Sunday In The Park With Thomas Mapfumo

Remembering the time the "Lion of Zimbabwe" played at a town park in California.

Did it happen or was it a weird fever dream? It's the time I saw Thomas Mapfumo play a free concert in a modest park in Roseville, California.

In the early 2000s, we lived in the Sacramento area for a few years and had the good fortune to see Thomas Mapfumo twice. Mapfumo is arguably the best-known musician to come out of Zimbabwe. If not, then he's right near the top of the list. After 50 years of performing, he finally threw in the towel with a show in London, in late June, 2023.

One of the shows we saw - I get hazy when it comes to chronologies - was at California Worldfest, in Grass Valley. Which is a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains where old hippies go to live out the rest of their days. Worldfest happens in July and they've been doing it for more than 20 years. If you're in those parts in July, you should go.

Mapfumo's performance was typically restrained. When you're great, you have nothing to prove. The show was cut short due to scheduling screw ups, which caused some muted, hippieish unrest, but even a short performance by Thomas Mapfumo is better than none.

The other show played out in a wee little community park that's probably not much different than the one in your small town. It's called Royer Park and and they've been doing a Music In The Park whatzit for about 30 years. Apparently the shows don't draw always such big names. Mapfumo played during a year when a big computer company was putting up money. Hewlett-Packard, if I'm remembering it right.

When I say the park was strictly small-town, I mean it and I mean it in a good way. If you're like me and you've grown weary of the concertgoing experience, this was the antidote. The accompanying photo is probably of recent vintage and the band-shell is a little different, but this was what was like. Kids and adults of all ages convened and I expect that many or most weren't familiar with Mapfumo's work.

Admission was free, there was a relaxed town picnic atmosphere, and a good time was had by all, as they say. Even the kid who had Tourette's (I'm assuming) and repeatedly spewed some pretty vile invective seemed to be having an okay time.