WHILE sound is the basic necessity of a music concert, Jamaican reggae star Jah Cure (pictured) on Friday night proved his craftsmanship, when he staged a stellar performance despite a poor sound system that had threatened to derail his maiden show in Zimbabwe at the Harare International Conference Centre.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
Jah Cure
After Winky D’s performance, local sound engineers paved way for Jah Cure’s sound engineer, who was, however, let down by the public address system, which threatened to dampen the party mood as it was said to have developed a technical fault towards the end of Winky D’s set.
Some sources told NewsDay that had it not been for Jah Cure’s engineer’s expertise, the situation could have been worse, as the Divine Concerts Sound engineers, who had provided the sound system, struggled to rectify the fault timeously.
The poor sound did not go down well with some rowdy and impatient fans, who started throwing missiles from all directions in protest at the delay, as the sound system was still being fine-tuned.
Concert organisers, 2 Kings Entertainment, then signalled Jah Cure to take to the stage and appease the restless fans in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
In the early stages, the poor sound made it difficult for the fans to hear Jah Cure, as he performed.
The Jamaican artiste, however, got into his groove and the fans warmed up to him, as he exhibited an energetic performance backed by his live band.
Jah Cure opened his set with the popular song, Call on Me, much to the enchantment of thousands of the fans.
His playlist songs like Unconditional Love, Call on Me, Only You and Rasta that speak of love and righteousness saw fans singing along, as the golden-voiced musician brought the house down at the oversubscribed gig.
During his set, which lasted for over an hour, the former convict (he was incarcerated for rape) also performed cover versions of fellow jailed compatriots Buju Banton and Vibes Kartel, as a way of showing compassion for them.
“Free Buju Banton, Free World Boss, I was in the same situation once, Zimbabwe, can we light up, everyone who wants to see Vibes Kartel free, put some lights up,” he said in the midst of his performance.
The Unconditional Love hitmaker thanked fans for coming out in their numbers.
“Zimbabwe, thank you for having me here. I know you have been waiting a long time. I have been waiting too and I will come back again,” he said.
Jah Cure’s music has had a resounding impact globally, with a plethora of hits that have seen some pirates compiling them to produce some albums, which he disowned when he addressed a press conference in Harare before the concert, claiming it was the work of “pirates” during his incarceration, as he only has three albums.
Winky D, backed by his Vigilance band, was at his best once again and delivered a superb and lively set, as he showed why he commands a huge following in his genre.
He performed songs off his latest album Gafa Futi Chi Extraterrestrial, previous albums and popular singles that had fans singing along.
Reggae outfit, Transit Crew, who have been downgraded to performing at small gigs, proved they are not a spent force on the showbiz circuit, alongside Trevor Dongo and Judgement Yard, who were also among supporting acts at the concert.