Several people were injured this morning after fans went wild, throwing beer bottles and stones at the stage when a drunk local radio DJ announced that headliner Jah Prayzah would not be performing at the VG show in Gweru.
Mukudzeyi Mukombe, better known as Jah Prayzah, was expected to perform at the VG Complex Warehouse but pulled out at the last minute, citing a poor PA sound system at the venue.
Beer bottles and stones started flying soon after a local radio DJ announced that the main show attraction Jah Prayzah was no longer going to perform.
Several people who were seated at VIP stage side were caught unaware as fans started throwing objects at them resulting in injuries.
Dubbed the Summer Big Show, saw other supporting artists including Poptain, Dadza D performing without any challenges with the PA system.
Around midnight Jah Prayzah’s team arrived at the venue to inspect the stage and PA system but refused to perform because of the poor sound which they claimed was not suitable for a high-level superstar musician.
Organizers of the show Mbazo Entertainment were accused of failing to meet the required standards for a top performer like Mukudzeyi but focused more on maximizing on the ticket sales profit.
The disappointed fans are now demanding a full refund for the show and called upon the National Arts Council to investigate.
“The National Arts Council should investigate this matter and take action against promoters who are there to rip people’s money. No apology whatsoever has been made to us fans by Mbazo Entertainment which I feel is unfair.
“I’m here with my wife for a night out and this unfortunate event happens to us, we are in shock,” said Godfrey Machano.
No comment could be obtained from Mbazo Entertainment on whether they will refund the disappointed fans or not.
In press statement, Jah Prayzah outlined the reasons why he refused to perform.
“Unfortunately, to begin with, the PA system was way out of the spec range we agreed to and the music lovers had a difficult time with the audibility of the Artists who were performing on stage.
“The set that was availed was suited for DJ slots and Artists who use Backtracks for their performances and does not require much in terms of the equipment. The performance of a band as large as ours with such equipment was not possible.
The performance would have been a terrible experience for our fans and would definitely affect the brand they have grown to love over the years. Any efforts to fix the PA system before we performed (due to changed times) would have exposed the band members to missiles therefore risking their safety. Despite Management’s efforts well ahead of time, the organizers failed to rectify the issue,” reads part of the press statement
Another reason is that, the performance date we engaged on and agreed to was supposed to have been Friday the 30th of September. The promoter kept pushing our performance time into the early hours of Saturday the 1st of October and this agitated the crowd, Reads part of the statement.
Jah Prayzah also applauded his fans who braced the night waiting for him to perform.
‘To my fans who braced the night and sacrificed time and money to see us do what we do best, we shall continue to push event organizers to deliver as per agreements and value the time and money that fans put in to support our industry. Thank you team JP for your understanding,” he said.#The Sun
