Power outages fail to spoil Namadingo, Praise Umali gig

Power outage forced organisers of The Doc Live concert at Scalla’s Café in Blantyre to bank on generators to power the performances of Afro-soul artist Praise Umali and fan-favourite Namadingo who kept patrons on their seat edges.

On a fun-filled day, which started with live screenings of English Premier League football matches from as early as 1:30pm, fun-seekers had little to worry about.

Namadingo captured on stage. | Brian Itai

As the football proceedings progressed, the patrons were kept entertained by a selection of music from DJ Zulu and DJ Mask.

But glitches arising from the power outage started showing. The 8pm planned appearance of the night’s first act, Praise Umali delayed by 50 minutes as the event curators tried to manage the load of generators.

By the time Lilongwe-based ace Praise Umali stepped on stage, he knew he had the ability to light up the moment whose mood was sombre following the blackout.

His guitar strapped over his cream fashion gear, he looked ready for the occasion. It was, therefore, no surprise that his popular compositions such as Usandiuze, Ku Tiyeni, Nkadzakondanso and Konda Ine did the magic to get the crowd in the groove.

Praise Umali bowed off the stage gracefully and it was time for Namadingo to take up the responsibility to sustain the momentum. However, it turned out not to be a seamless transition as patrons expected.

The Scalla’s Cafe grounds went dark again, the darkness to the chagrin of the patrons who were eager to maintain the momentum set by Praise Umali. But the generator had run for long and it needed a rest and a refill of fuel.

After close to an hour, lights returned and a slender gentleman in a white shirt and black pair of trousers alighted on the stage.

The arena, which was deserted because of lack of activity, was once more filled to the brim in no time.

Namadingo took the audience on a music journey that toyed on his days as an emerging artist till his time as a record-breaking musician.

The darkness, which engulfed the Scalla’s Café, transformed into a full music light. Blantyre fun-seekers hailed Praise Umali and Namadingo for providing the light on a dark Saturday.

The post Power outages fail to spoil Namadingo, Praise Umali gig appeared first on Nation Online.