Anele and her club mesmerise 947 listeners live at Montecasino

Anele and The Club connected and bonded with listeners at The Teatro at Montecasino in Fourways, northern Johannesburg, on Saturday, in a rare outing that brought them up-close and personal with their favourite faces behind the mic.

The host of the popular breakfast show, Anele Mdoda, was joined by co-host Frankie du Toit, news reader Thembekile Mrototo and sports presenter Cindy Poluta for a date with listeners after dark.

"The idea came via Anele and The Club. They envisaged something revolutionary. They were asked by the listeners if they can do something different, something innovative...

"The listeners wanted to see radio and unveil the magic and intrigue and have an understanding of how the show comes together between 6am and 9am," said Zaheera Mahomed, commercial manager at 947.

The station gave listeners what they wanted – live performances, competitions, laughs and everything that makes the show what it is and more. Both kids and adults eagerly and excitedly filled the venue to see live what goes on behind their favourite morning show.

About 1,800 people were in attendance.

"Mama, why is the party not starting?" asked a boy who was seating with his family behind this reporter.

Musician Lloyiso, together with Edenglen High School and Parktown Boys High, opened the show with an electrifying performance. Then the lights went off and the famous Anele and The Club jingle started playing. And the listeners lost their minds as their favourite presenters took to the stage. Mdoda dazzled in a sparkling two-piece.

There were more live performances by Prime Circle, with Gavin Edwards as the new lead singer. There was Lady Zamar, whose hit Collide was chosen by Ekurhuleni School of the Deaf as their number one song for My School Top 5 segment. Jimmy Nevis performed Heartboxing for Classic or Not feature.

After a 20-minute break, the team took listeners through memory lane with videos of various competition segments and charity work the presenters have done before.

After that, Mi Casa set the stage on fire with their latest single Who Cares? With no care in the world, fans showed their dance moves. For the big interview, the team had a sit down with Deal or No Deal SA presenter Katlego Maboe, who touched on going back to Expresso and eventually leaving it for his current show and also spoke about fatherhood.

What's Anele and The Club without giveaways? All the competitions that usually take place on air were now live, and the lucky winners went home richer. Two women pocketed R19,200 in the pop quiz after answering all 10 questions in 60 seconds, while another listener won all items in the Guess the Price segment.

"The show was fantastic, we enjoyed ourselves. My expectations were met, the team over-delivered. I was happy to see Mi Casa and Lady Zamar perform. It was a lovely surprise," said listener Lerato Moroane from Randfontein on the West Rand.

As the show drew to an end, Mdoda mentioned that their programme manager, Greg Aldridge, was the one who came up with the idea of a live show. The presenter said all proceeds from the night will go to the non-profit animal welfare organisation SPCA.