If you are a music lover, you know that nothing beats the thrill of seeing your favourite artists perform live on stage. And this year, South Africa has been blessed with some of the most amazing live shows ever. From local legends to international superstars, here are a few of the most memorable live performances of the year.
Uncle Waffles at Hey Neighbour
Anywhere you may have seen this jewel of Eswatini would have been a valuable experience from as early in the year as the Boiler Room experiences to her set at Hey Neighbour. Backed by mesmerizing visuals and a troop of sharp backing dancers, Uncle Waffles uses her industry changing approach to DJing to captivate. Whether you think her approach is a gimmick or not, she has become very well rehearsed at delivering it and even though her specialty is dance music, you would not be berated for simply standing in the crowd and just starring at the precision she seemingly demonstrates.
Tight routines and tighter blends when she makes her way back behind the decks will see her remain a hot ticket next year.
Read more | A day to remember at Back To The City as 40 years of local hip hop was celebrated
Maphorisa at DStv Delicious
DJ Maphorisa is one of the most influential producers and DJs in South Africa, who has worked with an assortment of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Drake, Wizkid, Black Coffee and Major Lazer. He is also one half of the Scorpion Kings, along with Kabza De Small, who are known for being architects of amapiano. Maphorisa performed at the DStv Delicious International Food and Music Festival in September, where he delivered a stellar set that highlighted his versatility and talent. He played hit songs like Sponono, Lorch and Banyana and saw to it that the party ebbed and flowed on his command as a veteran should. Describing this set would be an injustice to how good it really was.
Kendrick Lamar at Hey Neighbour
Kendrick Lamar is one of the most acclaimed and influential rappers of all time, who has won multiple Grammy Awards, Pulitzer Prizes and Billboard Music Awards. He is known for his lyrical prowess, social commentary, and musical innovation. To have missed him at Hey Neighbour this month is to be mad that you did. The crowd roared along to every word of every song as he towered above them pictured on mammoth crystal clear screens. A performance that saw him and the stage shrouded in black and dark hues as he gave a phenomenal performance that included most of his classics from Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and an album that was in part inspired by SA culture, To Pimp a Butterfly.
This festival should be commended, and many would submit that a new standard for live productions was reached at Hey Neighboour.
Read more | Meet the brains trust behind the Hey Neighbour music festival
Sjava and Bug Zulu at Back to the City
This set did involve a fair amount of singing at the largest hip hop festival on the continent. That didn’t matter as the unifying power of their sound can’t be overlooked. The eldest people in the crowd engaged with their performance as vigorously as the youngest. They conducted the crowd as though the hoard was one living organism. They performed at the Back to the City festival in April, where they celebrated Freedom Day with their fans. They performed some of their hit songs off their joint album Inkabi Zezwe which has exceeded all expectations.
These are just some of the most memorable live performances of the year.
We would be remiss to not mention Cassper and Nasty C with their African Throne efforts along with newcomers who also happen to be among the most booked artists of the year, Skomota and Shebeshxt. We’ll be keeping a close eye on them in 2024.
