Avicii's Cape Town Performance!

31 March 2012

Our first proper day in Cape Town dawned, and we spent most of the daylight hours in Canal Walk. Ordinarily I think this should have been a dream come true for a shopaholic such as myself. That being said, I was not allowed to dwell on those shops I would usually frequent and was instead dragged by my two male counterparts into every electronics and camping store we passed. After nodding politely about the usefulness of some or other gadget for the fiftieth time, I made my excuses and headed on a solitary expedition of the vast mall to find a wedding gift for my brother. Finally settling on a silvercandlestick pair and vase, I made my way back to the boys. Surprise, surprise, I found them waiting their turn in a long que extending from a race track simulator. Once Simon had had his chance to take on the racetrack Luke rewarded me for my monumental patience by introducing me to Kauai – a fast food restaurant that is healthy! Wraps, gourmet sandwiches, salads…I was in heaven. Naturally Simon and Luke decided that their lunch should come from McDonalds, seeing as we have no McDonalds in Grahamstown *rolls eyes*. 

Our shopping mission accomplished, Luke and I parted ways with Simon at his house for the night. Our evening plans consisted of ThunderCity where Avicii was holding a show. Meeting up with an old school friend at 17.00PM, Carmen and her friend, we made our way into the Golden Circle (R450 a ticket) and claimed a space right at the front of the stage. 

As the night went on this prime spot grew increasingly difficult to keep, and on more than one occasion I found myself thinking extremely rude thoughts towards the people constantly trying to take my space. I have to admit that my appreciation for electronic music doesn’t run far, but when Goldfish took the stage all misgivings on my part were put aside. Their stage performance was unbelievable, and for an hour I forgot that my legs were aching from standing for five hours, that I was at the mercy of a crowd of sweaty bodies, and that I dared not move from my hard won place to grab a drink for fear I might never get it back. 

When their portion of the night was ended to make way for DJ Fresh, all my energy left me. I cannot express how much I detest DJ Fresh, and when he went on for longer than his hour slot due to Avicii being late (he had played in Joburg that afternoon) a rage began brewing within me. At long last, Avicii came on stage nearing 01.00AM and the excitement for him was such that there was a huge surge in the crowd as the masses made a new bid to be at the stage front. The press of people was so intense that Carmen was crushed against the fence and we were forced to give up our spaces after his first few songs for fear of being trampled. 

Besides that, Avicii lived up to expectations and created an incredible vibe that inspired the feet and filled the heart, and although we were no longer at the front we realised that being in Golden Circle meant you could move into the emptier spaces at the back and still be able to see the young DJ and appreciate his music. We were even close enough to notice that the very blonde teenager behind the turntables was also very sunburnt. Clearly the South African sun had proven too fierce for his fair Swedish skin. Ending the night at the Road Lodge my mum had thoughtfully booked for us not 5 minutes’ drive from Thunder City, we collapsed into bed with legs that were numb, necks that were aching, and a smile on each of our faces.