On the 3rd of February 2024, the first edition of Calabash South Africa was held at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. This one-day music festival featured performances by American Pop Rockers Maroon 5, Keane, Meduza, Ava Max, Will Linley, Timo ODV, Shekhinah and Lloyiso.
Here’s 2 cents on the first edition of Calabash South Africa at FNB Stadium
This was my first event at FNB Stadium since 2018’s Guns N’ Roses concert, so I was excited to make my way to this stadium (which hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup).
The first act of the day was Timo ODV. It started raining before his set, but that didn’t discourage to crowd from enjoying his DJ set. Luckily the rain stopped half-way through his set and it didn’t return for the rest of the day.
Shekinah was up next at Calabash South Africa. It was the first time that I watched her and her band perform and they did not disappoint.
Ava Max was the first international act to make their way onto the Calabash South Africa stage at FNB Stadium and I have to admit that I was blown away by her energetic performance. Take my word for it: This girl moves around and she’s good at it.
As the sun was setting over Johannesburg, Meduza made his way onto the stage at Calabash South Africa and completely blew the crowd away with an amazing DJ set. The visuals and lighting were top notch #JustSaying
Next up was the extremely talented Lloyiso (one of the most prominent R&B singer-songwriters in Africa). I’m not a huge fan of R&B, but his set completely blew me away. He’s definitely one of the best South African live performers that I’ve seen in the last few years.
Keane made their way onto the stage next. I’ve been waiting for 20 years to see those blokes (who hail from Battle, East Sussex in England) live in South Africa. They did not disappoint.
One of the highlights of Calabash South Africa was definitely hearing the crowd singing along to “Somewhere Only We Know”.
Will Linley made his way onto the stage at Calabash South Africa at FNB Stadium next. It did not take the 21 year old to get the crowd (which had swelled to over 40,000) to sing along to his tracks. His set was energetic and proof that SA Music was alive and well in 2024.
Maroon 5 were the last act of the day at Calabash South Africa and they did not disappoint their fans. Many of them have been waiting for them to return to South Africa since 2008. Their set kicked of with “Moves Like Jagger” and “This Love” and they had the crowd singing along in no time.
Overall Calabash South Africa was a well-run event. Kudos to Big Concerts for the opportunity to cover this event. The organizers have already announced that they would be doing a 2025 edition of this event, so that’s good news for music fans.
Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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