Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
DESPITE that we were only in February, it had already been hailed by some as the gig of the year.
On the roaster, there was Cassper Nyovest, the trailblazing wordsmith with a chameleon-like ability to shapeshift comfortably into any genre of music. From hip-hop, to kwaito and amapiano, Nyovest has done it all and usually what the self-styled Don Billiato touches turns into gold.
Also on the roaster was NaakMusiQ, a crooner who Nyovest is supposed to exchange blows with in a boxing fight at the Sun City next month.
This would have been Bulawayo’s chance to catch a glimpse of the two would-be pugilists before their much-publicised tussle, albeit with this particular clash taking place on stage.
Completing the bill were the pair of Zuma and Reece Madlisa. The duo, known popularly as Amaroto, has captured the public imagination with their catchy and clever wordplay and in only a short space of time have managed to attain superstar status with a slew of hits to their name.
However, when the hour struck midnight, none of these acts could be located near the stage on the night of 27 February. An audience that had forked out US$20 for the least expensive ticket on the night was left only with questions as police strolled around the venue, enforcing the law.
For the umpteenth time, promoters had failed to stick to advertised times and the gig had been shut down by the authorities.
The gig once again brought to the spotlight the fact that promoters struggle to bring the “day vibes” that they always promise on posters. In the age of Covid-19 and curfews, why is this still hard for promoters to have events running during the day or early evening?
“The problem we have is that we don’t have a culture of daytime entertainment,” promoter Dalubuhle Sibanda told Sunday Life.
“The only kind of entertainment we have is late night bar things and that on its own is a problem. You have to remember the only daytime show we used to have even back in the days were the Fanta gigs.
‘The other sources of entertainment during the day are festivals which also come once during the year. So, it becomes a culture shock for people to have gigs during the day when they are just not used to them. So, people will just come very late with little regard to the advertised time.”
Sibanda said that in as much as promoters wanted to adhere to stipulated times, there were economic factors that pushed them towards all-nighters.
“This unfortunately is a capitalist world and as a promoter you have to make your money. These shows are expensive so you try by all means to recoup all your costs.
“The drink, the food and everything else are part of the show so you try to push times as far as possible. As Umahlekisa we are now pushing afternoon shows at the gallery and we have noticed that we are getting a younger and different crowd.
“It’s all about changing the narrative and making entertainment inclusive,” he said.
Another promoter, Marshall Mpofu, said that many in the industry were just finding it hard to accept that Covid-19 had changed the night time entertainment landscape.
“I think as promoters we need to come to terms with the fact that times and things have changed and these are new cards we have been dealt. We cannot be doing what we were doing all those years back. The days of wafa wafa, were just do as we please and run shows until the wee hours of the morning are over. People have adjusted to a way of doing things in everyday life and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same when it comes to shows.
“Last week I had a show in Victoria Falls with Madlela. By 6pm people were already filling up the venue and by midnight everyone had gone home.
“We missed our deadlines by 30 minutes only. I think promoters should not hide behind the people. In all the years I have been doing this, I have always known that the people abide by what we say as promoters.
“If we tell them that artistes are going to be performing at a certain time, trust me they will be there in their numbers at exactly the right time,” he said.
Mpofu said that if they planned properly, promoters could still make adequate money from alcohol sales.
“The only thing that I think is making it difficult for promoters, is the issue of alcohol sales. The current feeling is that is that shows must run over the whole night so that people can make money from alcohol. I understand this but the truth of the matter is that if you begin selling at 6pm, who’s to say that by midnight it won’t all be finished? I think people are being unnecessarily greedy. Promoters need to realise that things are hard now and they cannot always rely on bribes to get out of certain situations,” he said.
Today, Bulawayo is set to host another blockbuster bill of acts, featuring Sjava, Sir Trill and Felo Tee. With memories of the last gig still fresh on people’s minds, Fife Street Events’ Junior Mbanje was at pains to point out that things would be different this time around, as they were a different promoting stable.
“I think promoters have just found it hard to stick to stipulated times and that is largely a case of old habits dying hard. We want to change this now starting with this gig because when artistes don’t get to perform, we are all painted with the same brush as promoters and this is just bad for business. We want to give people their money’s worth and we expect them to play ball and come early for the shows because I can guarantee that this one show that won’t extend late into the morning,” he said.
The gig is on a Sunday, which cements a growing culture of Sunday outing in the city. And one Thicc Nduna commented on Twitter last week: “The emerging culture of Sunday gigs just goes to show you all ukuthi igroove koBulawayo siphethwe ngama Sabatha!…. (gigs in Bulawayo are now being organised by Seventh Day Adventist church members).”