By Jimmy Chazama:
An impressive audience got a perfect treat of performances from both local and international acts during the Kingdom World tour concert held at Umodzi Park Square in Lilongwe on Sunday.
A technical glitch left the stage inactive for close to an hour at some point which disappointed the audience but it was not enough to stop them from enjoying the gospel vibes as the concert ended on a high with Maverick City and Kirk Franklin making up for the setback.
The delay turned out to be the adrenalin that spurred Maverick City and Kirk Franklin to blow the audience away which relished almost all the songs.
Before Maverick City and Kirk Franklin’s acts, who were the headliners, local acts of Beracah and Kelvin Sings warmed up the stage serving collaborative tracks such as ‘Anabwera’ and ‘Simudzasintha’.
Zambia’s Abel Chungu, who has had a number of stints in the country, was also part of the line-up offering songs such as ‘Pa Makufi’ and ‘Nsungeni’.
Having set the tone with other acts, the audience now turned its attention to award-winning gospel group Maverick City and legendary gospel musician Kirk Franklin from the United States, to take to the stage.
However, just as the two acts were about to perform, a technical issue cropped up, leaving the stage without sound for almost an hour.
The crowd grew restless, with some chanting “Sound! Sound please!” while others broke into worship songs like ‘Mzimu Oyera Bwerani’, meaning “Holy Spirit come and intervene”.
The technical team went on to apologise for the glitch.
Once the sound was rectified; there were no stoppages anymore as Maverick City kicked off their set with ‘Jireh’ and ‘Promises’.
Tim Godfrey and Kirk Franklin then joined them on stage for a surprise performance together that kept the audience lively.
The tour’s spokesperson in Malawi, Dali Mizaya, described the event as a success.
“The artists did a great job. Next time, we want to feature more local artists and hopefully give them more time to perform,” Mizaya said.
Zambian artist Pompi, who also starred at the concert, said he was impressed with the performances by local acts.
“I am honoured to share the stage with them. Malawian artists are rising,” the ‘Silence’ maker, said.
Random interviews with some people indicated the enjoyed the concert despite the delay.
Some of the prominent people that patronised the concert included First Lady Monica Chakwera, Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda, Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule and Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. The Kingdom World Tour is expected to take the group to several cities in Africa, Asia and Europe.
