Major League DJz draw crowd of 20 000 fans

Bandile and Banele Mbere, better known as Major League DJz, drew a crowd of about 20 000 revellers to the lawns of the national stadium just outside Soweto, Johannesburg, on Saturday.

The twins hosted the third instalment of their social festival, Major League Gardens, at the weekend, with an impressive line-up taking to the stage during the music festival.

At only R150 per ticket, the price proved affordability was key to attracting the predominantly 20-something-year-old crowd to the event.

One of the headlining acts at Major League Gardens was Cassper Nyovest. The media-reclusive hip-hop star is hard at work to ensure his #FillUpOrlandoStadium concert on October 29 is also a success. Last year, Nyovest became the first local artist to draw a crowd of 20 000 to his concert at the Ticketpro Dome in Randburg, north of Johannesburg. Usually only international acts manage to pull those figures.

Nyovest has been on a crusade to show that local musicians have the same pull as acts outside of Africa. Riky Rick, currently known under the moniker King Kotini, tweeted: “Thank you to all 20 000+ who came out to #MajorLeagueGardens. Black youth getting together to have a great time. I’m inspired by you.”

This was shortly after his set at the outside area of the FNB Stadium. It seems that the days where acts performed in small venues are gone. Local artists are using the warm spring and summer weather to their advantage, with many touring the country to meet fans in their communities.

On Saturday, AKA kicked off his Super Mega Show at the Shimy Beach Club in Cape Town. AKA’s Cape Town leg of his show follows the highly successful launch of his new Super Mega concept events at the Zone 6 Venue in Soweto, at which an unprecedented number of fans turned out and scores had to be turned away.

The Cape Town leg offered a VIP experience to fans, in which they could meet the star.