Africa-Press – Eswatini. Attendees of the second edition of The Lawn experience weathered harsh weather conditions at the elegant revamped venue in Mbabane.
On Saturday afternoon, the weather switched up, where there were heavy rains, wind, and hail falling from the sky, making the day challenging to head out, but this wasn’t the case for attendees of The Lawn Experience, which was held and hosted exclusively by Solani’s Shisanyama. As early as 4pm the place had already packed up a fair crowd of people who were there to enjoy their evening. The first act to grace the stage from within the borders of Eswatini was Sarnilo, followed by iYA. From these two performances, it was easy to note that everyone at the venue was eager and quite excited to be there, enjoying every moment and appreciating every artist.
Rendition
It was right after iYA’s soothing and heart-warming rendition that the strong winds and rain hit the area. Unbothered and ready to shake off the cold, fun lovers were seen shifting away from the rain and dancing along to the music that was being played. At this time, there were no live performances, and the decks were taken care of by a well-known and followed-up artist, DJ, who was a continuity DJ at the event alongside DJ Ntombz. With a set right out of the 80s and straight to the decks, DJ Ntombs was talking the people’s language because every one of the sing-alongs he played was greatly received by the crowd. The line-up kept on bringing out the best soldiers from the local music industry, including A2Z, Velemseni, Mzwaa, and Mvelo.
Mvelo and her vocal pipes could not be ignored, as she gave a gripping performance, where she kicked off her set with covers (originally by other artists). All these stellar performances took place at the stunning and eccentricly decorated venue, where, contrary to the norm, the area was closed off as the rain was expected. The background of the stage had the signage ‘The Lawn’ embedded on a green flower that started from one end to the other. The front poles and all pillars at the venue were decorated with vines and green leaf-like vegetation from the bottom to the very top, and the green was everywhere, with pots of exotic flowers, properly positioned all around.
Venue
It was definitely a ‘lawn’ experience. To top it off, the attendees of the show were treated to splendid, top notch finger foods and delicases, which ranged from a variety of canapés to ribs and other delights. Solani’s was also one step ahead of the rain, with security personnel escorting each and every person in attendance from the parking lot to their seats inside the venue. The whole night came together when the two main ladies and headliners of the night stepped on the stage. First to grace her fans was South African artist Zonke Dikana, who was ushered onto the stage at 7pm. In a pixie cut, rocking a two-piece suit and long sleeves studded, the musical powerhouse just glowed on stage. Her fans were already on their feet, screaming, singing, and reaching out their hands to the artist. Performing hits like ‘best days of my life, feelings, and grateful’ just to name a few. Singing along with a very engaging crowd, the artist sure was amazing to watch.
Fans who were interviewed highlighted that she was the act to see, and she surely delivered. “I am here for Zonke, and I’m thankful to God that I didn’t faint when she stepped onto the stage because I just love her. Did you hear the pipes in that woman (asking the reporter)? Zonke delivered and ticked all the boxes,” said Mandy Sithole. Another person to touch on her experience was Zanele Mafu, who was one of the lucky ticket winners from one of the competitions that were run for the show.
Ticket
“I won myself the ticket for this show, and I am so grateful. It’s quite beautiful here, and I can’t wait for the main performers,” said Mafu. Speaking about headliners, the last headliner of the event was Kelly Khumalo, all the way from neighbouring South Africa. Although her sound check took over an hour, Khumalo’s team coordinated with Destiny Group technicians to make sure the sound was on point. The crowd didn’t even feel this stretch of time as some of the fans were glued to the Rugby World Cup final, which was playing in one of the bars at the establishment. Right as South Africa was raiding the World Cup and celebrating their win, the stunning diva walked in the middle of a human barricade of security personnel all the way up to the stage. Kicking off her performance with ‘Sobabili’, Kelly got the energetic crowd just in aww, screaming as hard as they could. Kelly Khumalo was the last live performer of the event, as after sets from DJ kept the crowd going until the closing of the venue.
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