Pretoria - It promises to be the mother of all parties; it's happening in our country and the world is invited!
Organisers of the FIFA pre-kickoff celebration concert have promised that the curtain raiser to the 2010 FIFA football spectacle, which gets rocking this evening at Orlando Stadium, will be nothing short of "the party of the decade."
The cold Gauteng winter is not going to stand in the way of the thousands of revelers who will start making their way to the stadium this afternoon to party with the likes of popular United States R&B singer John Legend, Nigeria's Angelique Kijo, Shakira, Hugh Masekela, the Black Eyed Peas, Vusi Mahlasela, Freshly Ground, Lira, the Soweto Gospel Choir, rock band the Parlotones, Alicia Keys and the Black Jack, among others.
And for those around the world not so fortunate to be there, the concert will be broadcast live from 8pm. It's the first of this magnitude to be organized by FIFA.
Several roads leading to the stadium are expected to be closed to the general public in anticipation of the scores of buses that will be ferrying people from Nasrec to the concert venue from 2pm.
Organisers of the concert on Wednesday vowed to put together a party even bigger than the Academy Awards. Several players, including a "well-known" Bafana Bafana star, will act as presenters and will introduce the artists and performances.
Several of the top international artists who will be performing were paraded at Soccer City Stadium on Wednesday and have all promised to put on a stunning performance.
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Legend described the feeling of performing at the concert associated with Africa's first soccer world cup as "a dream come true" for him. "I'm very excited. It's hard to describe the feeling, you know. The great thing about music is that it brings people together. Music is a universal language and sports are universal and it's only fitting that we do this concert," Legend said.
Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas said: "We love football and we love music and coming here means so much to us; it means the world," he said.
For Freshly Ground's Zolani, working with the superstar Shakira on their collaboration has been unforgettable. They plan to drive Orlando Stadium wild. "It's going to be fantastic. We are so looking forward to do the collaboration with Shakira in our own country. It's going to be wonderful."
The concert starts at 4pm and those attending have been urged to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion. And don't forget to don your winter woolies!
