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Tafadzwa Zimoyo, Entertainment Editor
The spirit of praise and worship wafted all over the place. The feeling was eerie and profound. Godly!
Indeed, this was a concert and not a concept. The Spirit of Praise outfit, delivered beyond expectation. Suffice it to say, the concert is part of the regional tour and Zimbabwe was one of the destinations, where grace poured and drifted with the symphony. The album, aptly named Volume 10, saw the group performing at the Rainbow Towers auditorium in Harare on Saturday and yesterday they were at Harvest House International Conference Centre in Bulawayo. The group, which consists of various gospel musicians led by South African gospel legend Benjamin Dube, has Dumi Mkokstad, Omega, Mmatema, Mpumi Mtsweni, Takie Ndou, Sindi Ntombela, Canaan Nyathi and Everton Mlalazi.
They are now left with gigs in Polokwane, Carnival City, Rustenburg and Grandwest Cape Town in South Africa. The Harare show which started at 7pm and was hosted by bubbly radio personality Becky K, saw people from all walks of life throng the giant auditorium.
First to perform was popular choral group, “The Unveiled”, who had a good day in the office as they performed for 30 minutes. The vibrant group belted out their hit songs such as “Dururai Mweya Mutsvene” and “Mweya Mutsvene”, which left the crowd clamouring for more.
Due to time factor and according to the script, The Unveiled stood out well. They did not disappoint. Next was United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean gospel songstress Eleana Makombe who brought her “A game” to the show.
It was now the Diaspora effect, as some said. Eleana’s energetic moves and well-choreographed act proved worthwhile as she managed to wow the crowd with her discography.
Dancing, jumping in stiletto heels, Eleana could not miss a chance to connect with her fans during her performance.
Clad in blush pink outfit with emeralds and sequins, she sang the popular tunes, “Mune Nyasha” and “Kana Jehovha Avhura Masuwo”, leading the crowd not only into sing along session, but frenzy mood.
Eleana who has been crowned as, ‘Most Stylish Gospel Singer’ by her peers in the industry warmed the stage for Spirit of Praise. Of course, the stage might have been heavy for the two local acts but they gave fans value of their money.
Eleana and The Unveiled performed three songs, each, and it was valuable. They performed as if it was their show let alone as if there was no tomorrow. Surely, the Heaven’s floodgate opened.
Now it was time for the Spirit of Praise to be on stage.
When Spirit of Praise Group were finally called on stage, there was a standing ovation, ululation, screams of joy, chants and shouting.
The backing vocalists starting singing, setting the tone on stage before bishop Benjamin Dube and his team joined them on stage, with hit song after hit. Just like movie ‘The Expendables,’ each singer had a special role to play with one goal to entertain. On the Zimbabwean side there was Everton Mlalazi who brought in the cool, calm and classy factor. He performed his songs and not to be left is South African based Zimbabwean Caanan Nyathi who also had his fair share of the cake, representing, ‘mwana wevhu’.
The other members Takie Ndou, Omega, Dumi Mkokstad and Mpumi Mstweni, among others, put up a scintillating performance. They flawlessly sailed through during their segment. Songs performed include, ‘Nasendulo’, ‘Pfugama Unamate’, ‘Otshepehile’, ‘Fill This Place’, ‘Ukwenzile’, and ‘Asiko Isikhali’ and ‘Kgosi Ya Rena’ among others.
“It was uplifting seeing the group for the first time. I missed them when they came last year because of work pressure. My favourite is Takie Ndou and it was a golden opportunity for me attending the show,” said Tendai Makura (35) of Mufakose. What also surprised me were the locals who warmed up the stage for the giants. Time was little but we enjoyed, thank you to the organisers.”
The well-choreographed group was on point, in sync each time a member was leading in praise and worship. The sound and stage were immaculate and kudos to the team behind Zimbabwe, Spirit of Praise who managed to put everything for the tour.
Online Reporter