would like to see a big leap in roller rink concerts.

There would be giant, David LaChapelle-style photo shoots for everybody who came to the show, so you could go to this magical booth for two seconds and walk away with a memory of being surrounded by your surreal fantasy.

Tunde Adebimpe’s debut solo album ‘Thee Black Boltz’ is out now via Sub Pop.

Tags: Features, April 2025, From The Magazine, Tunde Adebimpe