It’s remarkable how much has changed since this recording was made, when the Senegalese star was support act to Peter Gabriel in 1987. N’Dour was little known outside West Africa and Nelson Mandela, the subject of one song here, was languishing in prison. Neither situation endured long. N’Dour’s charisma and acrobatic vocals opened a new era for African music, while Mandela walked free in 1990. Some of the majesty of N’Dour’s breakthrough albums – Immigrés, Nelson Mandela, The Lion – is lost in this slightly frenetic live show, but the exuberance of his singing amid a clatter of talking drums remains intoxicating. An unsuspecting Athens audience responds keenly and Gabriel comes on for a duet on In Your Eyes. Happy days.
