Revellers scramble to the stage as Black Motion sets the show rolling at Hartsfield in Bulawayo yesterday
Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
VIOLENCE reared its ugly head at the oversubscribed Black Motion show in Bulawayo on Wednesday night as missiles were thrown on stage and barricades torn down by angry revellers after the South African duo delayed to perform.
Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama, the show’s venue was turned into a war zone, as dog handling police officers tried to clear the area in front of the stage after the barricades barring the crowd from the stage were pulled down by angry revellers. Those in the VIP area were not spared as the fence dividing them from the rest was pulled down. In no time, their comfort and security evaporated like morning dew as all and sundry joined them.
Those in the VIP who were in front of the stage got trapped in the melee and were targeted by the marauding hooligans in the crowd who aimed and fired bottles at them. In retaliation, those in VIP fired back stones, bottles of beer and whiskeys to the crowd with others not ready for war moving to safer ground behind the stage.
Female DJ Crazy D was on the decks when all hell broke loose and had to flee for cover as those in the general area pelted the stage with missiles.
As they threw missiles, the crowd started chanting Int’ oyenzayo siyayizonda and calling out for the South African duo of DJ Murda and Smol to take to the stage.
Normalcy returned when the crowd saw the Black Motion duo setting up their equipment. The crowd calmed down as they rushed to the front once again, eager to watch the Fortune Teller hit-makers perform.
Finally at around 1.30AM, Black Motion got down to business and all the violent and chaotic behaviour stopped. DJ Murda took to the decks while Smol was on the drum set as they sweated profusely on their various instruments to give people value for money. The climax was when they performed to the song Fortune Teller and did their signature dance routine.
Disappointingly for many fans, the group performed for less than an hour, leaving many feeling short-changed especially considering that they had impatiently waited for them to take to the stage.
The local DJs took over and after about 30 minutes of belting out tunes, the lights on stage were switched off at about 2:30AM. This triggered another wave of violence as fans started throwing missiles on stage.
The commotion had started outside the show venue earlier as getting in was a headache. Organisers in their vast wisdom decided to have two points of entry as if they were hosting a Division One football match in Bulawayo. Many lost their valuables as pickpockets took advantage of the chaos at the entry points.
Apart from the chaos, local acts — DJs Victor Bravo, Crazy D, Crazy Black, Liz, Ras Obido, Wellyonz, Slimza, Nospa, Staffa, Skaiva, Eugy, Teddy and Yugoee kept the party mood going for the whole night.
Tribal drummer Nkosile Ndlovu was also a marvel to watch with the ingenuity of his drum set playing skills churning out house beats.
— @ bonganinkunzi.