Songs for Japan album now available

Musicians are coming out in their droves to help the people of Japan, as they try to recover from the tragic earthquake and tsunami that struck the country earlier this month. In addition to Gwen Stefani donating a $1million in relief aid, some of the world’s biggest artists have come together to create and album called “Songs for Japan”. Funds raised from this sales of this album will be to the Japanese Red Cross. The artists include the likes of Lady Gaga, Rihanna, U2, John Lennon, Madonna and many many more. The album can be downloaded from the iTunes store at just $9.99 (www.itunes.com/songsforjapan). Pity we don’t have iTunes in South Africa… Just saying.

The “Songs for Japan” track listing features an all-star lineup:

1. John Lennon “Imagine”
2. U2 “Walk On”
3. Bob Dylan “Shelter From The Storm”
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Around The World”
5. Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
6. Beyonce “Irreplaceable”

U2 Fever grips SA

Over 98 000 people got to experience the U2 360 Degree tour to Johannesburg, South Africa last week Sunday. Tomorrow is Cape Town’s chance to experience the magic, the spectacle and the mind-blowing concert. Now a lot of people won’t be able to make the show in CT and a lot of people missed out in Jozi, so if you’re in either predicament or you just feel like reliving the concert again, be sure to check this out. DStv.com will be audio streaming the concert on Friday on the site. In addition to it going out in and around South Africa, the following other countries will be able to stream it too:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkino Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comores, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For more information, click here and you can see the video I did at the stadium last week Friday here.

U2 360 Degree tour- FNB Stadium 13/02/2011

Last night I made my way to the FNB Stadium (more affectionately known as Soccer City) for the U2 360 Degree tour. Now, on Friday I brought you some of the images ahead of the big show, but nothing compares to what I experienced last night. U2 is incredible. Read more about my experience below:

4pm- We left Fourways, Jozi with more then enough time to get to the stadium, find a descent parking space and witness the magic of the stadium and the biggest concert we’ve ever experienced. We were told that we would need to give ourselves a lot longer, 2-3 hours to get there. It took us a whole fifteen minutes to get there. When we arrived, other patrons had set up their braais, skottels, the camper chairs. The boots were blaring different U2 tracks and the alcoholic beverages were flowing nicely. The vibe was really great.

5pm- we made our way through to the stadium, where we were meeting a couple of other friends. The Heineken beer tent was pumping and the crowds just kept coming from all different directions. Buses were arriving in their droves, the train came in from town and there were a couple of limos arriving too. It’s always great to do some people watching.

Pics: U2 360 Degree tour

94.7 Highveld Stereo has been rocking their own, mine 360 degree stage for the last two weeks. They’ve got some of their listeners to hop on the stage to give their best rendition of some of the U2 classics. While most of the singing was kak, props have to go out to them for their efforts. Speaking of props, big up to the Highveld peops for hooking us up with a first look of ‘The Claw’. We headed through to the FNB Stadium earlier to catch a glimpse of it. For those of you who have been to what we all prefer to call it, Soccer City, you’ll know how big that stadium is, but one thing that can make it look small has to be the U2 stage. It’s massive. 68 metres wide, 36 metres high! Maybe some of these pics will do it justice…

A view from the middle of the stadium.

It looks like a “fokken prawn” from District 9.

I’ve got some video, which I’ll upload soonest. This concert is gonna be epic! If you don’t have tickets then visit Computicket’s website now. They’ve just released a couple of hundred more! Thanks Highveld for the rocking experience!

U2 360 Tour- All you need to know

You excited? You ready to rock out with U2 next weekend? Well this whole week you’ve seen the 94.7 Highveld Stereo Transportable stage floating around the greater Gauteng area and if you haven’t won tickets this week, be sure to follow all the #U2Highveld action here

Now you’re probably starting to make plans as to how you’ll get there, when you need to get there, what time things will get going etc. So here’s a detailed list courtesy of Big Concerts:

Show Date: Sunday, 13th February 2011
Venue: FNB Stadium
City: Johannesburg
Gates Open: 16:30

Amadou and Marium: 20:00
Springbok Nude Girls: 20:45
U2: 21:30

BEFORE THE CONCERT
Where do I collect my Red Zone Tickets?
All Red Zone ticket holders must pick up their tickets and wristbands starting at noon at the Red Zone box office window which is conveniently located outside the stadium.

