Singer and bouncers brawl with stage manager
Famous for belting out massive tunes, Vee Mampeezy served up a few hits of a more physical kind at the weekend.
Midway through a live set at the Gabane Sunday Ultimate Chillers, the pint-sized singer and his entourage stunned the crowd when they became embroiled in a fist-fight with a heavy-handed stage manager.
According to a member of the audience, the stage manager took offence at Vee and his energetic dancers’ acrobatic on-stage stunts – a trademark of the 36-year-old Kwaito star’s live performances.
“The stage manager grabbed Vee and tried to get him off the stage. Vee had to stop his performance to attend to the man. His bouncers were not happy with what happened and so they punched the guy and it got ugly,” revealed the shocked reveller.
Another insider, who asked not to be named, insisted the stage manager was well within his rights to intervene.
Describing the ‘Dumalana’ singer’s lively routine as dangerous, the source said, “Vee should understand that sometimes some stages are a tad bit smaller and cannot accommodate his stunts. That stage was going to fall and injure the hundreds of unaware music lovers who had approached the stage for his performance.”
Asked why this was not communicated to Vee, the insider maintained, “We did not have to. That stage is small, as is the event. We were worried about the safety of our supporters as well as his. He was very aggressive. He did not need to be!”
One of the show’s organiser’s, Tswelelang Maswabi told Voice Entertainment Vee had been warned to tone down his act before taking to the stage.
“We were left with no choice. We had been asking Vee and his dancers to at least limit their acrobatic stunts looking at the stage size and its sturdiness. We had to look out for our supporters who had moved closer to the stage at the time should anything happen,” Maswabi reiterated.
For his part, when reached for a comment, Vee confirmed the scuffle but added that no charges have been laid against his team.
“He grabbed me whilst I was still performing. I did not know who he was at the time or what he wanted. I appreciate their explanation but they could have communicated that to my manager who was there as I was on stage and in the zone of things at the time.”
Vee – who announced he intends to release a single with Major League DJ later this month – further described the stage manager’s actions as ‘unfair’.
“You see, I take my performance very seriously. I am an entertainer. It was a bit unfair for him to have done that in the middle of my performance and of course things got out of hand and there was this and that, you know I could not help it at the time!”
To his credit, Vee brushed off the incident and went on to deliver a sizzling set, much to the delight of the packed arena.
The laid-back event, which turns two in March, takes place on the first Sunday of every month at the Gabane family fun villa venue.
