Overview
- At London’s Royal Albert Hall and a long‑awaited return to Manchester Apollo, Badu performed Mama’s Gun in sequence as a 25th‑anniversary presentation.
- Both nights drew praise for musicality yet featured substantial delays, with starts roughly 50 to nearly 90 minutes past the advertised time and curfew pressures noted.
- Reviewers lauded her distinctive, still‑potent vocals and a sharp ensemble that stretched arrangements without losing their essence.
- The set included A.D. 2000 in homage to Amadou Diallo, a Roy Ayers nod on Cleva, and musical salutes to the recently deceased D’Angelo.
- An Afrofuturist staging of sci‑fi graphics, computerised light shows, and dramatic smoke effects framed the concert, with one outlet reporting the London performance as sold out and strong cross‑generational engagement.