Besides the fact that South African Weather Service predicted an 80% chance of rain in the capital city, more than 1500 music lovers got the 2013 Park Acoustics Concert series off to an awesome start at Fort Schanskop (on the grounds of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria).
In the end, it didn’t rain and the first concert of the 2013 Park Acoustics series featured appearances by Alan! Let’s Move On, Black Handed Kites, Rambling Bones, Short Straw and Tidal Waves. It was a steaming hot day packed with some really awesome local tunes. The vibe was absolutely amazing. I was impressed by all the artists that performed on the day, but the three highlights of the day was definitely Short Straw, Tidal Waves and Cape Town comedian Paul Snodgrass.
Short Straw proved just why they’re one of the bands that you have to watch in 2013. They were recently selected as one of the MK MVP artists and they’ve been making waves in the industry over the last few years. They’re definitely one of the tightest and hard working acts around. They had the crowd dancing their butts off in no time to their blend of trash folk, after they were thoroughly warmed up by Alan! Let’s Move On, Black Handed Kites and Rambling Bones. If you missed Short Straw at Park Acoustics, make sure that you catch them at RAMFest 2013 in March.
Tidal Waves blew the crowd away with their no-nonsense reggae rock vibes. A huge crowd got up and danced right in front of the stage. Some music lovers had to be chased off the speakers and the stage itself from time to time by security. Some might argue that It might be true that Tidal Waves has basically been playing the same set for the last five years, but it doesn’t matter – they’ve never disappointed me with a live performance. They’re truly one of the best live acts that South Africa has to offer.
Paul Snodgrass is one of the best comedians that I’ve heard in the last few years. Before he became a comedian, he was a reporter and a producer for ETV Sport News for 5 years and was the side-kick on ETV’s That Sort Show for 3 years. His no-nonsense blend of comedy had the crowd in stitches at the Comedy stage at Park Acoustics on Sunday.
Overall I’d say that the 2013 Park Acoustics season got off to an awesome start. Fort Schanskop is still the perfect venue for Park Acoustics. The organizers just have limit people from sitting on the pathways to the stage area. It was a bit difficult at times for photographers to get close to the stage for their perfect shots. Besides this, I have absolutely no issues. Kudos to Niel, Henk, Willie and everyone else involved for pulling off another brilliant Park Acoustics. Make sure that you catch the next one at the end of February, it’s definitely going to be a blast.
Here are some photos that I took at the first Park Acoustics of 2013:
What did you think of the first edition of 2013 Park Acoustics? Leave a comment and let me know! I’d like to hear your thoughts.
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