If I bought my tickets through the U2 Pre-Sale where do I collect them from?
The delivery and collection of pre-sale tickets purchased via U2.com shall be arranged directly with you. All customer inquiries should be directed to eTix directly by filling out a support form on our website. This form can be accessed directly by visiting:
http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/help2.jsp

Can I get into the inner Circle if I have a general standing ticket?
Yes, starting at 7:00 am fans will be permitted to queue in the general admission line-up. Entry into the inner circle is on a first come, first served basis and there will be a clearly defined entry process for the safety and ease of fans.

Can I purchase tickets at the Stadium?
It is likely that this event will be SOLD OUT, in which case there will be NO tickets available from purchase at the stadium box office. To be certain, visit www.computicket.com where you can purchase a ticket prior to the show.

Can I resell my tickets or use it for commercial purposes such as advertising, promotional competitions or to promote the sales of other goods and services?
Tickets cannot be resold or offered for resale (including on-line auction sites) or used for commercial purposes including advertising, promotional competions, or to promote the sales of other goods and services. If this condition is breached the ticket may be cancelled without refund and the bearer of the ticket may be refused entry.

Is it safe to buy someone else’s tickets?
In order to be certain that your ticket is not conterfeit/fake you should purchase it directly from Computicket only. Our security staff are trained in spotting counterfeits, and even though you might believe that you purchased a legitimate ticket from a tout/friend/gumtree you might find yourself denied entry into the venue (without a refund), or even arrested for possession of a fake ticket voucher.

If the tickets are lost or stolen will they be replaced?
Should you have lost or misplaced your ticket, please contact Computicket customer service PRIOR to the show date. Tickets are considered legal tender and as such we cannot replace or refund lost or stolen tickets at the venue.

GETTING TO THE CONCERT
The traffic management plan to the stadium will broadly replicate that used during the Soccer World Cup. Gates will open at 16:30 and the show will start on time. As the transport and entry systems will be pressured with this very large crowd, fans are strongly encouraged to allow enough transport and entry time so as not to miss any of the show.

You, too can win tickets to U2

All you need to do is sing better than some of of these special Joburgers. Haha! All in the name of fun and 94.7 Highveld Stereo‘s build up to the U2 360 concert next weekend. Remember if you haven’t got your tickets yet and you’re hoping to be at the FNB Stadium next Sunday, then follow the updates on Twitter using the hashtag #U2Highveld and you can check them up on Facebook too. Those networks, together with the constant on-air updates, will give you an idea of where the transportable stage is in Gauteng. Keep up-to-date with all of those updates for your chance to win… and I’ll keep posting the good, the bad and the dreadful singers – for your entertainment!

94.7 getting ready for U2 next week

One of the biggest bands in the world is returning to South African shores – and that all happens next week. U2 kick off their 360° Tour in SA at the FNB Stadium. This will be their first concert in SA in over a decade. You can thank 94.7 Highveld Stereo for hooking this up. I am thankful, grateful so Highveld!

So the guys and girls from Highveld are gearing up for this massive event by counting down the hours (+-320 to go) and they’re getting you involved too. Today, they unveiled their transportable stage, which has already hit the streets. Look it’s not as big as the 360 stage you’ll get to see in Jozi next weekend, but hey it’ll do for now The stage will be traveling around the Gauteng area up until the 11th of February. I’ll give you all the deets as to how you can track it down in a bit. The reason you’ll want to track it down? Well, you stand a chance of winning some massive prizes. I’ve already had a few people asking me if I can hook them up with tickets. I’m not Computicket, but I can give you a heads up on how you can win tickets to the concert, plus some other wicked prizes too.

Track Highveld’s transportable stage down in the following ways:
Twitter
Facebook

You can also see what went down at the various venues the stage lands on by checking out Highveld’s YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/947highveldstereo. You know this is one concert you’re not going to want to miss. I’ll be adding some of the funny, desperate souls to my blog in the countdown to this event, proudly brought to you by Big Concerts, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 8-Ta

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GUY? Well he just won tickets to go and see U2 live at the FNB stadium next weekend. He looks like a mashup between Bono and Graeme Smith, not so?

