By BRUCE DENNILL
Let’s Rock: A Concert In The Park / Marks Park, Emmarentia, Johannesburg
Holding a music festival outside means being at the mercy of the elements to some degree, and during a prolonged rainy spell in Johannesburg, the eight hours of music curated for the Let’s Rock concert were frequently interrupted by short squalls. Happily, the rain did nothing to dampen the mood of a consistently enthusiastic crowd, meaning that every musician and band performing enjoyed positive feedback for the duration of their sets.
Kicking things off, Brent Harris and Thee Jam put in a mighty shift, playing their own trademark cover versions for a while before morphing into the backing band for a cast of world-class guest artists, each of whom played three of their own compositions plus a cover version their style fitted like a glove.
Franschhoek-based James Stewart hardly ever appears in Johannesburg and the hits from his old band The Usual, delivered in his clear, soulful voice, sounded as fresh as the day they were released. Given that The Usual shared guitarist Tom Fox with his (Fox’s) previous band Bright Blue, the choice of the latter outfit’s South African classic Weeping as the cover was inspired – and beautifully delivered.
Solo artist and former Clout member Cindy Alter, now enjoying US success after relocating to Nashville, came next, kicking off with Substitute and Save Me, the biggest hits from the mega-selling (10 million-plus albums) band Clout, she immediately forged a bond with the audience, one strong enough to play a new solo original next without the crowd energy dropping at all. Her closer was more impressive still – a power cover of Heart’s Barracuda in which she matches Ann Wilson’s astonishing top range, apparently without breaking a sweat.
John Ellis, having established a notable solo career taking in everything from protest rock to acoustic pop and roots music, recently returned to performing the music of Tree63, the Christian rock band with whom he topped the Billboard charts. Three of his songs were from that band’s back catalogue, including the evergreen Treasure, and a cover of eVoid’s Taximan matched the original for impact.
Closing out this multi-artist segment of the bill was PJ Powers, who stepped onto the stage already turned up to 10, with her renditions of Jabulani (by her old band Hotline), Feel So Strong and World In Union (essentially the official anthem of rugby World Cup competitions) filled with passion and vocal power that captivated equally wherever you were standing around the venue.
All of this talent in shorter, back-to-back bursts was more punch and arguably more enjoyable than the longer band slots to follow, with Just Jinjer (with the apparently unflagging Brent Harris still on drums) stretching out the radio versions of their many hits to allow for festival-friendly extended jams. Steve Louw’s Big Sky, the final South African act for the afternoon, showcased a set full of loping blues, with the audience rising to the hits One Cut With A Knife and Waiting For The Dawn.
Now 71, Midge Ure has enjoyed a career few can match for diffused influence, having been joined Thin Lizzy to replace Gary Moore – Ure’s guitar proficiencies soon become evident – turning down Malcolm McLaren’s invitation to join the Sex Pistols, fronting the classic line-up of Ultravox and being, along with Bob Geldof, the driving force behind Band Aid (he co-wrote Do They Know It’s Christmas), Live Aid and Live 8. He also has a number of major hits as a solo artist. For this set, performed with verve and dynamism underwritten by his still-powerful, Glasgow-accented voice, Ure and his band kept the tempo relatively high for most of the songs, including Dear God and Breathe, which are much emptier and emotive in their studio incarnations. The majestic Vienna – probably the highlight of the whole concert – was closer to its original considered pace, and has not aged a day in terms of the quality of the brilliance of its composition.
Headliner for the night was Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, the band for which he provided lead vocals for hits including Hold Me Now and Doctor! Doctor! His magnificent russet Eighties coiffure now a distinguished grey, Bailey’s new bad is an all-female outfit, with the entire ensemble all dressed in striking white outfits and the visual effect further heightened by vertical neon tube lights placed all over the stage. Bailey’s energy levels and engagement with the crowd remain upbeat, but in this show his singing was consistently pitchy. That didn’t, it must be said, seem to bother the bulk of the crowd, who sang along heartily with both the big hits and the deeper cuts.
