Online Reporter
JAH Prayzah filled the Allis Park Arena in Johannesburg on Saturday night in what many analysts are saying could be his finest moment away from home.
About 10,000 fans filled the Ellis Park Arena in what was arguably the biggest crowd to watch a solo artist from Zimbabwe at a show in South Africa.
Fans were not deterred by the expensive entry fee where the cheapest ticket was going for R400 with VVIP tickets selling at a cool R3 000.
The stage and sound was world-class with large plasma screens beaming proceedings live to those who were far from the stage.
The venue proved to be fitting on a night that saw thundershowers stalking the City of Golf for the better part of the evening.
JP, as he is affectionately known, gave a top-drawer performance for more than three hours.
He serenaded his fans with both new and old tunes that kept them on their feet.
The evening started with a number of local DJs, including Mr Gee, on the turntables.
MC Rico Myers was just a perfect fit for the event.
There was also a performance by urban grooves singer Nox Guni.
Security was tight and there were no violent incidents both inside and outside the venue.
The concert was organised by Rich & Famous Entertainment, fronted by Lovemore Mubaiwa.
This was a very good day for the Zimbabwe music industry as it flexed its muscles and showed that it has a product which can appeal to such a massive crowd at a show being held outside the country.
We acknowledge that the majority of those who attended the show were Zimbabweans but that doesn’t take away the fact that the attendance was impressive.
For us, that’s what matters.
It’s also good that Jah Prayzah’s ‘Ndini Mukudzei’ World Tour is coming to a close with thousands of fans still hooked up to the content which our superstar musician is dishing out to them.
We know that there were some people who, for their own selfish reasons, who didn’t want this World Tour to be a success.
We saw all the negativity they dished out when Jah Prayzah and his team could not perform in Dallas, which was part of the tour, because of the complications related to their visa applications.
Everything was twisted.
But, we knew that a brand like JP is a very powerful one and watching the events in Johannesburg at the weekend really charmed our spirits.
Now, JP and his team have just laid the platform for them to close the tour in grand fashion when they perform the last of their scheduled concerts at the Harare International Conference Centre at the end of this month.
His fans at home will no doubt want to show that they can do better than what their colleagues in South Africa did at the weekend.
JP’s World Tour has set the standards for local artists when it comes to excellence because even his shows in the UK were also very successful.
dyton mupawaenda