Long wait dampens mood for Brian McKnight's gig

American singer song writer and record producer Brian McKnight is a performer no doubt about that and his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma was caressed by the audience soon after he invaded the stage midnight at Game Haven in Thyolo. But the long wait and prolonged delay in harmonising the kit on a cold night that humbled the audience stifled the spirits of the concert christened Sunset in the Warm Heart. Inactivity on stage also led to people's frustration with no show for local acts except for Maggie Kadrum, who managed a short performance offering only three songs. Having come in early around 6pm, some fans could not afford the wait and left but others stayed on. There was even a moment when the audience took to singing the national anthem while some confronted security personnel and organisers querying McKnight's delay saying they had coughed huge sums for entry. Singer and guitarist Lawi, who organised the concert through Lawi Group with other partners, was billed to perform alongside other acts such as Patience Namadingo but they did not. On a night when Blantyre was chockfull of events including poet Yankho Seunda's @35 launch, and Lilongwe also hosted Landlord Pakwao featuring Nigerian star Ruger, Sunset in the Warm Heart concert pulled the numbers that included Minister of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism Simon Itaye, legislators and business captains. But with all the delays, frustrations and biting weather, McKnight, the 16-time Grammy nominee clad in all white outfit made it and performed live with his band. From playing the semi acoustic guitar to the lead guitar to vocals, McKnight who jetted in the country on Friday made his debut taking the audience back to the 1990s with timeless romantic songs. "I am happy to be here Malawi, so I am going to take you back to the 1990s," he said. In between his performance, he shared stories on love, his passion for writing love songs and the journey he has travelled to be where he is today and even shade tears. His one and half hour performance was topnotch showing he was no ordinary artist and to some extent he managed to shake off people's frustrations. With songs like 'The Way Love Goes' and 'Back at One', he signed off in style with a bow to thank the audience for being part of his performance. There was tight security but after his performance, the American singer took photographs with Lawi and Itaye and a few other fans before he left. Lawi said later that the long wait was not as a result of disorganisation or failure to manage technical problems. "Our team delivered everything however, there was gear which the artist management requested to come from South Africa and they are the only ones who had to work on it, that is why it took longer to add to what we had here," Lawi said. He said that as a local production, they were also unhappy with the amount of time they took to get ready especially in that they made a promise to their patrons to keep time. He went on to say that the Malawi team did an exceptional job and that is why McKnight had an amazing performance like he did. "It would be great injustice to position them as incompetent when it was not their fault at all. Unfortunately that situation was beyond their control," Lawi said. He said there was growth in the industry especially where they engage with friends from advanced industries and technology. "We work extra hard to safeguard the integrity of our brand and quality of events. Having learnt from this experience, we will ensure there is better execution," Lawi said of the concert that received support from FDH Bank Plc and CapeStars.

WIRE — American singer song writer and record producer Brian McKnight is a performer no doubt about that and his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma was caressed by the audience soon after he invaded the stage midnight at Game Haven in Thyolo. But the long wait and prolonged delay in harmonising the kit on a cold night that humbled the audience stifled the spirits of the concert christened Sunset in the Warm Heart. Inactivity on stage also led to people's frustration with no show for local acts except for Maggie Kadrum, who managed a short performance offering only three songs. Having come in early around 6pm, some fans could not afford the wait and left but others stayed on. There was even a moment when the audience took to singing the national anthem while some confronted security personnel and organisers querying McKnight's delay saying they had coughed huge sums for entry. Singer and guitarist Lawi, who organised the concert through Lawi Group with other partners, was billed to perform alongside other acts such as Patience Namadingo but they did not. On a night when Blantyre was chockfull of events including poet Yankho Seunda's @35 launch, and Lilongwe also hosted Landlord Pakwao featuring Nigerian star Ruger, Sunset in the Warm Heart concert pulled the numbers that included Minister of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism Simon Itaye, legislators and business captains. But with all the delays, frustrations and biting weather, McKnight, the 16-time Grammy nominee clad in all white outfit made it and performed live with his band. From playing the semi acoustic guitar to the lead guitar to vocals, McKnight who jetted in the country on Friday made his debut taking the audience back to the 1990s with timeless romantic songs. "I am happy to be here Malawi, so I am going to take you back to the 1990s," he said. In between his performance, he shared stories on love, his passion for writing love songs and the journey he has travelled to be where he is today and even shade tears. His one and half hour performance was topnotch showing he was no ordinary artist and to some extent he managed to shake off people's frustrations. With songs like 'The Way Love Goes' and 'Back at One', he signed off in style with a bow to thank the audience for being part of his performance. There was tight security but after his performance, the American singer took photographs with Lawi and Itaye and a few other fans before he left. Lawi said later that the long wait was not as a result of disorganisation or failure to manage technical problems. "Our team delivered everything however, there was gear which the artist management requested to come from South Africa and they are the only ones who had to work on it, that is why it took longer to add to what we had here," Lawi said. He said that as a local production, they were also unhappy with the amount of time they took to get ready especially in that they made a promise to their patrons to keep time. He went on to say that the Malawi team did an exceptional job and that is why McKnight had an amazing performance like he did. "It would be great injustice to position them as incompetent when it was not their fault at all. Unfortunately that situation was beyond their control," Lawi said. He said there was growth in the industry especially where they engage with friends from advanced industries and technology. "We work extra hard to safeguard the integrity of our brand and quality of events. Having learnt from this experience, we will ensure there is better execution," Lawi said of the concert that received support from FDH Bank Plc and CapeStars.

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