The Sugar Man made his return to South African soil last week. Rodriguez is a legend here in Mzansi so it’s no wonder that the singer has performed a variety of sold out shows over the past few days and still has a few more to play this week.
I attended the Johannesburg show on the 27th of January and, in all honestly, I was super disappointed with his performance. Opening act Alice Phoebe Lou has a really sweet voice but is super ditzy. It almost felt as if she was just thrown in the deep end here and was trying her hardest not to drown on the big stage. There was even a point where she turned to the side, saw herself on the screen and said “Whoa! I look really big on that screen. Sorry!” Her set was okay and fitted in with Rodriguez’s style but she didn’t hype me up at all.
Rodriguez, unfortunately, also disappointed me. Sure, I understand the guy is 73-years-old, but the show, for me, was very slow. Firstly, he isn’t as powerful as he used to be and at that age, it’s expected. His voice was often croaky and it lost the X factor that made him so popular. He still sang the hits but I do think, since his voice has been taking strain lately, he isn’t able to put on the show his audience expects.
The show didn’t flow either. After each track the audience was left waiting about a minute while Rodriguez and his band discussed their plans for the next song. A minute doesn’t sound long but those 60 seconds after each song really became annoying after a few songs.
That being said, for fans of the singer, this was really a nostalgic performance. Rodriguez played the hits that made him famous and, ultimately, seeing this legend live is really one to tick off the bucket list.
Were you at the show? Let me know what you thought of Rodriguez’s performance!
Pics: Big Concerts
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El, the mere fact the man had to be escorted onto the stage and then guided to the mic is evident enough how old he is and how he even battles to see. What did you expect from a man who is that old. Did you expect him to jump up and down strumming his guitar LOL?
Of course not. Just like with Roxette the lead singer, who is battling an illness, also sat throughout the show. I don’t think he gives a good show. It seemed VERY unrehearsed and the vocals were just not on par for a touring artist in my opinion.