Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
SOUTH AFRICAN pop duo Blaq Diamond seems to have a second home in Zimbabwe, with the group holding an unprecedented number of shows in the country, something that is set to continue in the next few weeks, starting with another gig in Bulawayo next Saturday at The Boundary.
The group has over the past few months touched base in a fair share of cities and towns in the country, performing in Harare, Bulawayo, Gwanda and Beitbridge.
The KwaZulu Natal duo are also set to perform in Gweru and Chinhoyi in the near future.
According to promoter, DNosh of 2 Kings Promotions, the duo has fallen in love with Zimbabwe, leading to a closer relationship with promoters.
The duo last performed in Harare and Gwanda a fortnight ago before pulling the plug on another Bulawayo gig as it clashed with the Afrimma awards in Nigeria.
“Blaq Diamond are now loving Zimbabwe and through our relationship we are managing to get more and more gigs coming up.
After Bulawayo there’s going to be another in Gweru then another in Chinhoyi.
Why are they coming back to Bulawayo?
“Well, when they had a gig in Harare, they were supposed to do another in Bulawayo but we had to reschedule because they were called in for Afrimma.
“If you check you will realise that they were part of the Afrimma in Nigeria.
It was a bigger scale for them so we had to agree to move the date to Saturday night,” he said.
DNosh said the plan was to take the Summer YoMuthi hit makers all over the country, something that was possible because of the close and flexible relationship they had fostered with them.
“Basically, as promoters we have established a relationship with these guys.
We have done Harare, we have done Gwanda, we have done Beitbridge with these guys and sometimes it is always good to bring certain artistes in different towns.
“They love Bulawayo really badly and I’m sure the last time they came to Bulawayo they left the fans asking for more.
We have done a number of international shows but we have noticed that ladies love Blaq Diamond and also, they relate a lot with the fans when they’re on stage,” he said.
DNosh said the decision to invite Blaq Diamond for multiple shows was a no-brainer as they had proven that they are crowd pleasers.
“We chose The Boundary because we also have a relationship with the owners of the place and we have even more shows coming up in the future.
“The Boundary is central and it is one of the top spots in Bulawayo.
We will have local acts also supporting Blaq Diamond so this show is of benefit to everyone.
“As it stands Blaq Diamond are ready for more shows but on this leg of their trip they will do “The Boundary on Saturday.
Before that we plan to have a meet and greet with the fans because wherever these guys go the ladies scream and I’m sure you’ll see that when they land in Bulawayo again,” he said.
Responding to complaints from revellers that international shows were now too expensive, DNosh said 2 Kings Promotions had decided to reduce pricing for this particular gig to make it more affordable for the ordinary man and woman.
“We have decided to make our ordinary tickets US$10 so that its affordable.
-know for international acts people like to peg their tickets at US$20 or US$50 but this time our ordinary tickets will be cheaper,” he said.