With four international divas billed for the Easter weekend, choice was tough but ultimate distinction obvious.
Having already performed at the Bassline in 2004 and dragging up the likes of Jabu Khanyile and Sibongile Khumalo from the audience, Benin superstar Angelique Kidjo was faced with a tough follow-up at the same venue on April 13 this year.
Kidjo drew her audience in with her friendly open-faced professionalism, offering highlights from her career and ultimately raising the roof with a cover of the ever-popular Selaelo Selota song Thrrr … Phaaa!.
But despite masterful collaborations with Ringo Madlingozi and Hip-Hop Pantsula, the concert didn’t quite touch sides with my memory of her previous performance at the Bassline — that is, until she pulled the unbilled Alicia Keyes from her box of tricks. Performing two songs together and prancing into the audience, the crowd was dizzy with titillation.
The Bassline is a unique venue. Although small, it draws dedicated, friendly crowds and the size allows for personal interaction with the star. What’s more, they know their capacity with enough toilets and a never-ending supply of refreshments.
The same cannot be said for the Coca-Cola Dome, which boasted a monster line-up of Ashanti Douglas, Regina Belle and Lauryn Hill alongside locals Lebo Mathosa, KB and Bongo Maffin on April 15.
The Coca-Cola Massive Mix concert seems to have set a precedent for badly organised international concerts. There were not enough toilets, food or drinks — and what a wait!
After mood-setting performances from the locals, the audience waited two hours for Regina Belle, after which all refreshments had run out. No one seemed interested in Belle, despite her singing her gospel lungs out. Another thirsty two hours followed before Lauryn Hill made an appearance. She finished at 3am. It was then announced that Ashanti would not be performing as her cousin had been killed in a car accident.
A moody, tired crowd didn’t even pause for the minute’s silence the MC requested. See, as with the Massive Mix concert, the organisers had underestimated their support acts. Hill, not Ashanti, had been the drawcard at the dome, as Fatboy Slim had been the underrated drawcard of the Colab concert.
Despite not having produced much new material in recent years, Hill and Slim have a timeless cult-like following. Looking like Undercover Brother in a serious Afro, black bomber jacket, blue bellbottoms and glittery platforms, Hill lifted the spirit of the quickly diminishing crowd with her first cry into the microphone.
But, Hill is, well, over the hill. She immediately dropped the tempo in a heart-wrenching acoustic set. She seemed spaced out, far away and as though she was reluctantly singing covers of her own songs. She came across as sick of her own material and in a state of absolute self-loathing. Finally, after reducing the audience to near-suicide, she upped the tempo again doing a whistle-stop tour of all her greatest hits.
Audiences have a short-term memory and quickly got into the groove, but they were tired and ultimately the biggest party of the concert was, in fact, Bongo Maffin.