The nice thing about concerts in the park is the fact that it is a comfortable setting. You are able to make yourself at home on the grass, lay out your picnic and enjoy the artist.
Not me.
The moment Michael Rosenberg took to the stage, I vacated my picnic blanket, discarded my Oreos and bolted to the foot of the stage – a surprisingly easy feat given the fact that the sold out venue held 6000 people – to join the huddle of more avid fans. This being a truly spectacular vantage point, what with having Passenger a mere two meters away from you.
He then proceeded to play the final show of his Whispers tour. And boy was it worth the 600km journey and increasingly stressful transport arrangements.
It was an entirely acoustic performance, simply him and his guitar, which made it all the more exceptional. He played an assortment of songs, both from Whispers and All the Little Lights, interspersed with the fascinating stories behind the songs as well as hilarious self-deprecating jokes which had the audience in stitches.
He also held an incredible sway over the crowd, bought by friendly quips and a way of interacting that befriended and welcomed everyone present. Never before have I seen a musician capable in keeping 6000 people entirely silent for one song, and jumping up and down for the next.
He played a tear-jerking rendition of ‘Riding to New York’, after explaining the story of the old man with a cigarette and a motorcycle behind it. He seemed genuinely moved by our silence and respect for the song. This was shortly followed by wildly danceable performances of ’27’ and ‘The Wrong Direction’.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrCoiu5Fd4I]
There were also flawless renditions of his widely known songs, ‘Let Her Go’, ‘Life’s For The Living’ and – one of my personal favourites – a wonderfully interactive performance of ‘I Hate’, which had the entire audience shouting along passionately.
He made various requests of us throughout the show, a memorable one being for us to put away any cameras and recording devices for the performance of ‘Scare Away The Dark’ in order for everyone to fully appreciate the music as it was – fleeting and beautiful. However, some of his requests were taken a little too seriously by the more hardcore fans. When he jokingly asked us to start removing our clothes for the following song, a man in the seventh row leapt to attention and was almost down to his underwear by the time Mike noticed. A girl just behind me succeeded in removing her bra, and proceeded to swing it around her head for the further duration of the show.
His performance drew to an abrupt and untimely close and this resulted in the massive audience demanding an encore with increasingly hoarse voices. A solid 5 minutes of chanting later, Mike bounded back onto stage – apparently cowed by our insistency at his return. He proceeded to play two more songs. Then, seeming truly grateful and astounded at the support he was receiving, Passenger departed with a final wave and the emblematic raising of his guitar.
His performance was highly entertaining, extremely well orchestrated and surprisingly intimate given the large venue. This is certainly a musician I would pay see live again and the gorgeous setting – deep within the Kirstenbosch gardens, with a canvas-like backdrop of the sun setting over Table Mountain – made the experience all the more unique.
Words by Skye
@SkyeAylaMallac