2009 International Tour Dates - Dan Shout (with Johnny Clegg)

[Pete (RIP)]

Johnny Clegg

May 2009 - MOROCCO

Sunday 17 May - Festival Mawazine Rythmes du Monde, Rabat

May 2009 - AUSTRALIA

Thursday 21 May - Perth - Perth Convention Exhbition Centre (2500 seats)

Monday 25 May - Melbourne - Palais Theatre (1800 seats)

Tuesday 26 May - Sydney - Sydney State Theatre (2000 seats)

Thursday 28 May - Brisbane - OPAC Concert Hall (1800 seats)

MAY 2009 - NEW ZEALAND

Saturday 30 May - Wellington - St James Theatre (1560 seats)

June 2009 - NEW ZEALAND

Monday 01 June - Auckland - Auckland Town Hall (1529 seats)

June 2009 - EUROPE

Saturday 13 June - Pardon de la Batellerie - Parc du Prieuré, Conflans Sainte Honorine  (France)

Tuesday 16 June - Grand Casino de Bâle, Basel (Switzerland)

Thursday 18 June - Festival de Blagnac,  (France)

Sunday 21 June - Le Printemps des Comédiens, Montpellier (France)

July 2009 - SOUTH AFRICA

Saturday 04 July - Innesbos Festival, Nelspruit (South Africa)

July 2009 - EUROPE

Saturday 11 July - Colours of Ostrava, Ostrava (Czech Republic)

Thursday 16 July - Montjoux Festival, Thonon-les-Bains (France)

Saturday 18 July - Feestival Km 106 "Carnets de voyage", Portes les Valence (France)

On-line bookings for European dates at www.caramba.fr

Further updates will be posted as they arise.

[Michael Alexander]

Pete, any idea what size crowd they expect at the French gigs?

[Pete (RIP)]

Hi Mike ~

It depends very much on the event, what type of funding is behind it and whether the venue is indoors or outdoors.  If it's indoors it would be standard theatre size, anything between 1500 - 5000 seaters.  Most of their European concerts, however, are outdoors (taking full advantage of the European summer months).  The majority of outdoor concerts in France are sponsored by the respective municipality or local authority so, for Mr Citizen, they're free. 

The biggest crowd they've played to in the three-and-a-half years Dan's been with them, was 100 000 at Bastille Day in 2007.  Dan says that, no matter how much experience you have as a performer, "getting your head around" a live audience of 100 000 people takes some doing!!   On such occasions there are, of course, other artists on the bill so they are probably not all there to see a particular band or artist.    Most outdoor gigs in Europe pull crowds of between 10 000 - 20 000.   I'm pleased to say that Oranjemunders, past and present, do manage to get to some of these concerts (although Dan wouldn't usually know it unless he was informed of their presence).   

On the other hand, they have done performances/interviews on radio shows in France where the listenership is said to reach up to 4 000 000 people!  You may be interested to know that, in their concerts in France, Johnny Clegg addresses the audiences in French.  I don't think he'd claim to be the fluent French speaker around but he's more than good enough to get by!  On his last album (One Life) he did his first French-Zulu crossover song called "Faut Pas Baisser Les Bras"!!   I don't know what that means so don't even ask me!!

[Patricia Lotte]

Pete, any idea what size crowd they expect at the French gigs?

Hey Mike, you'd be surprised how popular Johnny Clegg is in France. He represents the 'new SA' in France ... the 'white guy who doesn't fall into the whole apartheid thing ...

I went to see him the last time he came to Dubai (about 2 years ago) and he was great. Made me take out my old Jaluka CD ...

[Patricia Lotte]

Forgot to mention that Pierre Gonzales is quite chummy with Johnny Clegg. He sent me a few photos of them together at Pierre's house.

[Pete (RIP)]

Hi Patricia ~

Ja, Dan played that Clegg gig in Dubai - you would have seen him (keyboards & saxphone) without knowing who he was.  He's also played on his own in a couple of clubs there on other occasions. 

The most famous story about Clegg in France is the occasion, some years ago when Juluka/Savuka were in the prime of their fame, where a Michael Jackson concert -scheduled for the same night as a Clegg concert - had to be postponed due to lack of ticket sales!  The Clegg concert, meanwhile, had to be moved to bigger and bigger venues to meet the demand.  That couldn't have happened too often to Mr Jackson!

[Patricia(nee)Lineker]

Wow, Pete!!

You must be soooooo proud.

Love to Brenda
Cheers
Patricia

[Michael Alexander]

The one nice thing about Dan the man, is the fact that he never forgot his roots, he plays to tens of thousands on stage, but when he comes home, he is still Dan, Jamming with his dad in front of 50 Oranjemunders...... thats being proud... Thats being Dan......

[Pete (RIP)]

Hi Pat ~

Yes, we are proud ~ as any parents would be.  Having said that, we are just as mindful (and appreciative) of the role that the Oranjemund community, as well as the Oranjemund Private School Music department, played in Dan's success.  Here, I specifically refer to the massive contribution made by Debbie Coombe-Davis, in particular, and, later on, Celine Matthee.  Debbie was one of those rare breed of teachers who not only loved her field of endeavour herself, but instilled and nurtured this passion in her pupils.   Celine oversaw the transition from recorder to clarinet which was, ultimately, to see the transfer from clarinet to saxophone.  

Looking back now, one realises just what a benefit functions like the OPS music concerts were to the pupils who were performing.  It gave them confidence, self-belief and an insight into what it was like to perform before an audience.    The same applies to the wonderful music evenings the Oranjemund Players hosted at the Little Theatre.    When one looks at how many Oranjemund kids of that era have ended up in the entertainment industry, it's hard to deny that there must be "something in the water".   I cannot name them all but, apart from Dan, there're young folk like Phillip Black (lead vocalist for "Chasing Friday"), Stewart Ramage & Jeremy Smith (sound engineering...Stewart is in charge of sound at Grandwest Casino in Cape Town and also sound engineers for top RSA bands like "Flat Stanley"), Megan Shout (music radio presenter on Heart fm, Cape Town - catch her nightly from 01:00 to 04:00!!), Jonathan Blackham (photographer and international movie crews) and, more latterly, Carmen Meyer.   Apart from these names, there are loads of kids who studied music, not to become professionals or to even perform publicly, but to acquire a life skill which would forever enrich their beings.

And the beauty about artists is that, unlike sports stars, who have a finite period in which to play their sport, performers are able to display their talents for as long as their enthusiasm, and physical state, allows them to!  There's got to be something rewarding in that!

[Pete (RIP)]

Kind words, Mike - thanks. 

As parents we have always insisted (or done our best!) to keep our kids grounded.  In the entertainment world success can desert you as quickly as it finds you.  It is an EXTREMELY fickle industry where (true) friends are few and loyalty fleeting.  If you forget where you came from and how you got there, you sure as hell ain't going to remember how to hang onto the cliff face or pull yourself to the summit when you have the strength (because the rope you thought you had actually turned into a piece of string!!!!).  I reckon you and I have just "earned" ourselves a whole bunch of free beers from Dan when he's next up...what'd ya shay????

[Pete (RIP)]

More tour info at:

www.cleggdownunder.com
www.myspace.com/danshoutactivity