Okay, so obviously I am not from Jo’burg, meaning that lots of the ‘rah rah we love Jo’burg’ patriotism of this show was lost on me, but I am a sucker for a good gig, so I had to catch this one. The line up was kind of weird with really amazing bands interspersed with truly hideous ones, but it was the kind of event where you could relax on your blanket and do your best to block the badness out if necessary, so we weren’t too phased. There were loads of acts packed into the day, so I’m just going to give the briefest of details. Well, as brief as possible, being me.
First up were NKD, some kind of amalgamation of Idols performers I’m told. We had actually aimed to miss this lot but found parking much easier than we had anticipated. Fortunately we still had to find somewhere to sit as it seemed all 15 000 people who bought tickets got there before us, so it was relatively easy to tune them out. Think covers and synchronised dance moves with lots of hair flicking. Yawn.
Next up was Jamali, another Idols spin off. The best moment of this performance for me was when I realised that the people we’d been laughing at earlier at the petrol station for their hideous outfits were in fact the girls from Jamali. There is no reason why anyone should ever wear jeans with the front and back seat area cut out a’la cowboy chaps, with bikini pants underneath. EVER. And that was about as much of an impression as they made. More yawning.
I’m not even going to get into the ‘surprise’ performance by Kurt Darren or the fact that the crowd was singing along. It hurts too much. Maybe it’s ‘cos I’m from Durban – I just do not get it.
Anyway, next on the bill was my main attraction, Wonderboom. By this point we had of course wiggled our way to the front so that we could jump around and enjoy one of our favourite bands. The shoes came off and the whoohoos came out. It was great, and the band was filled with their trademark energy. I initially felt like they had been a bit cheated by getting such an early slot, but as the day progressed and I saw that some of the crowd left long before sundown, I think maybe they actually scored in a way. Either way, Wonderboom really captured the spirit of the day with their quintessentially South African sound, and the crowd quite happily sang along under the glaring sun. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Africa at an outdoor event with the crowd chanting in harmony is quite possibly one of the most sublime things I have ever experienced. It rolls up love for my country, for SA music, and for this band in particular into a tight ball of warm and fuzzies, and makes me break out into a grin every time. Beautiful.
Another strangely early slot was handed out to The Parlotones, who of course performed with their usual style. We had wandered back to our blanket to regroup and rehydrate after some vigorous gig jumping during Wonderboom, but nonetheless it was another enjoyable performance from a band I suspect is going to become our top export. Certainly it was one of the best performances of the day.
After that was Denim. More covers, more synchronised dance moves, only this time with boys. I don’t really understand why you would have a band that plays only covers at what should be a celebration of South African music, but I guess that’s just one of my weird notions raising its ugly head again. Whatever.
I think Danny K was next, though I may have got the order scrambled in my attempt to block this horror from my memory. Excruciating is one way of describing this individual’s ‘performance’…and I use that term loosely. Basically he sounds as if someone has kicked him in the balls. And all I could think throughout his set was how unfair it was that I didn’t get a chance to do it first.
Mango Groove had not played in South Africa for about 10 years, so there was a lot of anticipation surrounding their performance. They definitely did not disappoint. Like Wonderboom, they have a sound which is undeniably South African and are legendary amongst those who love South African music. They performed all their old hits and the 15 000 strong audience was singing with all their might and jumping and dancing in the parched earth. Definitely another highlight.
Another round of covers was delivered by Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels, who I’m told has a reputation as the original party band. Well yeah, I guess there was something of the wedding band about it all. This was of course enhanced by the fact that they started off with Pretty Belinda, a song I must have heard at least 3 times at my own 21st, never mind the 21sts of other friends/boyfriends. Sigh. Anyway, they were kind of fun, and certainly injected their covers with a lot more enthusiasm and spark than the other wannabe-girl/boy bands.
Is there anything I can say about Watershed that won’t have me being held up for libel? Hmmm. One thing I do find highly entertaining is the furore that was created a little while ago when the lead singer came out in the press saying that he was the sole driving force of Watershed, the band would be nothing without him, the other musicians are just session background noise musos etc etc. What I couldn’t understand is why the other guys in the band were upset. I mean, if dear Craig wants to take full responsibility for the soulless, mechanical disaster that is Watershed, I say leave him to it! Anyway, some people love them, god knows why, so they had some fans singing along while they wanked away on stage and vomited out their mind-numbingly bland songs. Cringe.
One band I was really looking forward to was Freshlyground, as this was the first opportunity I had to see them. By this point we were back in front, in what had turned into an absolute dust bowl, which allowed us to appreciate the atmosphere created by this band. My only complaint was the people with kids on their shoulders who literally shoved us out of the way to get closer to the front. I am whole-heartedly behind the idea of growing young fans of SA music, but I do think a little consideration could be exercised. Firstly, if you have someone on your shoulders, no matter the age of that person, you need to stand behind every one else, or it just isn’t fair. Secondly, if you insist on moving to the front, please don’t use your child as a battering ram – I don’t care how cute she is in her little princess tiara, if you shove her into me, I’m going to use language you don’t want her to hear. And lastly, it may be fun for both of you when you flail around and in so doing fling your child into the people behind you, but the rest of us are trying to watch the band too and that’s just annoying. Damn breeders. Anyway, that still couldn’t detract from a majestic outpouring of song and dance by this richly talented group. There is a reason why they won an MTV Music Award and we should be damn proud of them. Yet despite this lofty accolade, it still brought huge grins to their faces when the crowd poured their heart into singing along to my favourite song of theirs, I’d Like, so much so that the band could not be heard over the voices of the audience. Spine tingling stuff.
The last spot of the evening was reserved for guaranteed crowd pleasers, Prime Circle. Luckily the breeders scampered away at the prospect of the very energetic leaping around that usually accompanies a Prime Circle show, so we weren’t getting kicked in the faces by toddlers anymore. The energetic leaping did, however exacerbate the dust bowl situation, and there were moments when my friends and I were doubled over gasping for breath, and not just out of excitement. Nevertheless, their show was as exhilarating as always and allowed us to end the evening on a high note. Some may wonder how I can be such a fan of Prime Circle, and so anti-Watershed, when the criticism of being middle of the road is often levelled at both bands. My take on it is that listening to Prime Circle’s songs still makes me feel connected to the band – there is emotion, sincerity, and a certain humility there, no matter how radio friendly they may be. The same cannot be said for the very lacklustre Watershed. No matter – the sterling performance by the boys of Prime Circle managed to wipe the memory of less pleasant bands from the slate, and although some families may have left before their show, the area in front of the stage was charged with a special energy that could have come from a crowd 10 times the size, such was the love for this band.
All in all, it was a wonderful day, and my friends and I really enjoyed rocking out during the great bands and chilling out during the hideous ones. Hopefully I’ll make it again next year…and hopefully next time I’ll remember to put sunblock on my back before it’s too late. Ouchy.
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