American gospel group set Malawi ablaze

United States of America legendary gospel group Maverick City Music and 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer Kirk Franklin lifted patrons’ spirits with their performance at Umodzi Park in Lilongwe.

The group is in Malawi on their Kingdom World Tour in which they have performed in some European, America and African countries.

Patrons came from all over the country to witness the contemporary Christian music group perform.

First Lady Monica Chakwera, Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba, Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule and Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda were among those that attended the show.

Various local artists, including Patience Namadingo, Tay Grin, Wendy Harawa and Rudo Chakwera were spotted among the patrons in the VIP section. Other notable figures such as prophet Shepherd Bushiri were also there.

First on stage were local artists Beracah and Kelvin Sings followed by Paul Kachala then Zambia’s Abel Chungu and Pompi.

During this time, the group together with Franklin were on a meet and greet session with fans who had paid extra to take photos and interact with the singers.

After Pompi’s performance, it was time for the group and Franklin. However, there was a technical glitch lasting for almost two hours.

The group later released a message on the stage screen which was an apology to the attendees for the disruption, but assured them they would be on stage shortly.

The technicalities were soon sorted and after the apologies, Maverick City and Kirk Franklin took to the stage and the mood of the place was instantly elevated.

 An energetic performance it was as Franklin and the Maverick City members danced,sang and worshiped the Lord.

The American singers were soon joined by Nigeria’s Tim Godfrey who has been with the group as a special guest performer in Africa.

He played Nara featuring American gospel singer Travis Greene, Big God and Onaga among others.

Apart from a background choir, Maverick City Group members Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine and Todd Galberth took turns on leading vocals.

Through the performance Maverick City Music and Franklin swapped between their catalogs, serving as a background to each other as they took turns with Tim Godfrey.

Franklin’s hits that were performed included his classic Revolution, All Things, It’s Alright, and Imagine Me.

During one interlude, members of Maverick City Music and Franklin sat in Church pews brought on stage as they sang snippets of other Franklin classics.

Franklin played the piano and told stories behind the songs. But it was clear that Franklin wanted Maverick City Music to be the focus.

When the group sang some of their hit tracks, including Jireh, Wait on You, Promises, A million little miracles, Chandler Moore played the piano

Franklin and Maverick City lead singer Moore expressed gratitude towards fans saying that “Malawi has so far been the best country we have performed in this tour,”

One could hear patrons saying “It was worth the wait, what a performance!”, while many others said :“We have really enjoyed, what a time to be alive,”.

Sheila Magawa, who travelled with her family from Blantyre, said being at the show was worth it.

“I don’t regret travelling all the way to see my favourite artists perform, Maverick City and Kirk Franklin are really gifted musicians. This has been once in a life experience,” he said.

The show, scheduled to end at 6 pm, came to a close at 9.20 pm when all the singers dropped their mics after performing for two hours non-stop.