Glamis Arena hosts music’s ‘big five’

Standard People
BY OUR STAFFIt is not often that the crème de la crème of local music come on one stage in a commercial show. Names like Oliver Mtukudzi, Alick Macheso, Sulumani Chimbetu, Tongai Moyo and Winky D are rarely found on a single poster advertising a gig but come September 30, these “big five” of the local music scene will share the stage.The venue is Glamis Arena at the Harare Exhibition Park (Show Grounds) and the show will be an all-night gig.

Minus the Charambas, very few will disagree that Mtukudzi, Macheso, Chimbetu, Moyo and Winky D make the top list of local music across genres.There have been two great shows this year involving a combination of musicians from this list. Chimbetu, Mtukudzi and Winky D brought down City Sports Centre during the Winter Jazz Festival where they came in as additions from other genres to spice up the festival.

Then on August 25, Mtukudzi and Macheso attracted a capacity crowd at the Aquatic Complex in a show that left Chitungwiza spellbound. At the recently held Heroesplush Gala in Mount Darwin, Macheso, Chimbetu and Moyo gave the Mashonaland Central town a lifetime experience when they all went on stage to perform Chimbetu’s Saina in what was described as the finest moment of the gala.

When Mtukudzi and Macheso shared the stage at the Glamis Arena (coincidentally, the venue for the September 30 gig) in March 2007, they attracted a record crowd of 10 000 that has not been broken by any commercial show to date.

So, when the upcoming “big five” gig is mentioned those that attended the March 2007 show will obviously go down memory lane and cherish the day that Glamis Arena roared like a flooded river as thousands of music lovers drowned in merrymaking.

Such is the colourful history of shows featuring combinations of the country’s top musicians. Anticipation is high that the upcoming gig might set a new record if the trend surrounding the musicians is anything to go by.

Organisers of the show said they would put everything in place to ensure a smooth flow of the programme.