Springbok Nude Girls; Mariam and Amandou to support U2

Big Concerts and Live Nation announced this morning that the South African Leg of U2’s 360° Tour will be sponsored by 8ta, the mobile brand powered by Telkom. They also announced who will be touring alongside the rockers come February next year. It’s none other than the Springbok Nude Girls and African stars Mariam and Amadou. They two musical outfits will perform alongside U2 on both legs of the South African tour in February 2011.

It’ll be good to see the Nudies on stage again. As for Mariam and Amandou, you’ll recognize them if you watched the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration concert earlier this year. They hail from Mali As far as I can remember, they were really good so let’s see how they get on come February next year. Tour dates are as follows:

Sunday – February 13th, 2011 – Johannesburg (Gauteng) – FNB Stadium
Friday – February 18th, 2011 – Cape Town (Western Cape) – Cape Town Stadium

Tickets in both cities are still available through Computicket (www.computicket.com or 083915800).

Big Concerts responds to pricing structure concerns for disabled concert fans

17 December 2010 – In response to the Press Release issued by the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) on the 13th December 2010 regarding the pricing structure of tickets for the U2 360° Tour at Soccer City, the local tour organisers, Big Concerts have agreed to institute the following concessions for disabled concert fans for both the Johannesburg and Cape Town performances:
• Fans in wheelchairs or otherwise in need of mobility assistance will be provided with a second concert ticket at no charge in order that they can be assisted into and out of the stadium with the help of a caregiver or companion. Those fans that have already purchased tickets, can simply visit any Computicket outlet from 09:00am on Tuesday 21st December 2010 in order that they can either obtain the free companion ticket, or secure a full refund on a companion ticket already purchased.
• A platform for disabled fans shall be constructed on the field area in order to provide a lower priced option for those people who wish either not to sit in the stands, or for those who require a ticket at a more affordable price. The ticket price for this area shall be R401.00 inclusive, and these will be available from 09:00am on Tuesday 21st December 2010. A companion ticket shall also be provided on this platform at no additional price to those fans requiring the assistance of a caregiver.
• Disabled fans currently holding tickets, but who wish to trade these for access to the field platform, shall be refunded the difference in price of their original ticket and the platform ticket. In order to effect this change, the ticket holder is simply required to visit any Computicket outlet from 09:00am on Tuesday 21st December 2010.
• Due to a limitation in the number of tickets available, all categories of tickets are sold and allocated on a ‘first-come-first served’ basis.
Big Concerts agree with QASA’s assertion that concert venues should provide seating for wheelchair fans at all levels, and to this end Big Concerts shall engage the venue operators in order to seriously consider this issue in light of future concerts. Attie van Wyk, CEO of Big Concerts responded that “We are committed to understanding and meeting the needs of disabled concert fans, and we dissociate ourselves completely from the unfortunate and regrettable comment made by Graham Cunningham, an independent contractor to Big Concerts, in an internal email which he inadvertently copied to QASA. Graham has personally apologized directly to QASA for this. To suggest that Big Concerts is party to this comment and that we have insulted disabled people, is incorrect and without foundation.”

Kings Of Leon tickets on sale now

So by now you know the big news… If you don’t let me enlighten you. The Kings of Leon are on their way to South Africa. The group will headline two huge headline stadium shows in March next year. The tour, presented by Nokia and 5fm, in association with Big Concerts is scheduled for Cape Town Stadium (on the 24th March 2011) and FNB Stadium (on the 27th March 2011). Start learning the songs from their new album, Come Around Sundown and you can get that album for just R60 at the Ovi Music store now.

Tickets go on sale this morning, so be sure to get to Computicket at 9am! You snooze, trust me you will lose! Those dates again:

· Thursday 24th March 2011, Cape Town Stadium
· Sunday, 27th March 2011, FNB Stadium

This is going to be epic and sjoe, how’s our new year looking for concerts: Roxette, Neil Diamond, U2 and now the Kings Of Leon. Radical! 2011, I love you already!