Calabash South Africa rocked The Calabash Stadium
"We ain't gonna sleep all weekend".. that's The Motto, and exactly that happened, as Johannesburg played host to chart topping local and international artists at the inaugural Calabash South Africa music festival.
Photo Credits Ziyaad Plaatjes
The Calabash South Africa Festival which kicked off in Cape Town on 31 January 2024, ended in Johannesburg on 03 February 2024 at the famous Calabash Stadium - the FNB Stadium in Soweto.
Local artists on the line-up included Timo ODV, Shekhinah, Lloyiso, and Will Linley. While international acts Ava Max, Meduza, Keane, and Maroon 5 took to the stage along side them.
The crowd of over 40 000 fans sang along to their favourite hits from the popular musicians from 4pm until midnight.
Ava Max who apparently had a wardrobe malfunction and wore her ensemble from lunch (which we didn’t notice), had the crowd jumping up and down with her hits Kings and Queens, My Head & My Heart, and Who's Laughing Now from her debut album Heaven & Hell, which was released in 2020.
Her second studio album which dropped in 2023, Diamonds & Dancefloors was also featured with songs like Maybe You're The Problem and Million Dollar Baby.
Ava didn't forget about her popular collaborations like The Motto with Dutch DJ, Tiësto, and her latest single Whatever with Norwegian DJ, Kygo, which incidently made it the second time she performed this song live - the first being at the Cape Town leg of the Calabash South African Tour. Her 45 minute act came to an end with her first single Sweet But Psycho.
Italian electronic music group Meduza kept the crowd entertained with their beats, before handing over the stage to South African sensation, Lloyiso who captivated the audience with his melodious tunes while he performed his hits Real Love and Run.
Tom Chaplin and his Alternative Rock Band Keane who performed golden oldies like Everybody's Changing and Somewhere Only We Know from their 2004 Hopes and Fears album, as well as Is It Any Wonder which came of their 2006 album Under the Iron Sea. Fans also sang along to songs like Sovereign Light Cafe from their 2012 album Strangeland.
22 year old South African Will Linley tore up the stage in his 25 minute set with an energy that left the audience begging for more. He performed back-to-back singles from his 2022 album Kill All My Feelings and his latest (2023) album Magic. The young artist closed with the song that made him famous, Miss Me (when you're gone), which was apt because the crowd did miss him when he was gone.
Not for long though, because the act that everyone was waiting for Maroon 5, definitely gave fans their money's worth.
With the longest set of about 1 and a half hours Adam Levine, James Valentine and the rest of Maroon 5 managed to perform most of their chart-toppers from their over 20 year career.
They opened with Moves Like Jagger from their 2010 album Hands All Over and performed at least one song from each their 7 studio albums:
Songs About Jane (2002),
It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007),
Hands All Over (2010),
Overexposed (2012),
V (2014),
Red Pill Blues (2017),
Jordi (2021)
The audience soaked up their favourite hits like Payphone, Sugar, One More Night, This Love, Stereo Hearts, What's Lovers Do, Girl Like You, Makes Me Wonder, and Memories, with a closing act of the ever popular She Will Be Loved.
Adam Levine mentioned that he was not feeling well before the show but the energy that he felt from the crowd and the way everyone was singing each word of their songs put him in high spirits, so much so that it looked like he didn't want to leave the stage by the end of the night.
Event organisers Big Concerts have announced that there will be a 2025 edition of The Calabash South Africa Festival and the line-up will be released during the coming months.
Ziyaad Plaatjes is the Co-Founder of iloveza.com & Let's Torque ZA, the Founder of the After Fajr Grind Academy, a Radio Host for the longest running award-winning Motoring show in South Africa - Bumper2Bumper on Cii Radio, and a Brand South Africa Play Your Part Ambassador, who was named one of Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in the Arts, Entertainment, Film & Media Category.
He is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours graduate and has been running businesses since the age of 13. Ziyaad is a social media fundi and content creator, but has taken on many roles in various industries over the years. With his entrepreneurial skills and vast knowledge he assists individuals and businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
Find him at: Instagram: @ziyaad_86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii X: @ziyaad86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii Facebook: iloveza.com / Let's Torque ZA LinkedIn: Ziyaad Plaatjes / iloveza.com YouTube: iloveza.com SoundCloud: iloveza.com TikTok: @ilovezacom / @b2bcii Threads: @ilovezacom iono.fm: Bumper2Bumper Hashtags: #AfterFajrGrind #iloveza❤️🇿🇦 #LetsTorqueZA #B2BCii #WheresDaddyZA E-mail: ziyaad@iloveza.com
