September 23,

One venue, ten artists and loads of fun –that’s what was on offer as fans came in for the Ziki Idols Reunion Concert at the Carnivore on Saturday18th of September. It had been billed the biggest Idols Concert of the season… and that was one big exaggeration, as the crowd was very small, considering that the organizers had gone out of their way to build a huge stage, and set up the biggest sound ever at the grounds.

Backed by a live band, the concert saw the combined efforts of Idol stars Eric, Adiona, Ammara, Mkhululi, Samantha, Christine, Cynthia, Trina, and Facal, as they served up at least twenty songs off of their respective new albums, as well as some old performances from the Idols show. While some jams were as fresh as dew, others were familiar tunes that were easy to sing-along to.

All through the event, Club Xpressions was going hopping from Crunk to R&B, and Hip-hop to Afro-pop, and Raggaeton to Lingala.

The day’s MC, Big Ted, did a splendid job of ensuring the event was lively. Along with Hazel, (from Big Brother Africa 3) he spared no energy in keeping quickly bored revellers on their feet during breaks. Other artists that graced the stage included the “Toxic” dancers, who were acting as back-up for some of the Idols.

Starting with the performance of a beautiful original piece from Eric Boya, followed by a spell-binding opening set from Ammara, and all the way through to Facal’s power-packed closing, the stars truly conveyed the great camaraderie that the Idols crew have enjoyed. Many the Idols even joined them on stage, energy levels remaining high throughout.

One by one, they kept coming up on stage to ‘do their thing’ and I must say that all the performances were well executed.

I was particularly impressed by Ammara, Eric and Facal’s performances. Ammara sang a reggaeton song from her upcoming album, and backed by the toxic dancers, she left the crowd begging for more.

Ladies’ man Facal, on the other hand, ensured he indeed have them all eating from his hand whilst performing a smooth RnB song, and then left the ladies hysterically screaming out his name!

As if saving the best for last, Eric ended the night’s performances on a high note, as he sang a Lingala song that saw all the other Idol’s contestants come back on stage and join in the dancing. At this point, focus had shifted from singing to some serious dancing, where it was evident that Samantha and Ammara were the show-stoppers according to the crowd’s cheers.
 
At the end of the night, it was obvious just how much the former Idols had put into their music in the past year. Their energetic performances were top-notch, their music wildly appreciated, and their styles as eclectic as anything you’ve seen. That’s probably what you get with a bunch of committed, hard-working and exceptionally talented young men and women who’ve discovered their talent –and taken their opportunity to realise it all the way through to the end. Hats off to all the former Idols!

For more pics,  check out the Gallery!