Killers rock the valley
2009-12-10
Lise Beyers
PAARL can be proud to say that it joined the ranks of some of the great cities of the world, having hosted the top rock band, the Killers, on its doorstep on Sunday evening. Almost 20 000 music lovers descended upon the valley on Sunday afternoon, making this the biggest single music event to have ever been staged in the area. And it was truly worth the wait. This Las Vegas based band truly rocked the socks off concert-goers. From the very beginning they had the crowd gyrating with their recent hit-single “Human”, with many more to follow. Lead singer and keyboard player Brandon Flowers, never skipped a beat, offering a flawless and highly energetic performance. Band members Mark Stoermer (bass), Dave Kenning (lead guitar) and drummer Ronnie Vannucci accompanied Flowers with true professionalism, not allowing him to outshine them entirely. Favourites such as Bones, When you were Young, All These Things I’ve Said and Done and Mr Brightside echoed from the mountains which surround Val de Vie Estate. And the crowd often joined in with Flowers’ song, especially when he sang an extract from the Elvis classic, Falling in Love with You. Val de Vie is truly a superb setting for a rock concert, and hopefully many more will be held here in the future. The before and aftermath were however marred by traffic and parking problems, but according to organisers, Big Concerts, outdoor events of this size, in particular those hosted in a country setting with limited road access and infrastructure, are subject to challenging logistical arrangements. Appeals to the public to share transport were evidently not heeded and cars were parked as far away as Paarl South. This traffic problem is to be seriously addressed by the organisers, as Elton John is scheduled to perform here in March. But for this old rocker, the traffic woes were a small price to pay for a great show.
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