Zimpapers Logo

Kalado failed to live up to expectations

Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Entertainment Reporter
Zim dancehall sensation Tocky Vibes proved his mettle over the weekend when he saved Kalado from humiliation after missiles rained on stage during the Jamaican’s performance.Kalado nicknamed Zilado by his Zimbabwean fans made his debut appearance at Old Hararians Sports Club alongside other fiery performers the likes of Winky D, Shinsoman, Freeman, Killer T and Legend Elly.

The “Make Me Feel” hitmaker, put up a below average performance despite the raunchy gyrations by Zimbabwean female dancers one of whom he said should relocate to Jamaica where her talent will be most appreciated.

He performed a few popular tracks including a remix of the song “Personally” by P Square that excited the crowd but not for long.

He also tried to fuse some Bob Marley classics but that didn’t resonate well with the highly expectant crowd and sooner rather than later, missiles rained on stage.

Kalado then heaped praises on Zim dancehall artistes before he called Tocky to the stage.

For that moment there was calm at the venue and Tocky did not waste time dropping his favourite tunes on Bodyslam riddim sending the crowd into a frenzy.

There was a bit of chaos as the  crowd edged closer to the stage and the security was found wanting. Even the police dogs did not help much as the crowd uncontrollably pushed closer to the stage bringing down the barricades that separated the VIP area from the rest of the ground.

In the midst of all this, Tocky continued whipping the fans into a frenzy and also took time to explain his no show at the City Sports Centre.

Narrating his ordeal at the Harare Show Cup Clash held last month, Tocky assured fans that he wanted to prove a thing or two.

And indeed, he made a point.

There was no doubt that Tocky was the man-of-the moment, judging from the loud cheers from the crowd that sang along.

And when he made that grand exit, mayhem followed as the crowd could not get enough of him. Missiles were thrown on stage for a good 10 minutes while Kinna was preparing for his performance.

It only took one — Soul Jah Love who missed his United Kingdom trip over the weekend due to unclear circumstances, to calm the crowd.

Soul Jah Love and his Conquering then raided the stage and performed one of their best songs before they were kicked off the stage.

What was astounding was that after Soul Jah Love had brought peace on stage, he was ordered to leave the stage in a huff. It was evident from the start that the programme was running behind schedule and the emcee or was it the stage manager were both responsible for the mishap.

Zim dancehall gigs are increasingly becoming violent by the day.

The artistes themselves are partly to blame because they glorify violence in their songs while fans are also divided according to which ghetto they comes from. And as is the case with all open air gigs, crowd control has become an issue as the security is overwhelmed by the huge numbers that turn up at the shows.