Munyaradzi Vomo
At first glance, many things seemed wrong with the Joburg Day celebrations.
Firstly, the venue of Riversands Farm is way out in some Fourways dust bowl. And as with any dust bowl, dust comes by the bucket-load.
Then comes the issue of the weather. The cold days quickly disappeared, only to be replaced by the scorching heat.
After painting this gloomy picture you’d think only about two people would have pitched at the show, but you’d be wrong.
Thousands upon thousands showed up and with Toya Delazy, Prime Circle (pictured) and GoodLuck on the line-up, it came as no surprise that this event was again a success.
And the acts made it all worthwhile. Starting at about mid-morning, the concert had a lot of people going crazy from the first sound of a guitar. As the day went on, you could tell who the favourite artists were from the crowd’s reaction.
Highlights included Mi Casa who performed their hit These Streets. GoodLuck are legendary for their live gigs and they always seem to bring something new to their act.
Rockers Prime Circle were obvious favourites who deafened the place when they took to the stage. Then came The Kongos whom I had never seen live. Though they are fairly new, they stood their ground in the sun and had young and old fans screaming for more.
Although each act had a reasonable amount of time to perform, it seemed as if there wasn’t enough time for everyone.
A surprise appearance came from the remaining current Idols SA contestants who were terrible. It was not clear if it was the sound or the competitiveness among them, but they butchered some songs, leaving everyone wondering just why they were there. Surprisingly, I had seen them do a marvellous job at another event earlier in the day.
Another surprise was an ageing Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) who relished every second of being the showstopper. It is a good thing he never sang as that might have dampened the mood. All the same, it was good to see him in living colour.
All in all, the biggest spring party in Joburg proved to be the best gig so far this year and explains why the tickets were sold out a long time ago.