Maverick City Music’s Kingdom Tour lights up Harare

Prior to the show, there had been social media campaigns to try and stop the show from happening as a reaction to Kirk Franklin and Chandler Moore’s performance with Will Smith at the BET Awards, but this did not deter Zimbabwean gospel music lovers from attending the show.

About 5 000 people were in attendance packing the venue with scintillating choral voices whenever the music transitioned to a cappella. First to perform was little-known local artist Ezekiel Paul, who grabbed the opportunity and made the best of it by giving a good impression of himself. His song ‘Lighter’ connected with the audience.

Covenant Praise also delivered a commendable performance, impressing the audience with their large and harmonious choir. The group’s visual presentation was equally impressive, as they took to the stage dressed in sharp and cohesive attire of white shirts, brown jackets and blue denim, adding a touch of professionalism to their overall show.

Vocal Ex from Bulawayo stole the show with a phenomenal opening act that set the tone for the entire event. Their mesmerising performances of ‘O’Msindisi’ and ‘We are Ready for Jerusalem’ left the audience craving more. The group’s energy was infectious, perfectly priming the crowd for the show’s host, Rorisang Thandekiso, who seamlessly took the stage singing ‘We are Ready for Jerusalem’, building on the momentum created by Vocal Ex’s outstanding curtain-raiser.

The fans had to be patient as Maverick City set up the stage.  It was a worthy wait as the musicianship was amazing. There could have been flaws in the undertaking of songs but because of the atmosphere that was built in the stadium, everything sounded perfect.

From Todd Galberth singing ‘He Won’t Fail’ to Kirk Franklin singing ‘Imagine Me’, Naomi Raine singing ‘The Story I'll Tell’ and Chandler Moore doing ‘Firm Foundation’, the show was befitting the aesthetics on the stage as every song coming out was vocally appealing.

The packed stadium was treated to tantalising sing-alongs like, ‘Million Little Miracles’ (which was sung by Todd Galberth), ‘I Trust in God’, ‘Promises’, ‘Jireh, Onaga’, ‘Hosanna Forever’, ‘Nara’ and ‘I smile’, among other songs.

There was a moment when Glamis Arena was set alight as Kirk Franklin took to the keyboards to play ‘My Life is in Your Hands’ as the crowd was singing. It was a beautiful scene.

The singers have already performed in Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe. They will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 15 August before going to Kampala, Uganda, the next day. They will complete the Africa Tour with a visit to Kenya on 17 August before taking the tour to Europe.

Trevor Makonyonga is a journalist from Harare, Zimbabwe, who writes in his personal capacity. The opinions and views expressed herein are solely his own and do not reflect the position or stance of the publication.