If I remember well, Coco Rubenga once said that it was planned that Wemba & Koffi would be backed by session musicians and former Fioti Fioti dancers. Beniko Popolipo claimed in one of his many interviews (I believe in the one explaining how Rigo Star disappeared from the community) that the double event at Zénith didn’t take place, because of Koffi wanted him to be present among the session musicians.
It was a blessing for Koffi that the event didn’t take place, because Wemba was on radar of the French police. Imagine if Wemba would get arrested after the Double Zénith event.
The week that the event was meant to take place, was prior to the week that Wemba peformed at a festival in Brussels with Felix Wazekwa, Bebe Tshanda and others, to get arrested the following day. Everybody blamed Koffi in the beginning, when Wemba got arrested and musicians of Nouvelle Ecriture insulting him on tv. I am sure that an arrestation after the event, could have created a uprising in Kinshasa with his villa at Monfleury and the rehearsal place 5/5 at Oshwe in Matonge getting burned.
About touring immediately after the release of the album, I believe that they would still use the same formula of session musicians as-well. At that time Nouvelle Ecriture saw his birth and was originally meant to back Papa Wemba in concerts in Zaïre and Africa. It was their first album, that made Wemba decide to bring them to Europe. However, I think that the conflict between Koffi and Wemba came on the right moment. Because a great album like Wake Up could not be performed at halls like LSC or Le Bataclan. Wemba and Koffi just missed a golden opportunity by letting cancelling the Zénith shows of 2003. Apparently there was also a project for a Wake Up Show at Stade des Martyrs.
