MBOMBELA – If you were a live music lover in the 2000s, chances are Blue Moon played a momentous role in your life. It was widely regarded as the best live music venue in the country, and its heartbeat started with Anthony Bumstead.

He passed away on Saturday morning. 

Many will remember him as the Blue Moon founder in colourful tights and a bucket hat, in the front row, but those closest to him will always remember the man with the stories, who believed in magic, the “eccentric genius who always had his finger on the pulse of local music,” as Akkedis said. “Whenever Anthony and Piet Botha were together, they were like two teenagers, laughing and reminiscing about a lifetime of memories.” 

Anthony loved to play tricks on those around him. “He once orchestrated an entire fake wedding for his son, Oliver, by the river at Up the Creek,” said his close friend Annie “Mango” Henning. “All 2 000 festivalgoers fell for it.”

This was typical Anthony. He lived to make people laugh and he was a true friend, one who paid attention. “He was a romantic at heart and a true flirt, but he always listened to every detail of a conversation and remembered it,” said Mango. “He could talk about anything, and he did – almost annoyingly so. No topic was taboo or off the cards. He was a music lover, a fisherman, a tree and plant man. You could ask him anything on a hike about any plant and he would even give you the scientific name. We always said he was too clever for his own good.”

Lowvelder, friend and fellow music lover Werner Botha started his career in the music world under Anthony’s wing. “He was a legend, a character, and he was a second father to me. The last time I saw Ant in June, we went on a hike in the mountains, where he pointed out and named every plant. He’d just discovered Spotify, at the age of 69, and confessed that there simply isn’t, nor has there ever been, a better musician than Piet Botha.”

His old friend, musician and Blue Moon event organiser, Conrad Jamneck said Bumstead cannot be described in only a few words. “The crazier and madder he made me, the more I loved him, and the more he taught me, the more I loved him even more. He always knew how to save a situation. Whenever we had an emergency at a festival, like the threat of a stage being flooded, I would always ask myself ‘what would Anthony Bumstead do?’, and that always saved the party.”

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Frank and Chan Guy, two of his most treasured friends, will never forget how things in Anthony’s life sometimes had to go terribly wrong to make a good story. This was effectively known as “Anthony’s sideshow”. “All his ex-girlfriends and ex-wives would bump into one another at a Bruce Springsteen show, yet they will all sit together and still remain close friends.” When Frank first started going to music festivals, he’d be dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, but five years later he only went in tights, fairy lights, glitter, hats and waistcoats. • “Now dressing up is a yearly thing and all thanks to Anthony,” Frank said. Social media was aflame this week with tributes from musicians, including Wonderboom. “Thank you for playing such a huge role in our lives and believing in us, sometimes more than we did in ourselves. We will miss your passion, your vision, your genuine care and your infectious spirit. This world is a lesser place without you.”

Anthony is survived by his children, Oliver, Tivan and Sabine. He has left an unfillable void in the South African music scene and will be remembered by all the musicians who owe him their careers.

Hamba kahle, Anthony. We’ll see you backstage after the show.

Photos by Belia Oh Photography, Jessica Botha, Marlet van Wetten and Christine Rossouw.