Macheso delivers five-star performance in Sydney
..but omitted to play the much-fancied Tosvitswa Nashee album
Alick Macheso came to Sydney and conquered. The Sungura god-father’s conquer did not come through guns and bullets, but guitars and drums. The Orchestra Mberikwazvo army invaded Canterbury Park on Saturday in the outskirts of Australia ‘Sydney town and delivered a five-star stage performance, much to the excitement of home sick Zimbabweans who braved the chilly weather to watch the extra basso guitarist strutting his stuff.
Even though Macheso pitched up with a depleted army, without the crowd arouser, Jonas Kasamba, who lost his mother DRC, but his performance was beefed up by the return of Zimbabwe’s best rhythm guitarist of our time Zakaria Zakaria, who twinged twine like never before. Fans whistled and cheered when Macheso announced the presence of Zaka Zaka.
White Australians enjoying cold ones at the nearby casino who were initially surprised to witness hordes of Zimbabweans swarming the area around mid-night but ended up in the show enjoying Selemani “Majuice” Mpochi’s cute dance floor moves.
“I don’t understand the message in their lyrics, but their music is marvelous, and they are excellent high energy dancers,” said one white reveler, who identified himself as Devern, as he imitates Macheso ’signature chibhasikoro jive (Borrowdale dance).
The front dancer, Majuice had the whole stage to himself to exhibit his dancing skills as Macheso’s lean team did not include other prolific dancers who at times snatch the stage limelight from him.
Shockingly Macheso only played old songs and stayed away from the much-fancied album Tosvitswa Nashee. Fans would have loved to see him playing music charts leaders like Dzendo dzirefu, but baba Shero stuck to old titles like Charakupa, Shedia, Madawu, Mai Rhumbi, Mwana wamai vangu and even Tafadzwa Nyarara was played at the dying minutes of the show when some fans had already retired for the night. Even other popular songs from recent albums like Chikuru kurarama, Tsoka dzerwendo and Kwatabva mitunhu were conspicuously absent from his play list that featured titles from Zvakanaka zvakadaro and Zvido zvenyu kunyanya albums.
“I specifically went to see him playing his new album because I watched him before many times playing these old songs. So, when I left at 0100 am, he had not yet touched any song from the new album, but this doesn’t mean that I never enjoyed the show. It was a good show,” said, Munyaradzi Hove, one of Macheso fans who attended his show in Sydney.
Attendance was poor. The venue of the show which has a maximum holding capacity of 150 people was barely half full. And the ticket for the show was expensively pegged at AU$100. The show was never marketed outside WhatsApp groups which minimised reach.
About Post Author
