Ed Kowalczyk rocks SA fans
Last week – specifically Tuesday and Wednesday – was an exciting week for me, a die-hard Ed Kowalczyk fan, when I got to both meet the man and attend his performance at Carnival City.
Kowalczyk, known to many as the songwriter and former lead singer of the multi-platinum rock band, Live, spent four nights wowing Johannesburg and Cape Town crowds last week as part of his “An Evening with Ed Kowalczyk – Throwing Copper Unplugged 20th Anniversary Tour” where fans – young and not so young refused to let the musician leave the stage.
South Africa was his final stop on the tour and included two sold out performances in Carnival City’s Big Top Arena.
The show saw him perform an acoustic set covering this iconic album (Throwing Copper) which was released in 1994 as well as a handful of well-known hits from both his days with the band and his solo career.
While the venue is huge, the performance was intimate with fans in the front few rows getting more than they could have hoped for when Kowalczyk came down from the stage to mingle with his audience.
For one woman in the front row, the evening was all the more special when she got a chance to take a selfie with Ed as he walked through the crowd, stopping to pose for photos and shake hands, all while singing.
I can guarantee the high of “meeting” one of her musician icons will stay with her long after he has returned to the USA.
I know this because the day before his first show, I had the opportunity to meet one of my favourite singers at a press conference in Sandton.
Of course I took the opportunity to have my photo taken with the man whose music has been the soundtrack to much of my life – both the good and the bad.
During the conference he commented: “I’m so excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Throwing Copper in this new unplugged production,” and promised “Fans can expect to see and hear me like never before!”
He certainly did not disappoint.
While the show was seated, there was nothing sedate about the audience who sang along and cheered throughout, stopping only to demand more when he left the stage.
It was an energetic performance which brought the audience to their feet and proved that the man has lost none of his stage presence or charisma over the past 21 years performing.
Unlike Live performances in which the band filled the stage, this show saw Kowalczyk and his guitar player Zach Loyd alone on stage.
They were “joined” by a slide show of interesting videos and photos which were projected onto a screen behind the duo for the duration of the show.
This extra space on stage, however, did nothing to dilute the amazing performance.
This is the third time I have seen Kowalczyk live – twice as part of Live and now as a solo artist and I can honestly say that he keeps getting better and more exciting to watch.
