Tafadzwa Zimoyo in Birmingham, United Kingdom
The weekend Grateful 2.0 concert hosted by the United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean gospel diva Eleana Makombe, was a success.
The concert promoted unity, humanity, love and socialisation among people in the diaspora.
Most Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom find it hard to spend time with family and friends due to work pressure but last Saturday was different as they had set the day aside for the gig.
Running under the theme "Grateful", the concert was held at Bethel Convention and was jam-packed with people who had travelled from across the globe.
They came from Wales, Cambridge, Southampton, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Nigeria, South Africa, Lebanon, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the United States.
They started queuing two hours before the concert to secure the best seat.
The show, headlined by Eleana, saw The Cherayi's, DJ Gospel Unlocked, VOT, Ayanda Ntanzi, Benjamin Dube, Blessing Jeduthun, Takesure Zamar and Minister Micheal Mahendere putting up a scintillating show during their segment.
It was more of a "praise and worship" show. Dancing and singing along were the order of the day and fans were left clamouring for more.
Young gospel couple, Ellard and his wife Sharon Cherayi, displayed unmatched energy.
They proved their mettle and showed that gospel music is in safe hands for years to come, as they wowed the crowd with their music, leading them into sing-along sessions.
Woman of the moment Eleana came on stage with the whole auditorium at a standstill. She came prepared for the show.
It was not her fashion sense that was outstanding as this time around she chose the colour purple for the concert, signifying "royalty", and made a bold statement with it.
What charmed many was that Eleana had greatly improved and owned the stage, commanded the crowd, and was calm and collected. She easily related with the crowd.
With such consistency, the sky is the limit.
Her songs, including "Tenda", which she performed with Zaza Mokhethi, drove the crowd wild.
Mokhethi later took over as she dished out her hit song, "Cast your burdens'."
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The stage was already lit when two gentlemen took turns to entertain fans.
First, it was Takesure Zamar who stamped his authority with his deep voice.
He came, he saw and he conquered.
Minister Micheal Mahendere brought the curtain down as he needs no introduction when it comes to such concerts.
It is only time which limited him, but the man is so talented that he can command the audience whenever he is on stage.
Minister Mahendere performed hit after hit, leading the crowd to the dancefloor.
The show was hosted by two comedians Nigel Slick Pastor and Comic Pastor, while Rumbidzai Matinanga was the stage and production manager.
Fans said while they were grateful for the event, more time should have been allocated gig.
"The show started in the afternoon, but with such a line-up, we needed another day to enjoy the full performances," said George Nyamayaro from Wales.
"I only read about Eleana in the newspaper and her social media visibility made me come. I am off from work and I'm so thankful that finally I got the opportunity to see her on stage."
Another fan, Pamela Charu, who had travelled with her family from Liverpool, said; "I was happy to meet and see my favourite gospel artistes under one roof. Thank you for the great show."
