Harare roars with merrymaking

By The NewsDay | Dec. 24, 2012 | 3 Min read

IT WAS a tale of two worlds in Harare on Friday night when the capital city hosted two mega gigs.

Godwin Muzari/ Silence Charumbira

At City Sports Centre, Oliver Mtukudzi led fellow musicians Sulumani Chimbetu, Winky D and Munya Mataruse, while Pamuzinda Highway X-scape played host to Alick Macheso, Jah Prayzah, Leonard Zhakata and Peter Moyo.

The City Sports Centre affair ran under the tag “Last Gig” while at Pamuzinda they called it “Shut Down”.

Both concepts were hinged on the fact that most companies shut down for the festive season on December 21 and people were generally in merrymaking mood.

The “Last Gig” pulled more people as the venue was packed with a jubilant crowd that cheered the artists throughout their performances.

The “Shut Down” was also well attended, but there were some disturbances at the entrance in the early hours of the show as some fans demanded that organisers lower the entry fee from $10.

The “Shut Down” adverts indicated that the entry fee would be a “cover charge” and many of Macheso fans that are used to paying $5 at his shows were taken by surprise by the new entrance fee.

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However, the incident did not dampen the merrymaking spirit as revellers streamed into the show for an exciting night out.

At the “Last Gig”, organisers made sure they retained their crowd by telling everyone who got in that they would have to pay again if they got out of the venue and sought re-entrance.

Like ants following a nectar trail, party mongers trekked to the City Sports Centre for a memorable night.

As one approached the venue from a distance of more than 300 metres the unmistakable air of merry making was evident.

It was destined to be a great experience.

The organisers have to be commended for a job well done as the usual commotion that normally characterises such gigs did not take any precedence.

Entry was smooth and acquiring tickets at the venue was equally efficient.

Inside, there was commendable police presence that minimised the number of violent incidents.

Performances were nothing short of spectacular with the young Munya Mataruse putting up a beautiful act.

The Pakare Paye Arts Centre product is one success story that any music lover at the venue conceded he is a great musician in the making.

Sulumani Chimbetu took over from Mataruse to put up a stellar set. His choreography had most on the dance floor, while a few could not help but watch attentively.

His sound has matured immensely and it appears he has set the bar so high this time around with the release of his fourth album Syllabus. The introduction of each new song invited wild cheers from the crowd which in turn urged him on.

Jah Prayzah, on his way to the “Shut Down”, made a brief appearance during Sulu’s performance.

The prime moment of the set was when Superstar Oliver Mtukudzi joined sulu for their song Kata.

They put up an enchanting performance before Sulu wrapped up his emphatic set.

When Tuku finally came to the stage it became an overdrive as he delivered hit after hit.

His set was different from the norm.

Sulu then came back to the stage to collaborate with Tuku playing the African drum much to the delight of the crowd.

Winky D then came to close the show.

At Pamuzinda, performances were also exciting. Macheso led the night with his popular hits and excited the crowd when he played his new songs.

Going on stage around midnight, the sungura king ensured revellers got the best Christmas present with an outstanding act.

Fans danced and sang along until around 3am when he left the stage for Moyo.

Zhakata had taken people down memory lane with hits like Mugove, Maruva Enyika, Kundiso and Hupenyu Mutoro.

It was a journey into the 1990s as people proved to love his old songs more than the new hits.