As if local concert promoters Afropulse Entertainment didn't take enough flak from bringing a so-called "has been" in RnB crooner Joe Thomas to the country, they managed to upset soul singer Zonke Dikana.
Dikana, who was billed to play a 50-minute set at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thomas' opening night of his two-city tour (he plays Durban's ICC on Sunday night), cried foul after she and her band were offered inferior equipment to that of Thomas.
A face-off between her manager Tumi Mokwena, the stage manager and Afropulse Entertainment led to the "Jik'izinto" singer pulling out with less than two hours before she was to open the show.
Mokwena told The Times: "Our sound check was at 4pm and was going to last 45mins, but when we got to the venue just before 4pm, we learned that Joe had only got on to do his sound check 15 minutes before.
"So we sat for two hours in the public gallery, because we'd not been offered a dressing room, while Joe had his turn... It got to the stage when we were told that all the other opening acts would only sound check for 10 minutes," Mokwena added.
The main problem, however, was the fact that Dikana's drummer Moses Efijemue was allegedly told not to use the raised drum set placed on the centre of the stage because it was for Thomas and all other artists were to use a "substandard drum kit" which was off centre.
"One of Joe's management told us we couldn't use the drum kit on the centre of stage, but it wasn't like we were going to break it... We just didn't want to play on a drum set that made us look like an amateur band," Mokwena added.
Eventually Dikana didn't even sound check, and took her 12-piece band home.
Promoter Afropulse Entertainment's Philiswa Jako told The Times: "I can't talk about this right now. See if you can call me tomorrow morning, and I'll explain all to you... Yes, they (Dikana and Theo Kgosinkwe) are (still) playing."
Earlier on Saturday morning, Dikana tweeted: "Do u guys have tickets to the Joe Thomas show yet? Its gonna be a beautiful nite :)"
Two years ago Afropulse Entertainment failed to land Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds after "irreconcilable contractual differences between the organizer and the artist’s agents" put paid to his tour of South Africa.
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