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The 46664 Show
The usual activities backstage before the show (someone had found a local guitar made from an oilcan - David
had to try it out.)
Audience was arriving fast, and early - obviously this would be a very big turnout.
Many artists around backstage - including Zucchero, whose tent was right next to ours.
Near 7pm and the start of the show, the audience filled in, and grew quite excited about Beyonce's upcoming performance.
After her songs, quite a few other groups played - I went out in the audience for some of it
but soon had to be back to get ready for our part of the show.
Hooray, my robe arrived literally as we were leaving the dressing room to go onstage. It had gotten delayed in Johannesberg, been
flown in and brought by courier directly from the airport to the show.
Okay, I could have played fine without it, but after all the
fuss finding the shipment, it would have been a drag to have it arrive right after the show!
Excitement in the stage wings before going on
And then we hit the stage
Started out with Yusuf Islam's piece, Wild World
Then, as the skies darkened, we began In Your Eyes with guest singers Youssou N'Dour and Angelique Kidjo.
Night had fallen quickly - now came Biko, a piece with special resonance in Steven Biko's homeland of South Africa - and which Peter hadn't performed here before.
It seemed the audience also had been looking forward to this moment. I know I had.
This time, after the opening drone, the Soweto Gospel Choir began singing a piece in their native language.
And the magic was clear.
"The rest," he said, "is up to you"
Alas we had only the three songs to do - lots of other performers on this night.
I only got into the audience for a bit, and had to see most of the rest, even Nelson Mandela's speech, on the monitors backstage.
It was an amazing night, and an experience audience and performers won't ever forget.
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