I think that is obsession with Bercy is starting to getting old. I mean ok Bercy is a huge hall but why do we base the validity of a Congolese artist based on the Bercies, Zemith, and Olympia he made? We need to sell records like Fally is doing being intermational go on to dominate globally. Bercy, Zenith and Olympia are only three halls
There is also Palais 12 and Forest National of Brussels and 02 Arena with SSE Arena of London. U-Arena is the new challenge. Koffi is the only artist who can fill Bercy. Ferre isn't on that level, he has to fill Zenith first which he failed to do in 2010.
Palais 12 is a new hall in Brussels that exists since 2015 and it has a capacity 15.000. But none of the Congolese artists performed there. Felix Tshisekedi had a big meeting last year. Youssou Ndour performed this year in that hall. Wemba once performed at Forest National in 1999 to celebratie his 50th birthday. Koffi wanted also to perform at Forest National, but it got cancelled, later on rumours were spread that he was kidnapped by New Jack-gangsters. At SSE Arena only Awilo performed as a guest of a Nigerian festival which had P-Square, Bracket and co as guest back in 2013 and Abeti Masikini in 80’s for a festival dedicated to Africa, but nobody there as solo act. The same for the mythic Royal Albert hall.
Only a short one which came from a Kester-VHS which was to react against Wemba who mocked him for not having participated to the Masamoto-fashion show as model while he did (Kester used to call himself the King of Masatomo in those days and couldn’t accept it).Wemba invited Nyoka Longo, Evoloko & Emeneya for that event at Forest National. He performed with Molokai International & Viva La Musica “Cour des Grands”. Nouvelle Ecriture was waiting for him in Kinshasa.I remember Wemba’s staff contacting Werrason to cancel his event at l’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix which was on the same date. Because they were afraid that their show would be mpiaka like the one of JB Mpiana at Zenith when Werrason performed in Villejuif at the same date. Since that Forest National is very huge (8.400 seats) and they needed the whole Congolese community to support that event. But that event got quickly forgotten because Wemba never used to brag about it. While people still remember Werra’s event at Cirque Royal in Brussels (3.500 seats), despite being mpiaka.The videotape of Wemba’s show at Forest National is very rare.