Macheso in spectacular act

This was Extra Basso’s last performance of the year in the City of Kings and he left fans asking for more as he gave his loyal fans a resounding farewell.

Macheso fans also got a taste of his much anticipated ninth studio album, Kwatabva Mitunhu, an album that was released a fortnight ago. Extra Basso took fans through a rollercoaster ride of his musical journey thus far, as he spent the night belting away tunes from his nine albums to widespread appreciation from those present.

Flanked by members of his Orchestra Mberikwazo band, Macheso made his appearance at the venue at around 11pm and was immediately greeted by loud cheers from a restless crowd that had been patiently waiting for his appearance.

Macheso did not take long to brew the electric atmosphere that is part and parcel of his shows, immediately getting the crowd going with some of his chart topping hits. Among some of the classic songs that he performed on the night were Charakupa, Chara Chimwe and Amai Varubhi, which were greeted by rapacious cheers from the crowd.

Macheso performed a medley of songs from his new album, which although also receiving praise from those present, was not greeted with the same level of excitement as some of his chart topping hits of old.

This may owe to the scarcity of Macheso’s latest effort in Bulawayo, where many fans have not been able to get access to it in most music stores. To counter this, Extra Basso managed to get copies of the album to be sold within the venue, with most copies of the album on offer gobbled up by fans.

Extra Basso gave fans a reminder of his great guitar skills, playing his guitar from unusual body positions that seemed beyond the limits of an ordinary human body. Not to be outdone was his band Orchestra Mberikwazo who gave able support to Extra Basso, wowing fans with their skills on the guitar and electric dance moves. Particularly popular was the Zora Butter dance, which seemed to have eclipsed the Borrowdale dance as a fan favourite.

Macheso rounded up his performance in the wee hours of the morning to loud applause from those present.

A reveller who spoke to Chronicle Entertainment on condition of anonymity after Macheso’s performance expressed joy at the performance by the sungura veteran on the night, but had reservations about the new album.

“This was a great way to say goodbye to Bulawayo for this year by Macheso. However, the new album is not as good as the old ones but maybe we will like it better with time,” he said.