Gig Review: The Waterboys – Live at Marks Park, Emmarentia, Johannesburg
Reviewed by Matthew Nijland
After 40 years in the waiting, and a two-year-long delayed arrival due to the covid-19 pandemic, the legendary Waterboys have finally graced South African soil for the first time.
Following a hugely successful first show at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town on 25 November, the band ventured up to Marks Park, Emmarentia for the Johannesburg show two nights later.
The midday sun was beating down upon my arrival as the first opening act, Georgetown, belted out their signature folk-pop bangers. The band’s upbeat, feel-good vibe set a welcoming tone for the festival as excited concertgoers sprung up their sea of umbrellas and camping chairs in front of the stage. It’d been three years since I’d attended my last live outdoor show, and I’d forgotten how electric the atmosphere is. As expected, drinks were already flowing at the bar to ensure everyone stayed “hydrated” for the day’s events. I particularly enjoyed Georgetown’s folky rendition of “Living Thing” by the mighty Electric Light Orchestra.
Up next was a very cool SA “supergroup” of sorts, Southern Gypsey Queen. The band delivered a blistering rock ‘n roll set from the very first note, bringing the gritty musical attitude, banter and energetic injection needed to warm up the audience for the main event. This was my first time seeing the band, and I was impressed by how musically tight they are. Jaco Mans’ wah-wah and Whammy pedal guitar solos had my guitarist senses tingling with excitement, and seeing Andre Kriel and Gareth Bunge of The Black Cat Bones fame on stage with the band was also very cool. At this point, the rainclouds looming over the stage brought some much-needed shade and coolness, and people began to settle into the groove of the day with some even dancing to the music.
The crowd screamed with delight as one of SA’s greatest artists, Arno Carstens, took to the stage as the final opener. His instantly recognizable voice serenaded us as I bought one of Griekse Boertjie’s delicious pork belly shawarmas for lunch (It was so good I bought a second one after his set). I stood at the front of the stage to experience the local legend in action, in awe of how effortlessly cool he looks with aviators on (one female fan even screamed, “You sexy thing!”, during a talk break) and his incredible craft for songwriting. Arno and his band delivered an electrified-acoustic set of solo hits which had us singing and dancing along, including “Dreamer”, “Hole Heart”, “Another Universe”, “Tjoepstil” and my all-time favourite Springbok Nude Girls song, “Blue Eyes”.
I must also commend his incredibly versatile and talented bandmate, David Watkins, on his ripping trumpet solos while simultaneously playing the keys. Any musician knows multi-tasking is not easy and this man blew our collective minds! Arno touchingly expressed his gratitude to be opening for The Waterboys, reminiscing about when he was a 12-year-old boy in the Karoo listening to their album while on a tractor, wondering if the band had any idea how far-reaching and impactful their music was at the time.
Sure enough, The Waterboys’ music was about to impact us in-person as they finally took to the stage in the early overcast evening. They wasted no time breaking out their blues rock classics including “Strange Boat”, “All the Things She Gave Me” and “Glastonbury Song”, which got the psyched audience out of their seats as they grooved and sang along to Mike Scott’s distinctive raspy vocals and poetic lyrics.
To say the set was chock-full of standout moments is an understatement. Witnessing “Brother” Paul Brown shredding the meanest organ and keytar solos I’ve ever heard was an out-of-this-world experience (check out the video!). The keytar initially wasn’t coming through the PA, so the band deliberately and hilariously paused their performance to make sure the sound guys fixed the issue because “this solo is too good not to hear”. During another one of the band’s hits, “A Girl Called Johnny”, it briefly started to rain, which was a totally awesome movie-like moment to see people dancing to a rocking live band while drenched by the heavens. Guess you could say we all became literal “waterboys” ourselves in that moment!
When they broke out into their absolute classic, “The Whole of the Moon”, the crowd sang every single lyric at the top of their lungs and the mood became one of utter elation. This was the golden moment everyone was waiting for, and it felt like the vast majority of the audience were reliving their youth witnessing the song which they’ve heard countless times throughout their lives performed by the band themselves at last. It was magical and made it one of the most feel-good concerts I’ve ever attended.
The band delivered a non-stop string of other bangers including “Nashville, Tennessee” (a song about “Brother” Paul), “The Pan Within” and “Fisherman’s Blues” before teasingly walking off-stage to 10 minutes of, “We want more!” chants from the crowd. Upon their return, Mike came out playing a uniquely South African oil can guitar crafted by Township Guitars in Cape Town. As a musician, it was thrilling to see local instruments being sported by an internationally successful artist! After the band capped off the evening with their closing hit, “How Long Will I Love You”, we filed out of Marks Park with huge, satisfied smiles on our faces knowing we’d just witnessed something very special.
Thank you so much to BreakOut Events for inviting us and hosting an incredible event we’ll never forget!
EXCELLENT REVIEW BY MATT NIJLAND! I FELT
I WAS AT THE CONCERT WHEN I READ IT!!