Nigerian gospel musician Ada Ehi’s no-show did little to dampen the mood at Theresa Phondo’s Live in Concert on Saturday night at Bingu International Convention Centre amphitheatre in Lilongwe.
The concert, which was in the making for months, attracted a large turn out.
Organisers released a press statement on Saturday morning that said visa and travel complications had prevented Ada Ehi and her team from boarding their scheduled flight to Malawi.
While the absence of the Nigerian musician was a setback to the advertised line-up, the change did not stop the show and the evening still had plenty to offer as local artists and Zambian singer Pompi were there up for the task.
Esther Chitheka opened the evening before Beracah took over the stage. He was later joined by Kelvin Sings.
Next was Praise Umali with his guitar followed and on his set he was joined by Gwamba as they performed their two feature singles Plan and Mukadalitsa Mwadalitsa.
After Umali, Paul Kachala came on stage and graced the audience with moments leading to praise and worship before Phondo took over.
Phondo, as the main act, spent a considerable time on stage, performing songs from her previous extended playlist as well as her latest release, which came out during preparations for the concert.
She did not limit her performance to music as she led patrons in worship and gave those who wished to receive Christ an opportunity to do so.
Phondo also gave a surprise to the audience by introducing Zambian gospel musician Esther Chungu on stage. The two performed Daily, their collabo remix and it was magical.
While on stage, Phondo expressed gratitude to the audience for supporting her and showing up in large numbers.
“I am very grateful because you decided to be here and support your own,” she said.
After a change of costume, Phondo returned to the stage for another set, drawing from her music catalogue before eventually handing over to Pompi.
The Zambian musician closed the night’s performances with songs including Kontolola and Silence.
However, some patrons felt his set was too short, with others saying he had not performed all the songs they had hoped to hear that night.
In an interview, Area 25 resident Praise Gondwe said the concert remained enjoyable despite Ada Ehi’s absence.
“It has been a wonderful moment of praise and worship. Despite the Nigerian artist not coming, we still had a good time and enjoyed the show a lot,” she said.
