The construction of the 10 million dollars concert hall on the Africa Avenue (Bole Road) is going on at a breakneck speed. Every day demonstrates incredible progress, with construction workers trying to beat the deadline of September 11, 2007. Whether the concert hall will be ready to entertain the reported 20,000 party goers organisers claim will come is yet to be seen.

Those at the gossip corridors seriously doubt the hall will fully be completed for the New Year Eve extravaganza, to be hosted by the Sheikh’s subsidiary, Addis Park. Those sceptical of the completion of the concert hall on the Africa Avenue argue how time consuming and daunting finishing works could get: from fixing each chair to installing electrical system may take much longer time than the targeted date.

Those enthusiastic about the whole millennium fanfare hope that if not now, the concert hall will be completed and ready for the following two bashes in Mid-October and December 31, 2007.

Although earlier expectations spread in town like a wildfire that international performers such as Bouyunce, Janet Jackson and 50 Cents would adorn the new stage, Addis Abeba has to settle for a relatively less known rap group called Black Eyed Peas. And the price is 1,500 Br per ticket. Ironically, that is what the Addis Abeba Hilton is charging you, where only local performers are booked to play inside the ballroom of the Hotel.

Those around the Sheikh have gathered the usual suspects in the roster of their local performers: there is Aster Aweke and Amelmal Abate as Ephrem Tamru and Tsehaye Yohannes are included. If there is any new blood there, it is latest sensations such as Gossaye Tesfaye and Abinet Agonafir. Interestingly, there will be an exceptional presence of Teodros Tadesse, whose photograph is missing from the poster organizers published, who has been absent from the home turf for over a decade now.

And there is a giant missing from the group of local performers. Mahmoud Ahmed will not be entertaining his fans at home, travelling overseas for the Ethiopian millennium bash. Does this reveal any strained relationship between the singer and the Sheikh and those around him? The latter might have felt that Mahmoud became an international figure following recognition and his receiving of prestigious award from the BBC, according to gossip.

The number of people anticipated to dance the last day of the millennium is also subject of discussion at the gossip corridors. Only less than 10 days away from the New Year, the much talked about influx of Diaspora is disappointingly low. Judging from a mini-party held at the Sheraton on Friday night, it is rather limited number of people from the Diaspora that are making their presence felt; and majority of them are from European countries.

With or without Diaspora, however, the city is grooming itself to entertain high profile guests between September 9 to 12, 2007: close to 12 African heads of state have confirmed to come to Addis to be part of what the African Union has adopted as the African Millennium, gossip disclosed.