Ringo shouts his frustration at concert

THE Peace, Unity and Freedom Concert was not peaceful for all.

Legendary musician Ringo Madlingozi started venting his frustration on stage on Sunday night at the Bloemfontein showgrounds by shouting that as an artist his talent must be respected.At the end of a short performance, he said: ‘The people who brought me here should respect me, that’s all I’m asking.’Madlingozi later said his performance was sabotaged by the concert organisers.’The music equipment used by my band was second grade compared to Anthony Hamilton’s equipment, the sound was low when I performed and it was loud when he performed. I am not happy with this treatment.’He went on to say he has been singing for 26 years and refuses to be treated like an opening act.’I only performed because I love and respect my fans. It was also shocking how many ‘hostesses’ were taking care of one artist, while there were other artists on that night with no hostess at all, including me. I had to fend for myself and I didn’t even drink water.’Madlingozi says music is about emotions and feelings, which connects him to his fans. Hence he needs a clear frame of mind when performing.’I have heard artists complain about being mistreated at concerts with international artists, now that it happened to me, I know how bad it is. It must stop,’ he fumed.He says what is disappointing is that most of these artists have fallen on hard times in their countries, but when they get to South Africa they are idolised.Concert organiser Sabela Media Business Consulting director Sulungeka Dazana said she was not aware of any sound issues but would investigate and get back to us, but this was not done at the time of of going to print.- www.sowetanlive.co.za