Pretoria - Award-winning artists like Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Shakira will share the stage at the 2010 FIFA World Cup celebration concert on 10 June which is billed as the greatest entertainment show in Africa.
Other artists that will take to the stage at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on the eve of the kick-off to the World Cup include Amadou & Mariam, Angelique Kidjo, BLK JKS, Juanes, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Toure and Vusi Mahlasela. The show is also expected to feature football legends and celebrities.
The historic music event, which is scheduled to begin at 8pm, will take place in front of a capacity stadium audience of 30 000 and will be broadcast to hundreds of millions more worldwide.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said they were thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude with talented musicians raising the curtain for the first World Cup in Africa.
"It is testament to the universal and unifying power of football and music, and will start the competition off on the right note... of celebration," he said.
FIFA has selected Emmy Award-winning producer Kevin Wall and his company Control Room to organise and produce the concert.
Control Room has masterminded some of the world's biggest and most complex events, such as Live Earth 2007, which featured 150 artists performing on seven continents over the course of 24 hours to raise awareness about climate change.
All proceeds will be donated to 20 Centres for 2010, the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, whose aim is to achieve positive social change through football by building 20 centres across Africa offering education, healthcare services and football training to disadvantaged communities.
Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime concert can be purchased as of Wednesday, either online at www.computicket.com or by telephone on (27) 083 915 8000.
Tickets are priced at R450 (Outer Circle standing), R650 (Inner Circle standing), R850 and R950 (Upper Level seated), and R1150 (Lower Level seated).
Ticket prices include VAT, Computicket charges and Park & Ride for all ticket holders.
