The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
THE much hyped “Watora Mari Concert” that is set to be headlined by high-profile Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platinumz (pictured) has been postponed to December 2.
Spokesperson for 2 Kings Entertainment, Dee Nosh, said the postponement had been caused by the “sudden unavailability” of the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).
The initial concert featuring high-flying entertainer Jah Prayzah and a number of local artistes was set for the HICC this Friday.
Last week, the concert organisers tried a last minute change of venue to Glamis Arena but later abandoned the idea.
“This show was supposed to take place at the HICC but then there was a mix up during the booking of the venue and we realised it late that our show was clashing with another event that is taking place at the same venue.
“We decided to move the show to Glamis Arena for the same date but then realised that we would need more time to plan since it meant we would need more manpower, new security strategies, a bigger sound system and staging, among other things,” explained Dee Nosh.
He said that changing the date gives them more time to plan for a better show so as to give music fans value for their money.
“Since we are now doing this show in December, we have more time to plan the gig and we are now definite that the venue that we want to use, which is the HICC, will be available on the day. We just urge people to be patient and expect a world class concert come December 2.”
Event postponements and outright cancellations of gigs are not something new in Zimbabwean showbiz due to unavailability of suitable venues for concerts.
Unscrupulous elements are even taking advantage of the shortage of proper venues for shows with some booking venues for speculative purposes on strategic dates in order to sell those dates to desperate event organisers.
Last week, organisers of the “Rocking the City” concert headlined by award-winning South African star Toya Delazy had to deal with unpleasant last minute venue switches which almost derailed their gig.
Having been initially set for Borrowdale Racecourse, the show had to be moved to the HICC.
Harare needs more world-class facilities to host different concerts for unique audiences.
Venues like Belgravia Sports Club and Harare Gardens now have many restrictions. Relevant authorities and or investors should seriously consider construction of more suitable concert venues.
Meanwhile, 2 Kings Entertainment says “delay is not denial”.
Said Dee Nosh: “For a record five attempts, promoters tried to bring famed reggae group Morgan heritage and failed. But it finally happened. We believe that this is going to be a world-class concert and it is going to happen on December 2 as we have now planned.”
Diamond Platinumz has lately become a favourite among local fans, thanks to his collaboration with Jah Prayzah on the hit song “Watora Mari” which has been doing very well both locally and internationally.
Having collaborated with almost every top artiste on the continent, his catalogue of hits is vast. Platinumz will share the stage with Jah Prayzah, Stunner, ExQ, Trevor Dongo and Judgement Yard.
Despite their solo abilities, Diamond Platinumz and Jah Prayzah’s collaborative effort will obviously be the biggest drawcard to the December gig as this will be the first time these two acts perform together for a live audience.
