Cassper Nyovest's #FillUpMmabatho concert 'flops'

It's undeniable that Cassper Nyovest's Fill Up Mmabatho concert was a celebration of culture and a great attempt to uplift and empower the community, but whether it was a successful event is another matter. 

After his previous #FillUp concerts, The Dome in 2015, Orlando Stadium in 2016, FNB Stadium in 2017, Moses Mabhida stadium in 2018 and the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in 2019, were hits, it seems this year’s attempt fell flat. 

Speaking to Cassper ahead of the event, it was anticipated an iconic stage would be created, as he and his team are “always building for the Cassper moment”, but if performing on the stands was “that moment” for them, there was little to write home about.

Not forgetting, of course, that the unidentified sound engineers robbed the crowd of special moments of the concert. 

Case in point, Musa Keys' microphone getting cut off during his performance — the dead air between performances felt like a lifetime. To add to that, parts of Cassper's performances included a screeching microphone. 

Some local Twitter users who were also in attendance shared the same sentiments.

"Yoh what a poorly organised event. The sound was bad, artists did not rehearse for their sets. Hai shame we were scammed." wrote on Twitter user.

"It's a mess now, 15 minutes no act on stage and the sound isn't up to par." wrote another.

Beyond those hiccups, the highlights would be Cassper's tributes to late friends Riky Rick and DJ Sumbody, and the addition of a choir. Oh and not forgetting the fireworks for the special ending!

See some of the videos below:

Cassper’s friends and business partners only had good things to say about the event though.

Drip founder Lekau Sehoana said after witnessing the preparations for the show he was impressed with how it turned out.

“It was a beautiful event, it takes months to put together ... I'm blessed to be learning from them ... I've seen the guys stress and push close to tears, so seeing communities selling here for free, people being able to host pre-parties for free, that was empowering the community, and hopefully we can come back here again because it's more impactful when it happens here, more than anywhere else,” he told TshisaLIVE.

Carpo said it was special to visit a venue in his hometown for an event hosted by his best friend.

“We've been there for each other as friends, no matter what. I did the road to Fill Up events, and all of them were successful. I also did the marketing ... For it to be taking place in my hometown is very special because a lot of things don't happen here any more, I don't know why ... the last time I was here I was 10 years old, now years later it's a very special thing. The turnout was amazing.”

Khuli Chana and Percy Tau also gave Cassper his flowers.

“What Cassper does is authentic, it's so valuable because it preserves the Motswako culture, it brings us together. Today felt like a family reunion ... there's nothing that beats the feeling of doing something with the guys you started out with. It's been over 20 years, so I'm overjoyed.”

“It's always good to be home. I grew up listening to Motswako, and it taught me to never forget where I come from, so it's always a pleasure to come together and celebrate that,” said Percy.